Institutional Support for Youth Agribusiness Cooperative Development and Management in Nigeria: The Oyo State Example

Abstract

This study evaluates the institutional support for youth agribusiness cooperative development and management in Oyo State, Nigeria. Specifically, this study described the socio-economic characteristics of the youth, measures their perception towards agribusiness, and identified the constraints militating against youth participation in cooperative agribusiness enterprises. The study employed a multi-stage sampling technique to select 6 youth cooperative groups (aggregating to 175 individuals); 36 youths; and 4 institutions across 6 LGAs in two agricultural zones of the State. Majority (55.6%) of the respondents belong to producer organization and earned an annual income of equal to or less than ₦100,000 (about $476USD) (58.1%). Also, majority (86.1) of the respondents participate in community development activities. Various benefits were indicated by the respondents as being gained from cooperative membership. Such benefits include access to credit (51.1%), access to group assets (34%), and financial assistance by the group (14.9%). Majority of the respondents (52.8%) did not receive any training. Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP) was indicated as the agency which provided training for 74% of those who indicated to have been trained. Majority 63.9%, 58.3%), and 55.6% of the respondents indicated the need for training in cassava value addition, marketing strategies, agribusiness management respectively. Drudgery (100%), inadequate capital (97.2%), and low return on investment (88.9%) were rated highest among the constraints. It is recommended that regular training should be provided for the cooperatives by the agencies responsible. Also, adequate drudgery-reducing infrastructure should be provided by the Government while product buy-back should be instituted by the Government in order to stabilize agribusiness activities among the cooperatives.