Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ayeye Bose (Participation of Youth in Agricultural Activities in Rural Area of Odigbo Local Government)
Ayeye Bose (Participation of Youth in Agricultural Activities in Rural Area of Odigbo Local Government)
Ayeye Bose (Participation of Youth in Agricultural Activities in Rural Area of Odigbo Local Government)
INTRODCUTION
Agriculture is one of the most viable sectors particularly in terms of its employment
potentials in rural areas of the country (FAO, 2010). It is the foundation for the development
of stable human communities, both in rural and urban com. It provides environmental
resources and preserved biodiversity (Preshstore, 2013). Youth are all aged between is to 24
years old. Youth is usually defined with reference to age bracket there is little agreement as to
The agricultural sector is strategically positioned to have a high multiplier and linkage
effect on any nation’s quest for socioeconomic and industrial development. Unfortunately,
Nigeria’s agricultural sector is bedeviled with several challenges such as lack of access to
markets and credits, low level of technology especially mechanization, inadequate post-
materials and certified seeds (Ministry of Agriculture, 2007). This has made agriculture
for this aged generation dominating agricultural sector to deliver the expected productivity to
meet food needs of the ever growing population. Agriculture has huge and diverse
opportunities potentials that can not only transform the national economy but also
tremendously impact the personal lives of the farmers particularly the youth.
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Youths represent the most active segment of the population and the engine that do
most productive work of the society (Adesope, 1996). The youths have also been identified as
constituting the major resource base for any country which wants to embark on any
Adesope and Ibe (2005) also noted that youths have been part of the overall agricultural
economy. The active participation of youths in various agricultural activities like vegetable
production, livestock husbandry, arable farming and crop processing and marketing in
different parts of the country has been reported by Adesope (1996). The participation of
youths in agriculture correlates to their rural background which makes them well suited for
On the other hand, Adebayo et al (2006) noted that despite their (youths) rich rural
life, farming background and experience, rural youths are yet to actively and productively
participate in the development of the nation‟s agricultural sector. This is related to the dearth
of viable institutional framework for mobilizing, developing and channeling the unique
abilities, experiences and aspirations of rural youths towards agriculture. In the same vein,
because traditional agriculture is based on hoe and cutlass, subsistence agriculture hold no
interest or appeal for young people wanting to look on neither the land nor do they have any
Ovwigho and Ifie (2009) posited that Nigeria youths have the potentials to promote
agriculture but most of them are not interested in agricultural activities. Hence, the federal
efficiency and productivity of the participants thereby taking up farming as a life time
vocation.
Although, YIAP in Ondo State has been transformed to programmes such as, Wealth
Creation Agency (WECA) and New Generation Farmers (NGF), they still maintain same
powerful tool for mobilizing new and additional resources. According to Ataneh (2012)
participation entails the ability of individuals to have an input in the decision making process
and to play a role in measures aimed at improving their quality of life. However, despite the
perceived success of this programme the drift of youths from farming to less tedious and
more lucrative jobs are on the rise, which creates the need to ascertain the level of
there is need to identify predictors for youth participation in order to increase youth
Youths are assets for agriculture because they are identified to be energetic and full
potential that can be great advantage to agricultural of any country but reverse is the case in
Nigeria, youth are now prefer white collar job or internet business, even some, internet fraud.
The attendant knowledge gap has not permitted the formulation of articulate policies for
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improvement. Also several youths’ programmes on agriculture have operated and failed due
to lack of data and information on what determines youths’ participation in rural agriculture
for the design of appropriate intervention strategies. More so, studies in the past have not
addressed the determinants of youths’ participation in rural agriculture. Rather efforts were
made at examining how to harness their potentials, youth migration, preference for
However, some studies (Akpan, 2010 and Rutta, 2012) show that the perceptions of
grater job opportunities, poor physical infrastructure and social amenities in rural areas and
general dislike of village life to be the factors for youth participation in agriculture. Also the
awareness of agricultural initiatives to youth is very low and for them agriculture is
unprofitable business which is supposed to be done by the old, retired or for those who lack
other alternatives. But due to the fact that reasons vary from one area to another, the study
will be conducted in order to reflect and clarify on what is going on the ground. This study
sets out to analyze participation of youth in Agricultural activities in rural area of Odigbo
The broad objective of the study is to access the participationof youth in Agricultural
activities in rural area of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State. The specific
objectives include:
3. To identify the types of agricultural activities in which the youth participate in the
study area;
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4. To evaluate the constraints limiting youths participation in agricultural Activities.
The following research questions are generated to address the above problem:
1. What are the factors that influencing youths’ participation in agriculture activities in
2. What are the rural agricultural activities that youths participatein agricultural
3. What are the types of agricultural activities in which the youth participate in the study
area?
public. This study will be beneficial to the general public to encourage youth to involved in
than the others in the population that participate in agriculture as a secondary occupation.
