Inter-American Development Bank
facebook
twitter
youtube
linkedin
instagram
Abierto al públicoBeyond BordersCaribbean Development TrendsCiudades SosteniblesEnergía para el FuturoEnfoque EducaciónFactor TrabajoGente SaludableGestión fiscalGobernarteIdeas MatterIdeas que CuentanIdeaçãoImpactoIndustrias CreativasLa Maleta AbiertaMoviliblogMás Allá de las FronterasNegocios SosteniblesPrimeros PasosPuntos sobre la iSeguridad CiudadanaSostenibilidadVolvamos a la fuente¿Y si hablamos de igualdad?Home
Citizen Security and Justice Creative Industries Development Effectiveness Early Childhood Development Education Energy Envirnment. Climate Change and Safeguards Fiscal policy and management Gender and Diversity Health Labor and pensions Open Knowledge Public management Science, Technology and Innovation  Trade and Regional Integration Urban Development and Housing Water and Sanitation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sostenibilidad

Just another web-blogs Sites site

  • HOME
  • CATEGORIES
    • Agriculture and Food Security
    • Climate change
    • Ecosystems and Biodiversity
    • Environmental and Social Safeguards
    • Infrastructure and Sustainable Landscapes
    • Institutionality
    • Responsible Production and Consumption
  • Authors
  • English
    • Español

Migrations due to COVID-19, opportunities and challenges for a sustainable recovery in Peru

May 24, 2021 por Paloma Marcos Morezuelas - Martha Denisse Pierola - Ana Iju - Javier Puig - Jaime Fernandez-Baca Leave a Comment


In an unprecedented development in the history of Peru, over 200,000 people returned to their native cities in the countryside from cities such as Lima, Arequipa or Cusco, as result of the economic situation produced by the mandatory confinement to contain the spread of COVID-19. The quarantine decreed by the government between March and June 2020 had an almost immediate impact on the population’s income. In particular, informal workers were more affected by job loss, which hindered them from meeting their basic needs.

In a study financed by the IDB, the consulting firm GRADE surveyed over 3,000 returnees located in the areas of greatest migration, also known as hotspots, to estimate the size and dynamics of return flows to rural areas and carry out a diagnosis of the situation of migrants in their localities, the possible effects of their arrival on the pressure on natural resources, and the opportunities for sustainable development, taking into account the new human capital that has migrated to these areas.

What is the profile of the returnees?

Respondents show a young (30.4 years on average) and educated profile, there are more men (55%) than women (45%) and they are mostly mestizo. Their native language is Spanish (74%), Quechua (22%) and Aymara (2%). 63% returned alone, while the rest did so accompanied by their relatives. 73% completed high school and 35% attended higher education.

In their host locations, returnees work in agriculture (34%) and livestock (5%), followed by commerce (29%) and construction (10%). Only 16% of returnees work in other sectors and 6% of returnees state that they are unemployed. There is a bias of men towards the construction and agriculture sectors and of women towards the commercial sector.

Where are the returnees?

The study estimates that between 218,019 and 278,593 returnees relocated during the pandemic in 2020. The Lima region was the main exit point since 105,000 people left this region to return to their areas of origin. The main destinations were the Cajamarca and Ancash regions, followed by Junín, Piura, and Huánuco.

Another aspect is the dynamics of intraregional migration, that is, relocations within the same region. The regions with the highest return migration of this type include Cusco, Puno and La Libertad. In these regions, many individuals left the urban areas they had migrated to and returned and settled in their rural areas of origin located in the same region. The following graph shows the migratory dynamics of returnees from rural areas in Peru:

Returnees (thousands) to Peru’s rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic
Source: Projections from: Analysis for Development Group (GRADE, by its Spanish acronym) March 2021

Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable recovery

The respondents’ profile reveals opportunities and challenges to achieve a sustainable recovery in host areas. For example, having a higher educational level than that of the local population —about 75% of adult returnees between 26-50 years old have completed high school— results in greater possibilities of taking advantage of their skills and generating more added value. Another opportunity is the entrepreneurial spirit among returnees, since 9 out of 10 are interested in starting their own venture. However, the challenge is that the vast majority lack the resources to finance it.

