Youth participation and productivity in arable farming in Ibadan/Ibarapa agricultural zone, Oyo State, Nigeria
There is chronic youth unemployment in Nigeria while participation in agriculture continues to decline. The aging farmers could not deliver the expected productivity to meet the food needs of the growing population. The aim of this study was to examine the factors affecting youth participation and productivity in arable farming. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 300 youth using structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Double-hurdle model and Cobb-Douglass production function. The results showed that average age of the youth was 24.5 years, 59.0% had, at most, secondary education, 35.7% were married, average household size was 2 persons while 32.3% participated in farming. Majority (67.0%) cultivated <1.0 ha, 63.9% had<5 years of farming experience while 54.6% was not contacted by extension agent. Youths’ decision to participate in arable farming was significantly influenced by age (3.259), marital status (0.784), education (1.455) and motivation source (0.430) at p<0.01 with farm size (0.977) at p<0.10. Farm productivity was enhanced by seed (17.471), fertilizer (4.158), youthful age (0.553) and education (1.899) at p<0.01. Therefore, public and private stakeholders in agriculture should ensure adequate supply of modern inputs in order to enhance participationand increased farm productivity among the youth.
Keywords: Decision, Farming, Participation, Productivity, Youth
*Correspondence: oyebanjo.olumayowa@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng, 08055372189
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