The study will contribute to the implementation of the good initiatives by the
government toward the development of the agricultural sector. The findings and
recommendations from this study will provide knowledge to policy makers and the Ministry
of Agriculture and Co-operatives for the amendments and formulation of agricultural policies
and initiatives for the direction of youth participation in agricultural development. Also this
study will assist the government, NGOs and other private sectors in dealing with the problem
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The study findings are expected to contribute significantly towards the global and
national efforts of increasing production and ensuring food security through increasing youth
participation in agriculture. By so doing the findings are expected to meet the National
Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty and millennium development goals. Since
agriculture is the country‟s base for the economic development, it is significant to empower
youth in agricultural activities for their socio-economic demand and for the national
significant to explore their participation in different types of agricultural activities and their
This was base on study participation of youth in Agricultural activities in rural area of
Odigbo Local government Area. This will be limited in Odigbo Local Government Area of
Agriculture: the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising
livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products
Participation
Youth: Youth is the time of life when one is young, and often means the time
between childhood and adulthood (maturity). It is also defined as "the appearance, freshness,
vigor, spirit, etc., characteristic of one who is young". Its definitions of a specific age range
varies, as youth is not defined chronologically as a stage that can be tied to specific age
ranges; nor can its end point be linked to specific activities, such as taking unpaid work or
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Rural: a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and
cities.
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CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Youth according to W.P.A.Y (2012) „youth‟ are all people aged 15 to 24 years old
and the terms “youth” and “young people” are used interchangeably. Taking understanding of
its types, African Union adopts the 15-35 as the age definition of youth. In the context of this
study youth referred to all people with the age between 15-35 years who engage themselves
Youth have various definitions in the literature. For instance, according to the United
Nation's General Assembly, "Youth are the persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years
inclusive". The African Union defines youth as those who fall within the age bracket of 15-35
years (African Union, 2006). In this study, since the study area is Nigeria, we adopted the
African union definition. We defined the sampled individual as a youth if he/she falls
between the age bracket of 15-35 years. We designed this study to assess the effect of
consumers of goods and services, processors, retailers, finance providers, etc.), along the
agricultural value chain. Each individual participating in agriculture and each business
performs some minor steps in the chain and adding values along the way– by growing,
(treated group) have higher income and, hence, non-poor compare with the other respondents
that are either youth or non-youth but are in agriculture a secondary occupation (control
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group). We believed that the anticipated level of income and the ultimate poverty reduction
derived from the youth's participation in agriculture will depend mainly on the intensity of
principal/primary occupation also suggests that agriculture is their main income source.
Therefore, they are expected to devote more time, resources, and energy to the
farm/agribusiness activities and, hence, obtain more significant outcomes than the others in
the population (youth or non-youth) who consider agriculture a secondary occupation or have
the youth choose to participate in agriculture intensively or not, which is viewed as a function
The term agriculture is derived from two Latin words “agar” meaning field and
hunger
Anyaele (2001) defines agriculture as the production animals, fishers, crops and forest
resources for consumption and other benefits of man. Agriculture involves the cultivation of
land or plants, rearing of animals for the protection of food for human consumption feed for
animals and raw materials for industries. More so, according to Johnson and Mellor (1961),
the role of agriculture include product contribution, market contribution, factors contribution
and forcing exchange contribution. No doubt it has continued to play a critical role in the
quite importance, for example period between 1960-1969 the share is about 65%, represented
almost 70% of total export earnings. Okinawa (1986) state that agriculture and crude oil
exports contributed 80% and 2.7% respectively of our foreign exchange earnings to where
they now account for about 2.5% and over 90% respectively of these earning it can be seen
how the petroleum sector has exhibited an increasing and doming ant influence as regards to
it’s contributions to government revenue, rising from 1% in 1960 to about 90% presently.
Similarly Okongwu (1986) asserts that a national economic regime which has
experience a boom within the last three decades of oil incomes and from the technical
viewpoint are inability or refusal to transform these resources into increased domestic food
production (respectively investment in agriculture) simply translated people cannot eat oil,
wonder therefore that the national economy is experiencing increased dependency on oil and
According to Johnson and Mellor (1991) these roles of agriculture include product
Okoli (1999) stated diversification of the Nigeria economy is necessary for the following
reasons.
First the volatility of internal oil market with the attendant volatility of government revenue
gives credence to any argument for diversification of export and second the fact that crude oil
is an exhange time makes it unreliable for substantial development/of the Nigeria economy. It
is pertinent to note here that the discovery of crude oil in Nigeria has graciously effused
agriculture production and thus reducing the contributions of agriculture to the socio-
Ojobgo (1999) opined that agriculture productions is not a simple component of the market
basket it is more fundamentally a core element of the wage good and thus naturally enters
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every sector as input and therefore it is hoped not only to. Ease the solution of the present and
future balance of payment problems attests. by reducing food imports and Inflationary
pressure but also to better bear the deflationary borders and urgently solve the worsening
Therefore, without any social upheaval and in order to improve the manufacturing
activities our agriculture must be urgently revamp not only to provide cheap and abundant
food to the society as well as for exports so as to serve as a source of foreign exchanging, but
imperative to take a holistic look at the contributions of agriculture at the various levels of
To Akande (2003) decades of the 1 960s was shattered by both the political and
economic false steps which calculations resulted in serious problem for agricultures.
eventually led to the civil war that lasted for (3) years characterized the political stage. This
has greatly disrupted agricultural products and regional trade of agricultural products, which
development as the bedrock for national economic development. This was wrong because the
In related view Olayide (2003) maintained that funding is a necessary input for the
transformation and expansion in size scale relationship in adequacy of fund tend to power
adoption of innovation hiring of labour and holding of produce in store process are favorable.
