Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience

Nigeria’s rural youth are facing various challenges in agriculture, with limited job opportunities outside the sector. Using qualitative focus group discussions and individual interviews with youth in four communities in two Nigerian states, the paper reflects on nuanced differences in perceptions o...

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Autores principales: ElDidi, Hagar, Bidoli, Thomas, Ringler, Claudia
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143529
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author ElDidi, Hagar
Bidoli, Thomas
Ringler, Claudia
author_browse Bidoli, Thomas
ElDidi, Hagar
Ringler, Claudia
author_facet ElDidi, Hagar
Bidoli, Thomas
Ringler, Claudia
author_sort ElDidi, Hagar
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Nigeria’s rural youth are facing various challenges in agriculture, with limited job opportunities outside the sector. Using qualitative focus group discussions and individual interviews with youth in four communities in two Nigerian states, the paper reflects on nuanced differences in perceptions of opportunities, coping mechanisms and overall resilience of youth in rural Nigeria, as well as differential access to information, inputs and irrigation based on age, gender and community. We apply the GCAN framework, to illustrate the factors that shape resilience pathways in the context of climate change and other shocks and stressors. Many of the constraints rural youth face are faced by other groups, including lack of finance, farm inputs and modern equipment for production and processing. Yet, youth face higher and specific hurdles related to lack of capital, experience and a strong social capital and networks that would facilitate coping with climatic and other shocks and improving their livelihoods. Young women in particular have less access to information and irrigation, and are less likely to benefit from cooperative memberships. Nevertheless, young men and women have higher resilience compared to older groups in terms of health, mobility and ability to migrate, as well as easier access to the internet as a source of information. Youth can better build resilience and a network and receive government assistance when part of a cooperative. Nevertheless, a larger enabling environment in the sector is needed, to improve roads, access to markets, information, inputs and equipment to support young farmers who cannot leave the agriculture sector. A promising factor is that many young men and women realize the importance of agriculture and aspire to become successful in the sector.
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spelling CGSpace1435292025-12-02T21:02:52Z Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience ElDidi, Hagar Bidoli, Thomas Ringler, Claudia youth employment gender agricultural extension farmers water capacity development youth agriculture irrigation cooperatives decision making migration access to information rural areas resilience climate change Nigeria’s rural youth are facing various challenges in agriculture, with limited job opportunities outside the sector. Using qualitative focus group discussions and individual interviews with youth in four communities in two Nigerian states, the paper reflects on nuanced differences in perceptions of opportunities, coping mechanisms and overall resilience of youth in rural Nigeria, as well as differential access to information, inputs and irrigation based on age, gender and community. We apply the GCAN framework, to illustrate the factors that shape resilience pathways in the context of climate change and other shocks and stressors. Many of the constraints rural youth face are faced by other groups, including lack of finance, farm inputs and modern equipment for production and processing. Yet, youth face higher and specific hurdles related to lack of capital, experience and a strong social capital and networks that would facilitate coping with climatic and other shocks and improving their livelihoods. Young women in particular have less access to information and irrigation, and are less likely to benefit from cooperative memberships. Nevertheless, young men and women have higher resilience compared to older groups in terms of health, mobility and ability to migrate, as well as easier access to the internet as a source of information. Youth can better build resilience and a network and receive government assistance when part of a cooperative. Nevertheless, a larger enabling environment in the sector is needed, to improve roads, access to markets, information, inputs and equipment to support young farmers who cannot leave the agriculture sector. A promising factor is that many young men and women realize the importance of agriculture and aspire to become successful in the sector. 2020-05-01 2024-05-22T12:14:52Z 2024-05-22T12:14:52Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143529 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146518 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute ElDidi, Hagar; Bidoli, Thomas; and Ringler, Claudia. 2020. Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1946. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133798.
spellingShingle youth employment
gender
agricultural extension
farmers
water
capacity development
youth
agriculture
irrigation
cooperatives
decision making
migration
access to information
rural areas
resilience
climate change
ElDidi, Hagar
Bidoli, Thomas
Ringler, Claudia
Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience
title Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience
title_full Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience
title_fullStr Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience
title_full_unstemmed Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience
title_short Agriculture and youth in Nigeria: Aspirations, challenges, constraints, and resilience
title_sort agriculture and youth in nigeria aspirations challenges constraints and resilience
topic youth employment
gender
agricultural extension
farmers
water
capacity development
youth
agriculture
irrigation
cooperatives
decision making
migration
access to information
rural areas
resilience
climate change
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143529
work_keys_str_mv AT eldidihagar agricultureandyouthinnigeriaaspirationschallengesconstraintsandresilience
AT bidolithomas agricultureandyouthinnigeriaaspirationschallengesconstraintsandresilience
AT ringlerclaudia agricultureandyouthinnigeriaaspirationschallengesconstraintsandresilience