Does Youth participation in the Farming Programme impact farm Productivity and Household Welfare? Evidence from Nigeria
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Date
2023-04
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Publisher
Elsevier Limited
Abstract
One significant issue in the Global South, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is youth unem ployment. This is a result of the aging and shrinking agriculture industry, increased unemploy ment rates mixed with a sizable unskilled workforce, and rapid population expansion. Studies
have shown that farming programs, when supported by increased investment and regulatory
frameworks, provide opportunities for meaningful employment for many young people. This
study attempts to estimate the impact of youth participation in farming programs on farm pro ductivity and welfare using rice-growing household data from northern Nigeria. We used pro pensity score matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression (ESR) to address biases that
may arise from both observed and unobserved factors. Our results show that age, education,
household size, farm size, extension, access to credit, and membership of a social group are
positive and significantly associated with youth participation in farming programs. The outcome
demonstrates that participants fare better than non-participants in terms of farm productivity and
welfare status. Furthermore, youth participation in farming programs has implications for het erogeneity within the participant group, which depends on socio-economic characteristics such as
access to finance, association membership, and education, emphasizing the need for specific in terventions and focusing on particular youth groups. Therefore, access to credit through relevant
agencies with low interest rates and flexible payment options, strengthening youth organization
could encourage participation in farming programs and job opportunities for the prosperity of the
rural economy.
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Keywords
Youth, Participation, Farming, Programme, Impact, Productivity, Household, Welfare, Nigeria