Nwoko, (2003) supports this argument when he remarked that funding is the first
essential factor in agricultural production and that it enhances the acquision of agricultural
equipment.
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Pisliks (2004) describes the importance of funding as a vehicle to agricultural
development and argued that funding is necessary if farmer are to derive’ the benefits of
improve technology. The further stressed if farmers can stimulate the growth of agriculture
by contributing to the modernization of the sector, that is the provision of new equipment like
tractors, ploughs and other machinery which would replace the lives of hoes and cutlass. As
observed earlier adequate funding of agriculture stimulates growth, it enhances mass food
and crop production thereby feeding the teeming population of not only a nation in particular
but the world in general. It agriculture is adequately funded therefore, improves the living
standard of a farmer and empower him economically and politically it gives him the zeal and
In trying to point out the problems associated with agricultural, Ouch (2005) point out
that insufficient funds to agricultural has been identified as a critical factor militating against
increased food production in Nigeria (idere) (2005) again shares down the growth of
agriculture I developing countries FAO (2005) holds a contrary view when is observed that
where people all emerging from a subsistence economy to at least cash economy, there is no
need for funding since the people remained almost self sufficient in food and then other small
requirements can be met out of the cash crops. However this belief comes partly from
ignorance or an aversion to lacking the problems because of its complexities since the
It also involves cropping, livestock’s, forestry and processing and marketing of these
the western and developing countries. For instance in such countries like UK, Netherlands,
Denmark, Germany, United States of America and Tanzania, the involvement of youth in
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agricultural production had contributed significantly to agricultural development and
empowering youth to always meet their needs (FAO, 1999). But inability of governments to
integrate youths in agricultural activities has been the major problem for country agricultural
development. Therefore, for the country to be economically stable the agricultural sector
must be strong and youth have to be encouraged on their participation in activities (Daudu et
al., 2009).
Youth constitute the most important sector in a society and they are one of the
greatest assets that any country can have and legitimately regarded as the future leaders. They
are potentially and actually the greatest investment for a country development. Youth in rural
areas provide opportunity for generating the farming entrepreneurs (Chikezie et al., 2012).
This is due to the fact that they have the potential to overcome some major constraints to
expand agriculture production because they are often more open to new ideas and practices
Many countries in Africa and Sub-Saharan regions for instance Nigeria have realized
that, in order to reduce food insecurity there must be policies for youth integration in
agricultural activities. This is through providing incentives to young people who are engaged
in agriculture, availing fair market opportunities for youth, providing training opportunities in
For the future food production and youth development, the identification for constraints
which face youths toward their involvement needs to be discussed. There is still a long way
towards increasing youth participation in agricultural activities. Youths face many push back
factors including inadequate rural credit facilities, low returns to agricultural investments,
poor perceptions of farmers, lack of modern farming technics and lack of access to tractors
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Literatures have critically examined possible problems facing the involvement of
youths in agricultural activities. (Njoku 1999), explained these problems to be the drudgery
of the agriculture sector due to the dependency on hand hoes, investments in developing
countries usually discriminate against agriculture, backwardness of the rural areas where
farming activities predominate and lack of social amenities such as electricity, good roads,
Makurdi Local Government Area of Nigeria revealed that youths play important roles in the
supply of labour, project initiations and the use of initiations to gain outside help. Also their
include age grades, local social clubs and young farmers‟ organizations.
Also the study done by Nnadi and Akwizu (2008), on determinants of youth‟s
participation in rural agriculture found out that the participation of youth is determined by
their ages, marital status, youth dependence status, parents‟ income and household size. Their
study recommended that institutional support services for agriculture should be extended to
the youth and intervention strategies for youth‟s agricultural activities should be guided and
guarded by their ages, marital status, parents‟ income, parents‟ occupations, family size and
unemployment and ability to overcome economic issues, it seems that youth have negative
attitudes toward agriculture (Jeffrey et al., 2012 cited by Abdullah et al., 2012). They are not
interested to join agriculture because they do not view the agriculture field as an attractive
area to work (Abdullah et al., 2012). The sector is characterized by limited incentives like
poor pay, climatic changes, capacity constraints, job insecurity and poor work conditions
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which results in the poor attitude of youth in agriculture. However, agriculture remains for
consumption more than income generation, so rural youth are often the working poor with no
salaries. In terms of young females, they face a triple burden as they are more affected by
on Agricultural Occupation in Iran by Ommani, (2011) revealed that the variables of farming
causes, insurance, age, and income play major roles in showing the variations of attitudes of
rural youth toward agricultural occupation. The study described the effective social and
the level of their attitude. However, Iran is termed as an upper middle income economy by
the World Bank which means Iran is a richer country compared to Nigeria, whereby youth‟s
attitudes and characteristics in Iran may differ from that of Nigeria. Therefore, although there
are a lot of cross cutting issues between Iran and Tanzania, there is a need for further
agriculture.
