Analysis of Impact of Youth Empowerment in Agriculture Programme on Graduates in South-West Nigeria

Abstract

This paper analyses the impact of youth empowerment in agricultural programmes on graduates in South West Nigeria. The paper worked on four critical objectives of the programme to determine its impact on the graduates. The analysis shows that the illiterates and aged farmers who apply crude and traditional farming methods are gradually being replaced with younger and productive population who are conversant with modern and innovative practices in agriculture to promote paradigm shift from subsistence to commercial farming practices through the incorporation of e-wallet mobile driven agricultural practices. The analysis further shows that the programme creates robust agricultural market value-chain to support the growth of the economy. The limitations farmers face in the past to get real value for their products due to the ridiculous prices and exploitative attitudes of their buyers significantly improve due to market value-chain arrangement, which positively affect pricing, purchasing and income generation of farmers making farming more attractive and rewarding. The youth empowerment in agricultural programme has also awakened agricultural institutions' capacity to propel and drive expansion and development in agricultural sector. Most agricultural institutions and institutes have been reinvigorated to function in line with the mandates of their establishment with entrants of youths into agricultural practices. The decline in Gross Domestic Products in agriculture over the years due to lip-service accorded agriculture as a result of crude oil income to service the economy has improved significantly due to improved agricultural products for export and supply to local industries. It is recommended that a wider, well coordinated and directed opportunity should be provided for the teeming unemployed graduates to key into the programme to mitigate the social economic challenges confronting the nation. It is also recommended that the core components of YEAP such as e-wallet, value chain, institutional capacity building and financial stimulus desire proper articulation and improvement to further strengthen, sustain and consolidate on the achievements recorded in the programme to provide an alternative economic landscape for the nation.