ABSTRACT

This study seeks to establish youth participation in agricultural activities in Jema’a Local Government, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study was necessitated by the reliance on agriculture for food production and food security, at domestic, regional and global level, which remains the backbone of the Nigerian economy. The study was guided by the following objectives: the socio-economic characteristics of youths in the study area. What is the extent of youth participation in agricultural activities in Jema’a Local Government Area, The study was based on the theory of reasoned action. This research employed a descriptive survey design, as it is focused on collecting data to explore, find out and explain youth participation in the agricultural activities. The sample size of this study was 51 respondents. Random sampling was adopted to select the 15 participants from each of the four District locations in Jema’a Local Government. Primary data was collected by administering a structured questionnaire. Descriptive was used to analyse the quantitative data. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the data. These included percentages and frequencies. Tables were appropriately used to present the data that was collected, for ease of understanding and analysis. The study found that socio- economic factors such as inadequate land and lack of funds limited youth participation in agricultural activities. Further, majority of the youth indicated that they participated in agricultural activities because they were aware about existing activities. Youth perception on agriculture had minimal effects on youth participation in agricultural activities in Jema’a Local Government. The study recommends that Jema’a Local Government should make adequate budgetary allocation to finance for modern technology, establish innovation hubs and provide machines and equipment to support agricultural activities for the youth. This will improve efficiency in farming and save huge costs that might in turn contribute to improved productivity. The study further recommends that the Local governments should assist in creating ready markets and facilitating linkages to other markets, for agricultural produce, this will encourage the youth to participate in farming activities since they are assured of making sales and increasing their profits which will contribute to employment, improved income and household food security.

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