Internal rural-urban migration is becoming a priority in social research. However, no one has systematically studied the intentions of farmers to migrate internally to Bangladesh to seek permanent urban residence via paid employment yet. This paper develops a TPB (theory of planned behaviour) model to explain farmers’ intentions to migrate or not migrate to cities for paid employment; then, this paper tests the model against the data collected. A total 372 individuals (migrated farmers) were randomly chosen from 11,200 families who had left a rural area in Bangladesh to collect quantitative data about the issues raised in the model; the data were collected by a telephone interview. The socioeconomic profile of the respondents fits that of internal migrants identified in the literature, and the Cronbach’s alpha as well as composite reliability statistics suggest that the data are representative of the population. According to the structural equation modelling (SEM) data, attitudes towards migration (ATTs) and subjective norms (SNs) have an impact on migration intention (MI), while perceived behavioural control (PBC) show no significant effect. This study used a primary dataset from interviews with rural migrants working in different sectors in different cities in Bangladesh. This suggests that the planned behaviour model may help explain farmers’ decisions to migrate internally in Bangladesh and that policies based on the model may successfully reduce such migration.

Purpose. This study was conducted among Bangladeshi undergraduate agricultural students to see how likely they were to launch their agribusinesses after awarding Bachelor’s degrees. Methodology / approach. As an agricultural country, agribusiness among the students is increasingly important. To achieve the purpose, we selected undergraduate students from the University of Rajshahi as the respondents. Agriculture, Fisheries, and Veterinary Science students were surveyed to determine their interest in starting an agribusiness (opening their own enterprises) after graduation. Questionnaire data were subjected to a logit regression analysis. Results. Most students come from rural backgrounds and many work in family farming either directly or indirectly, only a small percentage of them (29.6 %) want to start an agribusiness after graduation. Most students think working for the Government or providing other services is safer than doing business. Except for students whose families had large landholdings, students were not interested in becoming agribusiness entrepreneurs, although female students were more curious than males. The students perceived agribusiness as too risky and preferred civil service or other service sector employment over any business. If they were to set up such companies, they would be the most interested in fruits and vegetables, feed mills, beef, floriculture, and fisheries. Part of the reason for this disinclination to entrepreneurship is South Asian culture, which values security over independence, although agriculture, where the product is perishable, is risky. Originality / scientific novelty. Over the last 10 years, there has been a decline in total agricultural employment despite a rise in the youth unemployment rate. Encouraging these young people to go into agribusiness, we can reduce unemployment and increase agricultural productivity. But, regarding the interest of young people in Bangladesh in agribusiness, there is no published material. Thus, this study is the first in Bangladesh to assess the interest of agricultural students in starting an agribusiness and describe its determinants. Practical value / implications. The state wants to encourage agribusiness, but does not have a policy to achieve the goal and universities do not even teach this subject to agriculture graduates. If the government is serious about expanding agricultural entrepreneurship, it will have to invest in agribusiness to reduce its risk: in agricultural mechanisation, better rural transport and infrastructure, insurance for agricultural enterprises, mentors to impart business skills and advice, and a national capital fund to invest in such enterprises and finance them by capital rather than by debt.