Determinants of Agriculture as a Career Path among College Students in Mezam Division of Northwest Cameroon | Chapter 8 | Agricultural Sciences: Techniques and Innovations Vol. 3

 

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), agriculture continues to play a fundamental role in the economic portfolio of rural households. However, rapid urban growth—particularly in Africa—is increasingly fueled by two key factors: internal migration from rural to urban areas, and immigration from other countries and regions. Generally, youths in rural Africa have little aspiration for careers in the agricultural sector and instead migrate to urban areas to seek employment and better living conditions. In Cameroon, the majority of migrants are youths aged 18 to 35, who often face significant challenges related to unemployment and underemployment upon arriving in urban areas. The government is turning to agriculture as a source of employment for youth; however, there is scant literature on the determinants of the attraction of youths, especially college students, to the sector. This exploratory study sought to identify these determinants and to investigate strategies for making agriculture appealing to students for future career development. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2023 across selected secondary and high schools. In both secondary and high schools, a semi-structured questionnaire comprising twelve open-ended and three closed-ended questions was first piloted. Based on the pilot, an average of eight students per institution were selected for individual interviews, and eight others participated in focus group discussions. Secondary and high school teachers, selected using the convenience sampling approach, were engaged in focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software. The overarching factors attracting college students to agriculture in the study area include the availability of arable land and easy access to it, access to start-up financing, the introduction of adapted mechanization and relevant information and communication technologies, increased productivity leading to higher returns on investment in agriculture, education and training, and positive messaging about agriculture targeting youth. The study recommends profound land tenure reforms, the provision of adapted financial services, the establishment of farm mechanization pools, the inclusion of agriculture in college curricula, and positive communication strategies to rebrand agriculture. Further research should be carried out in other regions of the country to confirm the findings of this study or to identify other contributory factors of youth attraction to agriculture, which may be specific to the different agro-ecological zones of the country.

Author(s) Details

Aseh Emmanuel Vitung
Department of Business Studies, Graduate School, ICT University, Yaounde, Cameroon.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/asti/v3/5827