Investigating the agricultural situation and its role in rural migration using non-parametric statistical methods (Case study: Villagers in the Charoymaq county)

A research study with direct observational survey was used in order to study the factors influencing migration of villagers in the Charoymaq county – Iran. This study focused on the role of agriculture and the open-ended and closed-ended questionnaire technique were used. The sampling method used in this study was random cluster sampling and the total number of statistical samples used was chosen to be 200 according to Cochran's test.  After collecting data from the questionnaires, descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for data analysis. According to the results of non-parametric tests to investigate the effect of differences in variables related to individual characteristics including age, sex, education and previous occupation of immigrants on migration status, it was found that all variables are significant. In other words, these factors have a significant effect on migration rate. The main reasons for migration of all the people surveyed were problems in the field of agriculture and labor difficulties and the lack of supportive aspects. On the other hand, although migration in men (53%) is higher than women (16.7%), percentage interest in migration among men (21.3%) is lower than women (41.7%). These results are due to the fact that hardships of life in the countryside and traditional life of agricultures are greater than in that of urban life as women feel. According to the results, the main reasons for migration of Charoymaq villagers to cities are unemployment and low income in villages (38.5%), lack of welfare, health and educational facilities (33.5%) and lack of land and sufficient capital for agriculture (10%). According to Friedman’s test, in order to assess the effect of each factor on immigration, regardless of classification in terms of economic, social, cultural, infrastructural, demographic and environmental factors, in general, they were ranked 47 and overall, more employment opportunities rank first. Moreover, among these factors, drought and water scarcity in the region have also been cited as important factors, and more unemployment in the village appears to be due to a lack of proper agricultural management. In general, due to the pressure on the villagers during the recent droughts to provide the required water in the agricultural sector and lack of investment in controlling surface waters and extracting groundwater has had a major impact on migration. It is suggested that more attention be paid to management and investment in this regard.