The world currently faces multiple problems of food scarcity, global warming and
low pricing of crude oil. Nigeria is not left out of these global crises considering her position
The youths at present constitute about 60% of Nigeria’s population in Nigeria and have over
the years made significant contributions to National Development (Vision 2010 report, 2005).
Unfortunately, the present environment makes it even more difficult to explore their full
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With the current development agenda of Nigeria, agriculture is no doubt now recognized as a
huge economic pillar contributing heavily to the country’s GDP. The nexus between
agriculture development and the nation’s ability to achieve its food and nations security goals
fostering the full participation of youth in the agricultural sector. Youths are the successor
The ageing smallholder farmers are less likely to adopt the new technologies needed to
sustain increase in agricultural productivity. This effort seeks to change the negative
uneducated, unskilled, and physical labourers with extremely low economic return.
Modern agriculture is more than tilling the soil and animals; the sector today offers career
areas for the youths to explore.Given the current depressing economic situation affecting the
country’s populace, especially the ever increasing youth population who largely seem
disoriented on how to eke out a living for themselves without access to the almost non-
existent well-paid jobs, effective actions needs to be taken. This situation is further
compounded by the recent devaluation of the Naira and the fall in oil prices which has led to
The UN World Health Organization predicts that “ by 2030, 6 out of every 10 people
will live in a city, and by 2050, this proportion will increase to 7 out of 10 people” meaning
that more young people than ever before are moving to cities and towns to find work, leaving
few behind to work in rural areas.With this predicted concentration of the global population
in urban areas, it is easier to understand why the number of young farmers decline yearly.
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There is a compelling need to boost and sustain youth’s interest and participation in
Over the years, the Nigerian government has attempted to stimulate youth interest in
agriculture, as part of the efforts to reduce ‘youth unemployment’-accounting for over 70 per
cent of the national unemployment rate of 23.9 per cent (Nigerian Bureau of Statistics) by
providing special incentives such as credit facilities for youths involved in agricultural
help reduce the problems of the ageing farm population and increasing youth unemployment
in the country.
The Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), establishes
show young people that innovation can play a big role in agriculture.Agriculture offers the
young generation a chance to make a difference by growing enough food to feed the world.
Those who become farmers now have the opportunity to be the generation that end world
hunger and alleviate malnutrition, as well as helping the sector adapt to climate change.
(efarms.com.ng, 2022)
The increased use of mobile phones in farming can also help deter young people away from
stereotypes of traditional farming and help change their perceptions about agriculture, helping
them to view it as an exciting and innovative industry.Kitovu is one of such hub that helps
farmers triple their crop yields while guaranteeing off take of their produce through their data
driven mobile platform. They help create markets access for farmers while ensuring produce
Passion and interest are two interrelated conditions of having concern, emotion and
feelings for something. Findings has indicated that most youths have no passion for farming.
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They rather develop what is called “quick money mentality” that generates from the fat
remunerations in the oil and gas sector of the economy; and which injects impatience against
It has been discovered that farming activities were perceived as a job for the low
class, illiterates, ages, and rural people and therefore belittling. Therefore no matter the
still belief that, participation in such program is belittling and as such not appropriate for an
enlightened youth; which negatively affects the rate of youth participation in agriculture.
Globally, several challenges contribute to a shift in the ambitions of rural youth from
agricultural to nonagricultural careers. Some of them are real, including tangible constraints
in access to resources, such as land, finance, and training that prevent youth from pursuing
profitable careers in agriculture. Others are perceived challenges, having more to do with the
way young people think about careers in agriculture. Young people’s perceptions of
agriculture are also influenced by the views and opinions of adults around them, including
parents, relatives, and community members. Some of the most pervasive challenges hindering
encourage their children to seek out alternate career paths that will take them away from the
difficult, subsistencebased lifestyle of working on the family farm. This leads to a perception
of agriculture as a “backup plan” for youth, or something that they will engage in only until
path. The seasonality of planting and harvesting adds to this perception, given that profits
from farming can come many weeks or months after large financial investments in inputs,
passed down within a family, rented, or purchased. Though youth have opportunities to work
on their parent’s land, and family land is often subdivided among the children, youth are
limited in their ability to access new or additional land to begin or grow their own farms.
4. Access to finance: Financial resources are required for both on- and off-farm pursuits.
This is a challenge for all demographic groups, but particularly so for youth who often lack
collateral or other requirements for accessing credit from a bank. Youth access to finance is
thus typically limited to family or community resources. Financial literacy also plays a role,
as young people may not understand the importance of saving and financial planning or the
steps required to access formal or informal financial services, particularly if the financial
passed down generationally and within communities, but youth particularly demand new
techniques or grow new crops. Without a structured system to provide youth with this
d. Motivation to stay in rural areas, as inputs will be delivered, on credit basis and
interest free.
e. Ensuring food security by producing enough food and cash crops, and livestocks
and processing in Nigeria, attention should be given to the factors leading to youth migration
to urban areas. In addition, the economic constraints facing youth in agriculture (lack of
credit, low profitability, capacity constraint etc) should be grossly examined. Initiatives such
this youth demography need be developed and implemented to drive interest by celebrating
winners, while grooming them as solution-providers for the identified challenges within the
sector.
