Assessment of the youth in Agriculture programme in Ejura-Sekyedumase District
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Date
2015-03-30
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Abstract
The youth represent one of the productive resources of every country. In Ghana,
however, most of the youth do not have jobs to do. Youths constitute about 60 percent
of the unemployed in Ghana making the youth unemployment rate one of the highest
in the world. In order to address this challenge, the Government of Ghana initiated the
Youth in Agriculture programme (YIAP), as part of the National Youth and
Employment Programme (NYEP) to provide jobs in the agriculture sector for the
youth. Even though agriculture remains a sector with greater potential of providing
jobs for the youth, the youth are less willing to engage in farming as their main
occupation. The youth perceive farming as dirty and lacking the opportunities for
personal achievements. The study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the
YIAP in motivating the youth to pursue farming as a career. The study also assessed
whether beneficiaries who pursued farming after exiting the YIAP were able to
generate appreciable income. A quasi-experimental design was adopted to gather data
on selected variables from same beneficiaries before and after their participation in
the YIAP. Purposive and convenient sampling techniques were used to select
beneficiaries who participated in the programme in 2011. Government departments
responsible for the implementation of the Youth in Agriculture programme were also
surveyed. Data were analyzed with the use of descriptive statistics such as frequencies
and percentages.
The findings of the study showed that the provision of land and agro-inputs,
agricultural extension services and agribusiness management training motivated the
beneficiaries to participate in the YIAP. It was also realized that the YIAP changed
the negative perceptions that beneficiaries held about farming. It was also found that
beneficiaries who pursued farming after exiting the YIAP generated appreciable
income. The study however identified that unemployed youths with high levels of
education did not participate in the YIAP. The study recommends that GYEEDA and
MOFA embark on a massive sensitization drive in the form of workshops, youth fora,
TV and radio programmes to attract participation by youths with high levels of
education. The study also recommends that MoFA should continue to supply input
credit to the youth through the Block Farm Programme so that their farming careers
can be sustained. It is believed that if these recommendations are implemented, th e
YIAP would become a more effective programme for motivating the unemployed
youth to accept farming as a career.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Development Policy and Planning.