Research on World Agricultural Economy

The Interplay of Rural-Urban Migration, Climate-Smart Agriculture, and Technical Efficiency in Maize Production: Insights from Rural Malawi

Innocent Pangapanga‑Phiri

Centre for Agricultural Research and Development (CARD), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Bunda College of Agriculture, Lilongwe P.O. Box 219, Malawi ; Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa; Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa

Eric Mungatana

Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v7i1.2279

Received: 7 June 2025 | Revised: 24 July 2025 | Accepted: 8 August 2025 | Published Online: 6 February 2026

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Abstract

Rural-Urban Migration (RUM) has increasingly become a key adaptation strategy to climate and weather-related shocks in rural communities. Through rural-urban migration (RUM, households gain access to remittances, which are often reinvested in climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices. However, the outcomes of such investments are not straightforward, as RUM can lead to either a loss or a gain in labor productivity depending on accompanying interventions. This study examines the impact of RUM on technical efficiency and productivity among maize smallholder farmers using panel data constructed from nationally representative Integrated Household Surveys (2010–2017). The findings show that RUM, when not accompanied by CSA practices such as soil and water conservation, agroforestry, and conservation agriculture, leads to a significant reduction in technical efficiency, averaging 9%, with sharper declines in 2010 and 2013 (18%) and a more moderate effect in 2016/2017 (7%). Conversely, when RUM is combined with CSA adoption, it has a positive effect on technical efficiency, carrying important policy implications. They thus highlight the need for policymakers to carefully monitor labor outmigration while avoiding restrictive migration policies that overlook the economic pressures driving RUM. Instead, policies should focus on balanced strategies that retain part of the rural labor force and enhance households’ ability to convert remittances into productive agricultural investments. Key interventions include strengthening rural labor markets, promoting mechanization and labor-saving technologies, as well as enabling the effective use of remittances through financial literacy, improved extension services, and targeted support for CSA adoption.

Keywords: Stochastic Frontier Model; Technical Efficiencies; Rural‑Urban Migration; Climate and Weather‑related Shocks; Climate Smart Agricultural Practices

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