The need for advocacy through media channels relevant to the youths cannot be over
emphasized. This will typically include the promotion of reputable personalities from popular
industries such as entertainment, business and technology who are involved in agricultural
Youths should be trained on modern ways of agriculture and agri-business during schooling;
after the training, those who choose to start an enterprise should be partially or fully funded
and encouraged while those who choose to work should be placed in farms of those who
farms is an agri-financing and agri-training platform that crowdsources funds from interested
farm investors to fund smallholder farmers; and train youths and graduates interested in
agriculture through her Farmer’s Academy, and empowering them with the funds to start
In addition youth who are currently into agriculture should be encouraged and honored so
that others will take interest in agriculture. We can only reduce youth unemployment in
prominent platforms with their stories widely told to encourage more youths to see
agriculture for more than just a food source but also as a business – food is a constant
necessity and its demand is ever increasing, hence its inherent capacity for unlimited wealth
2.9.2 Agriculture policies and programmes that will attract youths must ensure the
following:
developing countries like Nigeria to uplift young small-scale farmers and create sustainable
rural economy requires access to productive infrastructures such as land, roads, electricity,
marketing facilities, irrigation facilities, specialized agricultural careers across the value
chains, etc. Access to land for example is extremely important for young people trying to
earn a livelihood in agriculture Land access is not only the number one requirement for
starting farming, but it can also contribute to household food security and is a means for
employment creation and income generation. Youth from all around the world see secure
access to land as fundamental for entering farming. The sector is seen as highly unattractive
ignoring many other professional and entrepreneurial opportunities across the value chain
(Obert, 2012). Promotion and support of advocacy work that is aimed at creating
entrepreneurial awareness among youths about countless opportunities existing across the
enterprises, and opportunities to showcase their successes in order to attract more young
not with traditional communication technologies such as radio, television, print and video.
With this in mind, the emerging Youth in Agriculture Strategy must demonstrate a clear
understanding of the youth's affinity for technology, efficiency and a strong voice in the
decision-making processes. The strategy must also emphasis the need for the incorporation of
agriculture in the regular curriculum (Onwubiko, 2011). ICTs have high appeal to young
the poorest regions of the world, to acquire access to information and allow producers to be
better connected, The Internetprovides numerous opportunities for absorbing knowledge and
agriculture, government should invest in training the youths in order to ensure successful
participation. Professional facilitators and artisans in the trade should be employed to train
youths and ensure that they undergo compulsory periodic training, seminars, workshops and
symposiums to further improve their skills. The federal government should make it part of
their plans to further encourage youths after training them by empowering them.
Empowerment comes in various forms, and listed below are the ways in which government
(a) Offering financial support: government should ensure that youths are offered financial
supports in terms of grants and loans to further encourage trainees in the various agricultural
programmes.
(b) Government should ensure that farm implements are rented out to youths at
subsidized rates. Farm machineries such as: ploughs, ridgers, tractors, cultivators and so on
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4. Follow up on Programmes and Projects: Federal government should set up
committees that would scrutinize how funds are being managed and follow-up on all
agricultural projects. It is no longer news that the majority of the problems we are facing in
funds.Government implementing different agricultural projects on daily basis and one would
still wonder why farmers cannot have access to these facilities made available by the
for personal use by government officials. Nigerian government lacks continuity, and until this
issue is tackled before we can see improvement in our economy. Most times we see a lot of
abandoned agricultural projects everywhere, sometimes this may be due to lack of continuity
or change in government plans. We discover that government keeps pumping money into
agriculture projects and schemes, and at the end of the day there’s nothing to show for it.
Government should put in place agencies that would look into management of funds,
government funds.
Foote, W. (2018) Each of these challenges is complex and requires multifaceted solutions to
help youth see the value and potential of pursuing a career in agriculture. Examples of ways
1. Shift the perception of farming within rural families and communities: ICTs, such
as mobile phones and the Internet, and communications platforms like television and radio
shift perceptions of agriculture in rural areas. The Mediae Company in Kenya is known for
producing “edutainment” shows to accomplish this goal. Examples include Shamba Shape-
Up, a makeoverstyle reality TV show with an audience of 10 million that aims to educate
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smallholder farmers about good agricultural practices; Makutano Junction; and the USAID-
funded Don’t Lose the Plot, which was aired to 3.4 million young viewers in Kenya,
Tanzania, and Uganda in 2017, incorporating an element of interactivity with SMS and
chatrooms.
