CATEGORY:NATIONAL BUDGET CONSULTATION
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RURAL TO URBAN migration in Grenada has become a major issue of concern for those who are painfully aware of its exceedingly great implications for future socioeconomic development of the tri-island state. At present, rural Grenada is experiencing a high out-migration as dwellers move to urban St. George where there are more socioeconomic opportunities.

The numbers involve and the rate at which this internal migration takes place have important consequences for the economy. Interestingly, more than a third of Grenada’s population lives in St. George even though it accounts for less than a quarter of the total land area. Physical evidence strongly suggests that the increase in the concentration of people in St. George which could lead to a massive overpopulation. Conversely, there is, as a result of the urban inflow, a depopulation of the countryside.

The main motive for the rural to urban migration is an economic one. The downturn of the rural economy due to the collapse of the agriculture sector, particularly the nutmeg industry, by human and natural disasters, has made it extremely difficult for many rural dwellers to comfortably meet their physiological needs. As a consequence, more and more people from the rural areas are migrating to St. George to find employment in other urban based sectors such as tourism and construction. And, given the mental stress of distant travel and high costs of public transportation, it makes more economic sense to them to live in close proximity to their jobs; thus, forcing them to relocate.

This trend was most marked during the aftermath of hurricanes Ivan and Emily. Besides these push factors, the trend nowadays is to live in the urban areas. Being a city dweller presents an individual with a different lifestyle that is not found in the countryside.

If this current trend continues, St. George would offer the worst in human existence, such as high crime, pollution, more stress in daily life, overcrowding and slums. Because the migrants are often young professional and skilled young adults, there is an increasing lack of social capital in the depopulated rural areas. Consequently, rural development would be a daunting task.

To stem the rising tide of rural to urban migration, there must be desperate attempt to stimulate the rural economy, thus, reducing the influence of the push factors, primarily rural unemployment. Parity in the allocation of the nation’s resources is of paramount importance in addressing the issue of rural to urban migration.