Rural change in Developing & Emerging Countries (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Population growth

• The rural population in Kenya has increased from 7.5 million in 1960 to 39 million in 2021

• The proportion of people living in rural areas has decreased from 93% in 1960 to 72% in 2020

Changing farm economy and land holdings

• Agriculture in Kenya is divided into:

  • Commercial large-scale farms are often owned by companies outside Kenya or individuals who are not Kenyan

  • Commercial small-scale farms owned by Kenyans

  • Subsistence farms where people are farming to feed themselves and their family

• Approximately 50% of Kenya's GDP is from commercial agriculture

• Less than 2% of land in Kenya is owned by women

Natural hazards in rural areas

• Kenya experiences several natural hazards including: 

  • drought

  • desertification

  • floods

• Drought is an increasing issue with Kenya suffering the worst drought in decades in 2021/22

• Floods in 2019 affected 160,000 people across Kenya

• Desertification occurs as a result of:

  • decreasing precipitation

  • overgrazing

  • removal of vegetation for fuelwood and shelter

• The natural hazards have led to livestock deaths and crop failure:

  • Over 20% of the population is suffering from acute food insecurity

Rural-urban migration

• More than 250,000 people a year move from rural Kenya to towns and cities like Nairobi

• Most migrants are young people often men

Causes of rural-urban migration

• Rural-urban migration has several causes including:

  • loss of land - commercial farms taking over best farmland

  • low productivity of land due to soil erosion and desertification

  • poor access to healthcare and education services

  • increasing frequency of drought

  • lack of clean water

Impacts of rural-urban migration

• Ageing populations in rural areas

• Lack of skills because young workers leave the rural areas

• Reduced productivity as the elderly and children are not able to farm as effectively

• Birth rates decline due to fewer women of childbearing age 

• Rural area development falls further behind urban areas