2. Expose youth to agriculture early on, incorporating all aspects of the value chain
(rather than just farming): Learning about agriculture can start at a young age, and
partnerships with schools and universities offer opportunities to promote such learning. For
example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 4-H program has taken root through
Gardens program, started in Ghana in 2000, now reaches more than 320,000 youth (ages 6–
24) across the continent (National 4-H Council, 2016). Through the 4-H Enterprise Gardens,
youth in Africa are exposed to agriculture from a young age. They help plan, plant, and
manage a food-producing garden, either in or outside of school, learning both agricultural and
entrepreneurial skills in the process. Through AgriCorps, for instance, American agriculture
Farmerline incorporated Farm Field Days in partnership with local universities, bringing
3. Increase profitability and productivity of farming: ICTs can play an important role in
technologies are often created and managed by tech-savvy youth. Young farmers are also
generally early adopters or serve in formal or informal roles to support less tech-savvy
farmers in using these technologies. Hello Tractor, a Feed the Future Partnering for
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Innovation and Development Innovations Ventures grantee in Nigeria, is one such an
example. Hello Tractor’s platform connects tractor owners to farmers via a digital
application, increasing on-farm efficiency through machinery and mechanization. The service
employs a team of booking agents, young, tech-savvy men and women living in or near rural
villages to help facilitate access to their platform, even for those who may not have access to
or comfort in using a mobile phone or the booking platform (Foote, 2018). Not only does this
model create employment for youth, it also leverages their unique skill sets to create impact
savvy perspective to solving some of the most difficult problems in agriculture, and they are
eager to apply their technology skills to create change in their communities. Examples
include USAID-funded prizes, such as the Data Driven Farming Prize in Nepal (for more on
one of the winners, see the Krishi Guru case study on page 21) and the Fall Armyworm Tech
Prize in Africa. Hackathons and startup competitions are another way to engage youth, such
as the Hack4Farming event series held in Ghana (2015), Kenya (2016), and India (2017) and
tech accelerator Phandeeyar’s Startup Challenge in Myanmar, which incorporated a Tech for
Stakeholder Roles
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ( 2018) The government, private sector, and
NGO/donor communities each have critical roles to play in addressing these challenges, both
and its implementing partners, is the primary focus of this case study. Above all, for donors
and implementing partners, the first step to better engaging youth in agriculture through ICTs
will be to first develop a baseline understanding of how we are already doing this, determine
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what is working well, and what can be improved. Once there is a good understanding of what
is already happening on the ground in the youth agriculture space, the next step will be to
evaluate at which points technology can be integrated to help improve those efforts and create
greater impact for youth, in a particular country or region. More detailed recommendations
for the NGO/donor community are discussed in the final section of this document.
The private sector can support youth by providing them with incentives to engage in
apprenticeships, and training programs to prepare youth to lead and manage agribusinesses.
Private-sector companies are typically the main actors to which farmers turn to access seed,
fertilizer, and pesticides, as well as machinery and equipment such as tractors. Working for
private-sector companies may be more appealing to youth who are looking for agricultural
opportunities off the farm; however, such opportunities are not always available (Akorion,
2018.).
In the financial sector, there is a $430–$440 billion shortfall in serving the global demand for
smallholder finance (Carroll et al., 2012). Youth feel this shortfall more acutely than other
demographic groups, and without appropriate financial resources, any agricultural pursuits
are risky and may be prohibitive. Although traditional banks can play a role in meeting this
shortfall, there is also an important role for digital financial services to fill in where formal
financial services have failed. USAID’s Guide to the Use of Digital Financial Services
provides a framework for organizations to determine if and how digital financial services can
help to address various roadblocks for farmers as they manage their farms as businesses.
Mobile phones are a precondition for the use of digital financial services; in countries with
high mobile phone penetration, youth are generally the most likely to own a phone. A 2015
survey reported that across seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including GFSS countries
Nigeria, Uganda, and Ghana — youth aged 18–34 were far more likely to own a smartphone
26
than were their older counterparts (Pew Research Center, 2015). Though many digital
financial services can be operated with only a basic mobile phone, access to a smartphone
and the Internet greatly enhances the opportunity to share digitally enabled information and
Governments also have an important role to play in engaging youth in agriculture. Every
GFSS country except Mali has a National Youth Policy (Youth Policy Labs, 2018). The
majority of these policies, however, were drafted in the early 2000s. Although some were
updated since then, none have been updated within the past five years and consequently fail
to account for the use of ICTs in engaging youth in agriculture. Governments can ensure that
youth policies are up-to-date and reflective of the opportunities to leverage technology. In
addition, they have an opportunity to focus their agricultural investments in ways that support
the needs of youth, such asproviding training and capacity building designed to help them
develop the new skills they will need to excel in agricultural careers.
27
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHOD
3.0 Introduction
This chapter explained the methods employed in carrying out this research work, the
description of sample and sampling techniques and the validity of research instrument. It
contains a discussion on how data for this work will be collected and analyzed.
This is the systematic analysis of steps and approaches to data collection and useful
Agricultural activities in rural area of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The population for this study consist of villages in Odigbo local Government area and
100 respondents was selected randomly, making up 100 respondents that will be chosen from
The sample size consisted of areas purposely selected for the study, thus, this allows
the study to generate results/findings of the study to all areas in Odigbo west Local
The major tools that was used for collection of data for this research was
questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two section i.e sections (A) and section (B).
section (A) contained information on personal data of the respondents, and section (B)
28
focused on the participation of youth in Agricultural activities in rural area of Odigbo Local
The instrument for data collections was personally designed by the researcher and
presented to the supervisor and all the necessary errors corrected. This is to ensure that the
items of the questionnaire measures what they suppose to measure; after the correction and
will be used after necessary amendments and rectification that questionnaire will be neatly
The researcher seeks for permission from the respondents to administer the
questionnaire to selected respondents in the different areas of Odigbo local government. The
researcher will be stress that all questions should be answered as honestly as possible, since
all the answers were treated confidentially. The researcher will stay with the respondents and
researcher’s work. The information gathered from the respondents was tabulated into table
using frequency table and analysed using percentage, the findings is reported and discussed in
chapter four.
