IDENTIFYING THE FARM ENTERPRISE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUTH RICE FARMERS IN KEBBI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed the farm enterprise and socio-economic characteristics of youth rice farmers in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Using a multi-stage sampling procedure, primary data were collected from 300 respondents via structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The socio-economic profile revealed a heavily male-dominated enterprise (80.00%) with a calculated mean age of 30.48 years, indicating a highly active and viable agricultural workforce. Enterprise analysis showed that youth rice production is predominantly smallholder-oriented; the majority of respondents cultivated between 1 and 5 hectares (32.50%) and relied extensively on customary inheritance (65.00%). Production methods remained largely traditional, characterized by the cultivation of local rice varieties (50.50%) and a high reliance on seeds saved from previous harvests (59.33%). The study exposed a severe institutional vacuum: 86.00% of respondents lacked contact with public agricultural extension services, and 84.00% were completely excluded from formal financial credit systems. Consequently, young farmers heavily internalized their operational risks by relying on personal savings (39.00%), family financing (34.50%), and hired labour (38.00%). Despite, the systemic bottlenecks, 66.00% of the youth managed to achieve an increase in rice yields, demonstrating high demographic resilience. The study concludes that while youth rice production in Kebbi State is inherently viable, its structural transition to a modernized, commercial enterprise is constrained by land tenure vulnerabilities, informal financing traps, and institutional neglect. It recommends that the State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) deploy digital extension platforms to bridge the information gap and establish youth-centric, low-interest credits to reduce over-reliance on finite personal savings.