Another challenge identified is the high rate of informality that tends to occur among migrants. For example, 38% of returnees work in agriculture and three-quarters work independently, which offers a picture of the state of informality in which they operate.

How to promote economic dynamization in the places of destination?

The study proposes a series of specific measures to promote the economic dynamization of the territory, and thus take advantage of the greater presence of young and relatively educated people in the area.

In districts with low environmental risk, but high socioeconomic and demographic pressure due to the increase in the returning population, the proposal is to accelerate public interventions aimed at boosting agricultural activity, including from technical assistance and credit promotion to investments in technology transfer and irrigation, according to the specific needs and potential of each territory.

In territories with a large influx of returnees that have high environmental risks such as agricultural overexploitation, deforestation and coca cultivation, the proposal is to concentrate efforts on four types of interventions:

  • increased productivity and profitability, through new agricultural and irrigation practices and techniques that reduce erosion processes and nutrient reduction, together with new varieties or crops that allow an increase in the value of what is produced per hectare;
  • promotion of programs focused on low-interest credit lines for farmers in order to finance sustainable development activities, conservation of biodiversity and reduction of CO2 emissions, supported by technical assistance to promote such activities;
  • promotion of non-agricultural economic activities, such as aquaculture, tourism, and construction, to diversify income sources, generating additional employment outside the farms and taking advantage of the new available human capital without exerting greater pressure on threatened ecosystems; and
  • promotion of new businesses and urban activities to add value to natural or other resources, that take advantage of the knowledge and experiences that returnees bring with them.

In addition, there is a proposal to identify the urban centers closest to the return zones with a potentially greater dynamism to foster planned and formal housing construction activities, promoting new urban centers linked to rural areas, developing health, education, and potable water services. In these new urban nodes, the promotion of new businesses and activities to add value to natural resources is recommended.

These measures could contribute to overcoming the social and economic crisis generated by the pandemic, while creating new jobs, protecting nature, and strengthening the climate resilience of the communities receiving the returnees. The scope of this study could guide the country’s strategies to achieve a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient recovery.

These results will be collected in a technical note that the IDB will publish in the coming months.

Follow us on Twitter: @BIDCambioClima

Photo: Idehpucp 


Filed Under: Climate change, Uncategorized Tagged With: Migration, sustainable recovery

Paloma Marcos Morezuelas

Paloma Marcos es consultora en la División de Género y Diversidad del BID desde 2011, donde apoya la incorporación de recomendaciones sobre género para proyectos de cambio climático. Durante este tiempo ha trabajado principalmente en la inclusión de aspectos de igualdad de género en proyectos de los Fondos de Inversión Climática (Climate Investment Funds) y el Fondo Verde del Clima (Green Climate Fund). Cuenta con más de 20 años de experiencia profesional en instituciones privadas, públicas e internacionales en temas relacionados con medio ambiente, género y comunicación.

Martha Denisse Pierola

Martha Denisse Pierola is a development economist specialized on trade and migration, currently working for the Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions (EFI) Practice Group of the World Bank. She has published several papers on export development and co-created the World Bank's Exporter Dynamics Database–the first-ever global database on exporter growth and dynamics, based on firm-level export data. She has also studied the impact of import competition and migration shocks on labor outcomes and productivity in Latin America. Before rejoining the World Bank, she worked as a Senior Economist for the Migration Unit of the Inter-American Development Bank where she conducted research on migrants’ profiles and the impact of cash transfers on migrants’ socioeconomic integration. Previously, she also worked as an economist for the World Bank, the Peruvian Government (INDECOPI) and also consulted for the private sector and other international organizations. She has a PhD in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland and a Master of International Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute in Bern, Switzerland.