29
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 Preamble
This chapter represents the demographic information of the participants that were
selected for this study. It presents answers to the research question raised. The chapter also
presents answer to the discussion of the findings which are generated from the research
questions.
The sex characteristics of the respondent is shown is table 1 below. There were more male
than female. This might be because agriculture is tedious and may people count it as men
work.
Female 27
Male 73
Total 100
The age of respondents is shown in table 2 below. The youth between age 26-30 years
engaged in agriculture more than the other age group followed by the you who are between
21-25 years.
This means the respondent are youth who are still energetic to work on the farms.
1 15-20 years 3
30
2 21-25 Years 20
3 26-30 years 32
Total 65
The table 4.1.3 revealed the Age of the respondents. Approximately 3% of the respondents
were of 15-20 years of age, while 21-25 years were 20%, while 32% were age 26- 30 years,
while the 10% remaining were from age 31years and above.
1 Not educated 3
2 Drop out 1
3 Primary School 10
5 Graduate 10
The table 4.1.4 revealed the Level of education of the respondents. Approximately 3% of the
respondents were not educated, while 1% were drop out of School, while 10% were primary
school holder, 41% were secondary school certificate while the 10 % remaining were
Research Question 1: What are the factors that influencing youths’ participation in
31
institution.
3 Do you have enough land for cultivation 43 57
4 Do you earn bountifully from your investment into farming 61 39
5 Do you engage in farming because you don’t want to be idle 77 23
Responses to the research question of the above table; Item 1 revealed that 65% of the total
respondents agreed that they participate in agriculture because there no any other job
alternative, while the remaining 35% disagreed with the statement; Item 2 also shows that
14% of the total respondents said that they receive rural credit facilities from government or
financial institution, while 86% of them disagreed; It can be seen in item 3 that 43% of the
total respondents agreed that they have enough land for cultivation, while the remaining 57%
said no to the statement; Item 4 shows that 61% of the total respondents said that earn
bountifully from your investment into farming while 39% disagreed; It can be sighted in item
5 that 77% of the total respondents said that they engage in farming because you don’t want
to be idle while the other 23% respondents disagreed with the statement.
Research Question 2: What are the rural agricultural activities that youths participatein
agricultural activities in rural area of Ondo west local government of Ondo State?
activities
Table 3, Responses to the research question of the above table; Item 6 revealed that 96% of
the total respondents agreed that they practice crop production, while the remaining 4%
disagreed with the statement; Item 7 also shows that 45% of the total respondents said that
32
they do farm labour, while 55% of them disagreed; It can be seen in item 8 that 45% of the
total respondents agreed that they do Agro-processing, while the remaining 59% said no to
the statement; Item 9 shows that 41% of the total respondents said that they rearing sheep
while 59% disagreed; It can be sighted in item 10 that 16% of the total respondents said that
they do Fish production while the other 84% respondents disagreed with the statement.
Research Question 3: What are the types of agricultural activities in which the youth
Table 4:
the total respondents agreed that they Maize, while the remaining 53% disagreed with the
statement; Item 12 also shows that 23% of the total respondents said that they cultivate yam,
while 77% of them disagreed; It can be seen in item 13 that 84% of the total respondents
agreed that they have cocoa farm, while the remaining 16% said no to the statement; Item 14
shows that 90% of the total respondents said that they cultivate cassava while 10% disagreed;
It can be sighted in item 15 that 25% of the total respondents said that they cultivate
vegetables while the other 75% respondents disagreed with the statement
Research Question 4:
33
18 Does Farming for the less privileged 33 67
19 Does Farming stressful 93 7
20 Does Farming generates low income 88 12
Table 5, Responses to the research question of the above table; Item 16 revealed that 83% of
the total respondents agreed they believe farming is for school dropout, while the remaining
62% disagreed with the statement; Item 17 also shows that 90% of the total respondents said
that they farming reduces one’s status in the society, while 10% of them disagreed; It can be
seen in item 18 that 33% of the total respondents agreed that Farming for the less privileged,
while the remaining 67% said no to the statement; Item 19 shows that 93% of the total
respondents said that farm is stressful while 7% disagreed; It can be sighted in item 20 that
88% of the total respondents said that farming generates low income while the other 12%
respondents disagreed with the statement. In line with the statement, Foote (2018) stated that
the service employs a team of booking agents, young, tech-savvy men and women living in
or near rural villages to help facilitate access to their platform, even for those who may not
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Summary
This study was carried out to investigate the participation of youth in Agricultural
activities in rural area of Odigbo Local government Area. Chapter one was based on the
introduction of the study. Under this, the background to the study was made, the research
34
objective, research problem background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose of
the study, research questions, significance of the study, scope of the study, definition of
terms.
