Abstract

Rural youths are faced with the difficulty of maintaining their livelihoods despite the availability of vast farming resources. Due to insecurity in some parts of the study area, the able-bodied youth have deserted the farming areas looking for survival in non-farming activities. Some who are into farming activities are still engaged in nonfarm activities as coping strategies during the off-season. The study assessed the extent of rural youth involvement in nonfarm activities. Specifically, it described the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, examined the nonfarm activities in which they are involved, their level of involvement, and examined respondents' perceptions of nonfarm activities. A multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 360 respondents. The primary data was collected through a pre-tested interview schedule, and percentage, frequency counts, tables and charts were deployed to analyse the data. Results show that the mean age of respondents was 33.4 years. Most of the respondents (81.2%) were males and married (90.0%). The majority (90.1%) were moderately involved in nonfarm activities, the respondents were involved in marketing (x?=2.46), agro-processing (x?=1.58) and distribution (x?=1.40). Meanwhile, the respondents were less involved in health work (x?=1.00), and motorcycle/bicycle repairing (x?=1.01) and had a favourable perception of nonfarm activities. There was a significant relationship between respondents' age (r=0.174), farming experience(r=0.158), household size(r=0.153), and their involvement in nonfarm activities; the relationship between respondents' involvement in nonfarm activities and perception was insignificant (r=-0.006). The skills acquisition program should be made available at all levels to encourage rural youth to stay in rural areas.

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