The daily travel of villagers to the city in a case study of Northern Iran

Rural urban migration can often result in decreased agricultural output in countries with scarce land resources. It also can hasten the socio-economic problems associated with the overcrowded cities of the developing world. As only 10% of Iran is arable it is particularly vulnerable to threats to food security and self-sufficiency. This paper examines the daily flow of villagers to a major city near the vital staple crop producing rural district of Lakan, where out-migration is already occurring. Although most discussions of daily travel to cities is typically relegated to commuting, this paper aims to analyze travel for the purpose of access to a variety of facilities and services that villages in the rural district of Lakan lack including secondary schools, post offices, banks, and even telephones and newspaper stands. The paper emphasizes that daily journeys make permanent moves to the city more likely because of the major inconvenience that results from the scarcity of basic facilities within Lakan villages. Travel to a distant city for staple foods at grocery stores or for access to secondary schools, for example, could intensify future out-migration because the heavy inconvenience of constant travel might eventually outweigh the benefits of maintaining residency in villages. The paper utilizes information about daily travel to Rasht to recommend various government construction projects and initiatives to improve the quality of life for villagers and avert future rural-urban migration and the reduction in staple crop production that might result.