Chapter Two entail the review of related literature. Under this chapter the following
agricultural activities, rural youth’s perceptions on agriculture, the need of youths participate
Chapter three entails the research methodology. Sample of the study comprised
compromise of 100 students from selected secondary schools. Multiple state random sample
was adopted to determine the sample used. A multi-stage sampling technique was used in
determining the sample of the study. The instrument used to data collection is a
questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into two sections. A. and B. Section 'A is
concerned with the demographic data of the respondents (Students). Section B Comprised of
the management. The reliability of the instruments was established using Correlation. The
reliability of the instruments was established using Cronbach Alpha. The students reliability
coefficient obtained 0.985 while the teachers reliability coefficient obtained was 0.974.The
data collected from the field was analyzed using simple percentage. Chapter four entails
the findings, and discussion of the findings, chapter Five comprises of summary, conclusion
and recommendations.
5.2 Conclusion
activities in rural area of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The
35
findings revealed that youth in Odigbo local government Area involved in agricultural
activities such as cultivation of maize, cassava, cocoa farm, vegetables and yam. The study
also examined the roles played by agriculture on rural youths socio-economic needs and it
was found that rural youth in Odigbo local government area were provided with their socio-
economic needs through their participation in agriculture. These include food, education and
health services. Furthermore, the study found out the factors influencing rural youth
participation in agricultural activities. Age, sex, education level, availability of rural credit
facilities, land, agricultural knowledge, lack of job alternatives and perceptions were found to
be important factors which are associated with rural youth participation in agricultural
activities.
The findings show that rural youth in Odigbo local government area of Ondo State are
cultivation, beans cultivation, rice and ground nuts cultivations. The study also found out that
agriculture plays an important role in provision of socio-economic needs to rural youth needs.
This includes food as a major socioeconomic need which forces most rural youth to embark
on agricultural activities. Others include education services, income and health services.
Youth get these socio-economic needs through selling their labour power in agriculture,
investing in their own farms and working in their family farms. The study also revealed that
crops. This include maize cultivation which seems popular as large percentages of
respondents cited involvement in maize cultivation more than other crops due to the low cost
in maize production. Others are involved in cocoa farm, cassava, yam and maize cultivations.
Furthermore the study revealed the factors which determine rural youth participation in
agriculture. The factors include age, sex, marital status, education level, family background,
agricultural activities.
Therefore, it is hoped that this study can act as guideline or explore new ideas for
future researchers to conduct studies in similar issues. The findings will also help to enlighten
the related authorities in their efforts to have more youth in agriculture field. All in all
5.3 Recommendations
Agriculture is the most important sector for rural development for the nation Gross
Domestic Product. Rural youth are perceived to be a significant engine for the agricultural
development whereby they are energetic, creative and innovative which is the important
pillars for the agriculture development. Rural youth are the potential labour forces who are
physical strength and a fast rate of learning which are all being perceived as the significant
domestically, regionally and internationally makes it significant for ensuring food production
and food security through the inclusion of youth who are the expected generation for future
food production and food security. The following recommendations are suggested for further
agriculture.
Recommendation to Government
enough inputs and capital. The government should reform and formulate the development
policies which are in favour for rural youth participation in agricultural activities. The
government should ensure the availability of enough inputs and capital for rural youth. This
will improve rural economy as well as reducing the rate of youth migration from rural areas
37
to urban areas. Also the intervention strategies for youths‟ agricultural improvement should
be guided by their age, education, household size, marital status, income, parents occupation
Among the challenges youths face for their participation in agricultural activities is the lack
knowledge and experience for the improvement of agriculture production. This will also help
them to secure loans from micro and macro credit institutions. Rural youth should know that
they are the important asserts for agriculture and rural development. The government should
provide more sensitization programs for rural youth participation for their awareness on
agriculture and their development. Given the opportunity, organization, direction and support,
rural youth can participate and contribute significantly to agricultural and rural development.
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APPENDIX 1
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QUESTIONAIRE ON THE PARTICIPATION OF YOUTH IN
The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather information on the topic mentioned above.
Please help to fill the item below correctly. Your information will be confidentially treated.
SECTION A: Demographic Information (Tick as Appropriate)
Name of the Village:_________________________________________________________
Sex: Male ( ) Female ( )
Age: 15-20 ( ) 21-25 ( ) 26-30 ( ) 31 and above ( )
Level of Education: Not educated ( ) Drop out ( ) Pri. ( ) SSSC ( ) Tertiary ( )
SECTION B
INSTRUCTIONS: Thick (√) option that represent your opinion.
SN/A The factors that influencing youths’ participation in agriculture SA A
activities
1 Do you participate in agriculture because there no any other job
alternative
2 Do you have Agricultural knowledge
3 Do you receive rural credit facilities from government or financial
institution.
4 Do you have enough land for cultivation
5 Do you earn bountifully from your investment into farming
B The rural agricultural activities that youths participate in SA A
agricultural activities in rural area
6 Do you practice crop production
7 Do you do Farm labour
8 Do you do Agro-processing
9 Do you rearing sheep
10 Do you do Fish production
11 Do you Bee keeping
C The types of agricultural activities in which the youth participate in
the study area
12 Do you cultivation vegetable
41
13 Do you cultivate Maize
14 Do you cultivation yam
15 Do you have Cocoa farm
16 Do you cultivate Cassava
D The constraints limiting youths participation in agricultural
Activities
17 Do you believe farming is for school dropout
18 Does farming reduces one’s status in the society
19 Does Farming for the less privileged
20 Does Farming stressful
21 Does Farming generates low income
42