Does youth participation in the farming program impact farm productivity and household welfare? Evidence from Nigeria

One significant issue in the Global South, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is youth unemployment. This is a result of the aging and shrinking agriculture industry, increased unemployment rates mixed with a sizable unskilled workforce, and rapid population expansion. Studies have shown that farming programs, when supported by increased investment and regulatory frameworks, provide opportunities for meaningful employment for many young people. This study attempts to estimate the impact of youth participation in farming programs on farm productivity and welfare using rice-growing household data from northern Nigeria. We used propensity score matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression (ESR) to address biases that may arise from both observed and unobserved factors. Our results show that age, education, household size, farm size, extension, access to credit, and membership of a social group are positive and significantly associated with youth participation in farming programs. The outcome demonstrates that participants fare better than non-participants in terms of farm productivity and welfare status. Furthermore, youth participation in farming programs has implications for heterogeneity within the participant group, which depends on socio-economic characteristics such as access to finance, association membership, and education, emphasizing the need for specific interventions and focusing on particular youth groups. Therefore, access to credit through relevant agencies with low interest rates and flexible payment options, strengthening youth organization could encourage participation in farming programs and job opportunities for the prosperity of the rural economy.