Assessment of Youths' Interest in Agriculture in Esan West Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed youths' interest in agriculture in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State. The objectives were to examine youths' perception of agriculture, evaluate their involvement, identify factors influencing their interest and determine the challenges they face in agriculture. A multistage sampling procedure was used. Primary data were collected from 70 selected youths through a close-ended questionnaire, while 66 valid questionnaires were analysed. Data were processed using descriptive statistics and regression in SPSS version 23. The findings showed that 42.4% of respondents had a very positive perception of agriculture, while 16.7% had a positive perception. The results also indicated that 47.0% of respondents associated agricultural engagement with income generation, food security and job creation, and that 47.0% spent 5-10 hours daily on agricultural activities. Factors reported to influence youths' interest included insufficient access to knowledge, information and education, limited access to land, inadequate access to financial services, market accessibility, lack of agricultural inputs, limited access to extension services and inadequate basic infrastructure. The main challenges were lack of access to agricultural land, limited financial resources, insufficient knowledge and skills, market-access constraints, lack of determination and lack of willingness. Regression results showed that age, educational qualification, marital status, years involved in farming, average hours spent on agricultural activities, limited access to land, lack of agricultural inputs, limited access to extension services, lack of basic infrastructure and selected land- and finance-related challenges had statistically significant relationships with youths' interest in agriculture. The study concludes that, although youths in the study area showed notable interest in agriculture, their engagement was constrained by resource, knowledge, market and infrastructure-related factors. Strengthening agricultural education, improving access to land and finance, enhancing extension support and investing in rural infrastructure may improve youth participation in agriculture in Esan West LGA.