YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT

This study analyzed the effect of youth participation in agricultural development in Ilesa East LGA, Osun State. The specific objectives were to examine the socio-economic characteristics of the youth, determine the level of youth participation in agricultural activities, determine the extent of youth involvement in various agricultural activities, identify the motivations driving youth to engage in agriculture, and to determine the barriers and challenges faced by youth in agricultural involvement in the study area. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 90 youth in the study area. Structured questionnaire was administered to 90 youth to generate the data used. The data generated were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The result showed that (86.7%) were male and (13.3%) were females. It was noted that (45.6%)  of the youth have completed tertiary level of education. A total of 67 (74.4%) of the youth were engaged in agricultural enterprises, while 23 (25.6%) were involved in non-agricultural activities. (72.2%) of the youth were involved in agricultural activities full time, while 23 (25.6%) worked part time in agriculture, and 2 (2.2%) of the youth were not involved in agriculture at all. The major motivating factors for youth involvement in agricultural activities were constant electricity (9.9%) and access to credit (19.3%).The most prominent challenges reported by the youth was difficulty in accessing land, based on this findings, it was recommended that Government should ensure implementation of existing laws and regulations granting youth access to land.