Impact of Foreign Labour Migration on Labour Dynamics in Relation to Household Agricultural Activities in Sindhuli Districts of Nepal

Abstract

Around 66% of Nepal's population is involved in agricultural activities, which contributes a one-third portion of the country's GDP. Given its agricultural nature, a considerable number of young Nepali individuals opt for international labor migration as a means of sustaining their livelihoods. So this study aimed to examine the impacts of foreign labor migration on the labour dynamics of household agricultural activities in the Sindhuli district of Nepal. A mixed research design was used for this research. Where quantitative interview protocol was designed, pretested, modified, and deployed for quantitative data collection from 350 migrant households. After that checklist for key informants’ interview and case studies were developed and used to generate qualitative data. At first, quantitative data were processed, analyzed, and interpreted with the support of qualitative findings. The survey findings revealed that in the research area, a total of 390 individuals migrated from 350 households. Of these migrants, slightly over 90% were male, leaving only 5.13% as females. In terms of household work, the workload of the father was found to be negligible, while the workload of the mother saw a significant decrease after migration. Concerning agricultural activities, livestock production and management, and social activities the workload of the father, mother, and siblings showed a statistically significant decrease. However, the workload of the spouse and children was found to significantly increase in all spheres after migration. The reduction in workload for migrants' fathers, mothers, and siblings can be attributed to the shift from a joint family structure to a nuclear family setup.