Pastoralists, agropastoralists and migrants: Interactions between fertility and mobility in northern Burkina Faso

Seasonal rural to urban migration of young men is becoming an increasingly important part of the rural economy of the West African Sahel, yet little i s known about how the short-term contact of men with urban centres might af fect reproductive decisions and outcomes in sending areas. In northern Burk ina Faso, Substantial variation in short-term migration rates of young Fula ni men to cities provides an opportunity to explore interactions between mi gration and fertility in this area. The groups most involved in seasonal la bour migration experience substantially lower fertility than non-migrating groups. Fertility differentials arise largely from higher rates of secondar y sterility among migrating groups, probably caused by an increased inciden ce of sexually transmitted diseases. Such mechanisms as changes in attitude s and knowledge regarding birth control, and the undermining of traditional practices of marriage, breastfeeding, and sexual abstinence are far less i mportant.