Abstract

The Agricultural Transformation Agenda consist of a comprehensive package for the development of the rural area. However, there is a major social impediments such as the steady youth migration to urban and peri- urban centres to the effectiveness of the programme in Benue State: the steady rural-urban migration among youth in its rural communities. This study was designed to determine the effects of rural-urban migration among youth on Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) in Benue State. The study area was Zone B of Benue State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (BNARDA). A total of 136 respondents were randomly drawn from four (4) communities for the study. Both descriptive (percentages) and inferential (logit) statistical procedures were adopted for data analysis. The results of the analysis indicate that there is a steady flow of youth from the rural to the urban centres due to the absence and or scarcity of some basic social amenities (85%). The logit analysis (0.09) at 1% level of probability further show that non-availability of good roads largely accounted for rural-urban migration. The study concluded that the steady rural-urban migration can hamper the achievements of the ATA objectives. Consequently, it was recommended that emphasis should be placed on ensuring enabling environments on which the agricultural value chain thrives to keep the youth back in their communities.

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