The Impact of Access to Soil and Water Conservation Information on Migration Intentions: Evidence from Malawi.

Drought is a severe and recurring problem in Malawi, a country with a high drought risk index. In 2024, drought impacted approximately 44.3% of the nation's crop area, with the Southern Region suffering the highest agricultural income losses. As a consequence, many farmers resort to migration as a coping strategy, leading to a steady 4.1% annual rate of internal rural-urban migration and a situation where 45% of the population considers emigrating. The primary objective of this study is to explore whether providing information on adaptive agricultural practices can reduce farmers' intentions to migrate due to drought. The study utilizes a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) to investigate how providing access to information on soil and water conservation techniques affects the migration intentions of farmers in a drought-prone area of Malawi. Participants will be divided into three groups: Treatment Group 1 (T1) will receive video-based information on soil and water conservation techniques, specifically Zai pits and mulching. Treatment Group 2 (T2) will receive the same information as T1, plus a hypothetical scenario where a non-governmental organization (NGO) provides implementation support. Finally, the control Group will receive no information. The main outcome measured is migration intention, assessed using a 5-point scale. A secondary outcome is the farmers' perceived effectiveness of the conservation techniques. It is hypothesized that this knowledge, especially when coupled with the prospect of implementation support, will empower farmers to adapt to drought conditions, making migration a less necessary option.