AGRICULTURAL EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME ON THE LIVELIHOOD ACTIVITIES OF GRADUATE STUDENTS IN ODEDA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Institutional students can be encouraged in agricultural activities by providing opportunities such as agricultural empowerment programmes after graduate. The study focuses on agricultural empowerment programme on the livelihood activities of graduate students in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. The study objectives are to: examine the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents; identify benefits experienced by rural youths from participating in the Agricultural Empowerment Programme; perceived effects of Agricultural Empowerment Programme on the livelihood’s activities of the respondents and barriers preventing respondents from participating in agricultural empowerment programmes in the study area. The research was conducted in Ogun State, Nigeria, using questionnaires to gather information from one hundred and twenty (120) beneficiaries of the Graduate Youth Empowerment Programme (GYEP) at Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that the average age of the beneficiaries was 28years. The empowerment programme had a positive impact on their income status (x̄ : 4:19), while and 99.2% of the respondents observed an increase in their agricultural productivity since joining the programme and climate change (x̄ : 1.74) has discouraged youth from engaging in agricultural activities. The study concludes that the Agricultural Empowerment Programme has demonstrated potential rise in enhancing the skills and economic conditions of rural youths and recommends that creating comprehensive training programmes to establish financial support mechanisms is essential for facilitating youth involvement in agriculture.