Ana Iju

Ana Iju works in the Climate Change and Sustainability Division at the IDB Country Office in Peru. She has more than 12 years of experience in climate change, particularly in adaptation issues. Before the IDB, she worked in the Ministry of the Environment of Peru, coordinating the project to adapt to the impacts of glacial retreat in the Tropical Andes and in the Second National Communication on Climate Change. Previously, she worked on the implementation of environmental and quality management systems with international standards in public and private companies. Ana is a Food Industry Engineer from National Agrarian University - La Molina in Peru and has a Master's degree in Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Follow Ana on Twitter: @ana_iju

Javier Puig

Javier Puig es especialista en el BID, trabaja en área de financiamiento climático de la División de Cambio Climático y Sostenibilidad. Apoya la formulación de propuestas de proyectos a los fondos climáticos y en la ejecución de los mismos. Su experiencia se enfoca a los proyectos forestales, agrícolas y otros usos de la tierra. Él ha trabajado por más de 20 años en temas de manejo de recursos natural con experiencia internacional en áreas de monitoreo de cobertura forestal, silvicultura, sistemas de información geográfica y teledetección, energías renovables, modelamiento participativo de escenario, estudios de tenencia de la tierra, cambio climático, estimación de carbono, biodiversidad y conservación. Antes de comenzar en el BID trabajo con el Gobierno del Territorio del Norte en Australia coordinando los estudios históricos de tenencia de tierra para apoyar la resolución legal de los reclamos de derecho de tierra por los aborígenes. También investigó con Charles Darwin University procesos de modelamiento participativos para estudios de adaptación al cambio climático por comunidades rurales y la industria ganadera en el norte de Australia; en América Latina participó en proyectos de conservación y biodiversidad; modelo el crecimiento y contribución de bosques tropicales secundarios al secuestro de atmosférico de carbono, monitoreo deforestaciones y cambios de uso de la tierra en varios países latinoamericanos incluyendo en monitoreo de deforestación en la Amazonia. Javier obtuvo un grado de Ingeniero Forestal de la Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia, Argentina y se especializó en el CATIE, Costa Rica con un Master of Science en el manejo de recursos naturales con énfasis en manejo de bosque tropicales. También obtuvo especialización en estudios Espaciales de la International Space University (ISU), France y un Doctorate of Science en Geografía de la Universidad de Bonn, Alemania.

Jaime Fernandez-Baca

Specialist in the Climate Change and Sustainability Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) since 2012. He coordinates IDB operations in Peru to support the climate change mitigation and adaptation agenda. He was Project Manager in the Southern Andes Program of The Nature Conservancy, in charge of the design and implementation of conservation and development projects in the Yungas ecoregion. As an independent consultant, he has led the design and evaluation of programs and projects for the management of natural resources and biodiversity in various countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Jaime worked for several years in the private sector as an environmental specialist for various investment projects in the mining, hydrocarbons, energy and industry sectors. Engineer in Agronomic Sciences from the University of California, Davis, Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom, and Master in Agricultural Economics from the National Agrarian University, La Molina.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

Subscribe

SEARCH

Sustainability

This blog is a space to reflect about the challenges, opportunities and the progress made by Latin American and Caribbean countries on the path towards the region’s sustainable development.

SIMILAR POSTS

  • Creating 15 million new jobs for a sustainable recovery and a net-zero emissions future
  • 3 key actions to tackle climate change in cities
  • International Women’s Day: Understanding Care Work in Rural Life
  • What Is the Role of Women in Food Security?
  • Well-planned sustainable infrastructure can spark economic recovery

Footer

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
facebook
twitter
youtube
youtube
youtube

    Blog posts written by Bank employees:

    Copyright © Inter-American Development Bank ("IDB"). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. (CC-IGO 3.0 BY-NC-ND) license and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose. No derivative work is allowed. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC- IGO license. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.


    For blogs written by external parties:

    For questions concerning copyright for authors that are not IADB employees please complete the contact form for this blog.

    The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDB, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.

    Attribution: in addition to giving attribution to the respective author and copyright owner, as appropriate, we would appreciate if you could include a link that remits back the IDB Blogs website.



    Privacy Policy

    Derechos de autor © 2025 · Magazine Pro en Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

    Aviso Legal

    Las opiniones expresadas en estos blogs son las de los autores y no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, sus directivas, la Asamblea de Gobernadores o sus países miembros.

    facebook
    twitter
    youtube
    This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser.
    To learn more about cookies, click here
    x
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT