CHAPTER ONE

INTRODCUTION

1.1 Background to the Study

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

benefits such as, conservation, guaranteed sustainable management of renewable natural

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

either the upper and lower limit (Afande et al, 2015).

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-

harvest infrastructure (storage, processing, transport), low uptake of research findings by

stakeholders and limited availability of improved technological packages especially planting

materials and certified seeds (Ministry of Agriculture, 2007). This has made agriculture

unattractive and non-lucrative resulting in decline in the number of youth participation in

agriculture (Muhammad-lawal, Omotoesho and Falola, 2009). According to

AphunuandAtoma (2010), in Nigeria, farming population is aging. It is practically impossible

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

meaningful agricultural and rural development projects (Onuekwusi, 2005). Ugwokwe,

Adesope and Ibe (2005) also noted that youths have been part of the overall agricultural

development process in Nigeria because of the immense contribution of agriculture to the

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

professional and technical work in agriculture.

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

intention of following their parents into poverty (CTA, 1990).

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

government of Nigeria in an attempt to alleviate these problems came up with different

policies and programmes to enhance involvement of youths in agriculture. One of such

programmes is the Youth in Agriculture Programme (YIAP) introduced in 2004 as a subset of

Agricultural Development Programme by the Ondo State Government and supported by

2
World Bank. The objective of the programme was to create employment for the youth

through active participation in modern agricultural practices by raising the production

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

objective of encouraging youth participation in agriculture thereby solving the problem of

unemployment among the youths.

Participation is an obvious strategy for the success of any development project. It is a

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

participation and identify the determinants of participation in the programme. Furthermore, if

agricultural extension is to be repositioned for effective agricultural economic development

there is need to identify predictors for youth participation in order to increase youth

participation in agricultural programmes. Therefore, this study intended to investigate

participation of youth in Agricultural activities in rural area of Odigbo Local Government

Area of Ondo State, Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the problem

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

agriculture discipline and youths’ restiveness.

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

Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

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:

1. To examine the factors that influencing youths’ participation in agriculture activities

in Ondo Local Government Area of Ondo State ;

2. To determine the rural agricultural activities that youths participate in agricultural

activities in rural area of Ondo west local government of Ondo State;

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.

1.4 Research Questions:

The following research questions are generated to address the above problem:

1. What are the factors that influencing youths’ participation in agriculture activities in

the study area?

2. What are the rural agricultural activities that youths participatein agricultural

activities in rural area of Ondo west local government of Ondo State?

3. What are the types of agricultural activities in which the youth participate in the study

area?

4. What are the constraints limiting youths participation in agricultural Activities?

1.5 Significant of the Study

This research study will be beneficial the policymakers, Ministries of Agriculture,

public. This study will be beneficial to the general public to encourage youth to involved in

agricultural production or agribusiness as a primary/main occupation have higher incomes

than the others in the population that participate in agriculture as a secondary occupation.

Should programs/projects target the youth full-time employed in agriculture or agriculture as

a partial occupation while also being involved in other activities as a primary.

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

of youth unemployment through involving them into agricultural activities.

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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

development. Therefore, if the government will be largely focus on agriculture, it is

significant to explore their participation in different types of agricultural activities and their

awareness on the roles agriculture can play to their socio-economic needs.

1.6 Scope of the Study

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

Ondo State, Nigeria.

1.7 Definition of Terms

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

cleared the land to use it for agriculture

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

having sexual relations

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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

2.1 Concept of Youth

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

in agricultural activities in rural areas.

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

"intensity of youth participation" in agriculture on poverty reduction. We captured the

"intensity of youth participation "by assessing the youth's level/degree of involvement in

agricultural activities, either as a primary occupation or as a secondary occupation.

Participation in agriculture implies involvement in all the activities (agricultural producers,

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,

buying, selling, processing, transporting, storing, checking, and packaging.

We seek to answer whether the youth in agriculture as the main/primary occupation

(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

their involvement in agriculture. It is assumed that youth participating in agriculture as

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

other primary sources of income.

the youth choose to participate in agriculture intensively or not, which is viewed as a function

of socio-economic, demographic, and farm characteristics. We modeled the observed

outcome of the “intensity of youth participation in agriculture” as a random utility framework

and specify the basic relationship of the impact of intensity of youth.

2.2 Concept of Agriculture

The term agriculture is derived from two Latin words “agar” meaning field and

“culture” meaning cultivation. Literally agriculture’ can be defined as field cultivation. It is a

productive activity evened at maximizing food, output, so as to sustain human existence,

agriculture under Article 57 of un charter is seen as ensuring humanities freedom from

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

economic development of the country.

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Before the advent of crude in the late 1 970s agriculture contribution to GDP of Nigeria was

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

importation of food stuffs.

According to Johnson and Mellor (1991) these roles of agriculture include product

contribution market contribution factor contribution and foreign exchange contributions.

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-

economic development of the rural economy.

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
10
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

(gap) arising principally from the worsening imbalance.

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

also to provide the necessary Raw-materials for our growing industries.

In order to critically appraise the impact of agriculture on the Nigeria economy it is

imperative to take a holistic look at the contributions of agriculture at the various levels of

our national development.

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.

Disagreeable and quarrelsome politicians that generated unmanageable acrimony that

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

necessitated the emphasis on import thereby substituting agricultures with industrial

development as the bedrock for national economic development. This was wrong because the

required infrastructure and human resources were absent.

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

ability to engage in worthwhile venture.

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

question of funding has been properly studied.

It also involves cropping, livestock’s, forestry and processing and marketing of these

agricultural products. It is composed of crop production, livestock, forestry and fishery.

2.3 Rural youth participation in agricultural activities

Mobilization of youth for national development is the common phenomena amongst

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

than adult farmers (Daudu et al., 2009).

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

new technology and presenting agriculture as profitable venture (Ommani, 2011).

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

and other farming inputs (Adekunle et al., 2009).

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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,

market and schools.

Daudu et al., (2009) study on Roles of Rural Youth in Agricultural Development in

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

participation in agricultural programmes is mainly through youth‟s organizations which

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

youth dependence status.

2.4 Rural youth’s perceptions on agriculture

Although agriculture is perceived as the significant alternative solution to youth‟s

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
14
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

unemployment (Kayombo, 2011).

The study on Assessment of Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Rural Youth Attitudes

on Agricultural Occupation in Iran by Ommani, (2011) revealed that the variables of farming

systems, the rate of association to organization, participation in extension and education

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

economic characteristics of rural youth‟s attitudes on employment in agriculture as well as

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

investigation specifically in Nigeria due to the existing poor participation of youth in

agriculture.

2.5 The Need of Youths Participate in 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

in crude oil exportation and grain importation alike.

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

potential in agricultural production and to stimulate youth participation in agriculture.

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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

are inextricably linked.

Agriculture is important to the development of any nation; this development includes

fostering the full participation of youth in the agricultural sector. Youths are the successor

farming generation and therefore the future of food security in Nigeria.

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

perception of youths in actively participating in agriculture – as farmers are seen as

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

opportunities in research, environment, financial management, engineering and technical

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

a drag on the economy.

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

agricultural production activities. (efarms.com.ng, 2022)

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

production and processing. Increased involvement of youths in agricultural activities will

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

policies, markets and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) programme to

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

traceability, by linking them to manufactures, produce buyers as well as input buyers.

2.6 Constraints in Youth Participation in Agriculture

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.
17
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

long-term investment like the agribusiness.

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

efforts/incentives attached to the empowerment program to attract youths, a handful of them

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

youth involvement in agriculture follow:

1. Family and community pressures: In many rural agricultural communities, parents

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

they find their own, alternative, career path.

2. Perceived lack of profitability: Youth do not believe farming is a profitable career

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,

machinery, or labor at the beginning of the season.

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3. Access to land: In many U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS)

countries,1 particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, land is a communal resource and must be

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

literacy of their parents or caregivers is also limited.

5. Access to training, education, and information: Agricultural knowledge is often

passed down generationally and within communities, but youth particularly demand new

knowledge, access to improved technologies, and an understanding of how to apply advanced

techniques or grow new crops. Without a structured system to provide youth with this

knowledge, many seek out other career paths.

2.8 Objectives of Increasing Youth Participation in Agriculture

a. To encourage youths engage in farming as a commercially viable business venture.

b. To generate an appreciable income to meet and personal and family needs.

c. To improve their standard of living through improved income.

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

using modern technologies.

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2.9 Way Forward

Anyang, R. (2015) In order to improve youth participation in agricultural production

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

as agro-based contests and exhibition/fairs to encourage already budding agriculturists within

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

activities to encourage and champion the cause of youth participation in agriculture.

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

chose to create their own enterprises.

As an initiative focused on increasing youth participation in agriculture in Nigeria, E-

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

their own farms in clusters after the training.

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

Nigeria through sustainable agriculture.

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 Agro-preneurs and stakeholders in the agricultural sector need to be celebrated on

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

creation (Hutt, R. 2016).

2.9.2 Agriculture policies and programmes that will attract youths must ensure the

following:

1. Sustainable Agricultural Infrastructure: Sustainable agricultural development in

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

due to ignorant assumptions which often times limit it to labourintensive engagement;

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

value chain remains paramount.

2. Integration of Information, Communication And Technology Into Agriculture:

There ought to be the creation of ongoing initiatives to support youths in agricultural

enterprises, and opportunities to showcase their successes in order to attract more young

people. There should also be the incorporation of information communication technologies

21
such as the Internet, mobile phones, computers, and global positioning systems, associated or

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

rural individuals. The Internet is becoming anincreasingly important medium, including in

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

information and following training programmes.

3. Training, Professional Guildance and Empowerment: To encourage youth in

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

can empower youths interested in practising the trade:

(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

should be sold at very affordable rates to encourage youths to participate in agriculture.

22
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

this country today is as a result of corruption and misappropriation of public

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

government. This sometimes can be as a result of mismanagement, or diverting public funds

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,

implementation of policies and sanction those responsible for misappropriation of

government funds.

2.10 Opportunities to Better Engage youth in Agriculture

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

to promote youth engagement in agriculture include the following:

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

can be used to highlight examples of successful youth agripreneurs and agriculturalists to

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
23
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

independent, country-led affiliate programs in 15 countries in Africa. The 4-H Enterprise

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

volunteers are embedded in schools in developing countries to provide experiential

agricultural education through classroom instruction and working in an on-school farm.

Finally, in seeking to promote its CocoaLink application in Ghana, ag-tech company

Farmerline incorporated Farm Field Days in partnership with local universities, bringing

youth directly to farms for in-person engagement.

3. Increase profitability and productivity of farming: ICTs can play an important role in

modernizing farming practices, incorporating elements of precision agriculture, and

introducing new, innovative techniques to speed up and increase production. These

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
24
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

in the broader community.

4. Engage youth in solving agriculture problems: Youth bring an innovative, tech-

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

Farm track in both 2017 and 2018.

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

individually and through partnerships and collaborations.

The role of the non-government organization (NGO)/donor community, including USAID

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
25
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

agriculture, and more specifically, agribusiness — for example, through internships,

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

services (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2018).

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.

3.1 Research Design

This is the systematic analysis of steps and approaches to data collection and useful

suggestions and recommendation towards addressing the participation of youth in

Agricultural activities in rural area of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

3.2 Population of the Study

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

some selected in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

3.3 Sample and Sampling Technique.

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

government Area in Ondo State.

3.4 Research Instrumentation

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

Government Area of Ondo State.

3.5 Validity of Instrument

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

approval the researcher then administered the questionnaire to the respondents.

3.6 Reliability of the instrument

To ascertain the reliability of the research questionnaire, simple percentage method

will be used after necessary amendments and rectification that questionnaire will be neatly

corrected, typed and administer to the subject involved.

3.7 Procedure for data collection

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

collect the complete copies immediately to avoid loss of materials.

3.8 Data Analysis

The copies of questionnaire will be administered and arranged properly to aid

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

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

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.

4.1 Sex Characteristics of the Respondents

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.

Table 1: Sex Characteristics of the respondents

Sex Respondents Percentages

Female 27

Male 73

Total 100

Table 4.2 Age of Respondents

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.

Table 3: Age of the Respondents

SN Age Respondents Percentages

1 15-20 years 3

30
 2 21-25 Years 20

3 26-30 years 32

4 31 years and Above 10

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.

Table 3: Educational Background of respondents

SN Level of Education Frequency

1 Not educated 3

2 Drop out 1

3 Primary School 10

4 Senior Secondary school 41

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

graduate of tertiary institution.

Research Question 1: What are the factors that influencing youths’ participation in

agriculture activities in Ondo Local Government Area of Ondo State

Table 2: The factors that influencing youths’ participation in agriculture activities

SN/A The factors that influencing youths’ participation in agriculture

YES NO
activities
1 Do you participate in agriculture because there no any other job alternative 65 35
2 Do you receive rural credit facilities from government or financial 14 86

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?

Table 3: The rural agricultural activities that youths participate in agricultural

activities

B The rural agricultural activities that youths participate in

YES NO
agricultural activities
6 Do you practice crop production 96 4
7 Do you do Farm labour 62 38
8 Do you do Agro-processing 45 55
9 Do you rearing sheep 41 59
10 Do you do Fish production 16 84

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

participate in the study area?

Table 4:

C The types of agricultural activities in which the youth participate in YE

NO
the study area S
11 Do you cultivate Maize 47 53
12 Do you cultivation yam 23 77
13 Do you have Cocoa farm 84 16
14 Do you cultivate Cassava 90 10
15 Do you cultivation vegetable 25 75
Table 4, Responses to the research question of the above table; Item 11 revealed that 47% of

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:

D The constraints limiting youths participation in agricultural Activities YES NO

16 Do you believe farming is for school dropout 83 17
17 Does farming reduces one’s status in the society 90 10

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

have access to or comfort in using a mobile phone or the booking platform.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS

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

were discussed concept of youth, concept of agriculture, rural youth participation in

agricultural activities, rural youth’s perceptions on agriculture, the need of youths participate

in agriculture, constraints in youth participation in agriculture, objectives of increasing youth

participation in agriculture, way forward, opportunities to better engage youth in agriculture

and summary of literature reviewed.

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

introductions, demographic of respondents, answers to the research questions, summary of

the findings, and discussion of the findings, chapter Five comprises of summary, conclusion

and recommendations.

5.2 Conclusion

The objective one of the study to investigate participation of youth in Agricultural

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

involved in different type of agricultural activities including vegetable cultivation, maize

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

majority of youth involves themselves in agricultural activities through growing different

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,

perception, agriculture knowledge, availability of land, availability of rural credit facilities

36
and lack of job alternatives are the important factors which favours youth interest in

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

agriculture based activities is the future to a more self-reliance nation.

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

characterized by innovative behaviour, minimal risk aversion, less conservativeness, greater

physical strength and a fast rate of learning which are all being perceived as the significant

engine for agriculture development. Regarding the issue of dependence on agriculture

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

improvement and development of agriculture sector via rural youth‟s involvement in

agriculture.

Recommendation to Government

Among rural youth challenges in their participation in agricultural activities is lack of

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

as well as youth dependences status.

Recommendation to Rural Youth

Among the challenges youths face for their participation in agricultural activities is the lack

of organisation. Rural youth should organize themselves in groups in order to share

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

ADEYEMI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, ONDO

SCHOOL OF VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

40
 QUESTIONAIRE ON THE PARTICIPATION OF YOUTH IN

AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN RURAL AREA OF ODIGBO LOCAL

GOVERNMENT AREA OF ONDO STATE, NIGERIA.

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

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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

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