Determinants of Utilization of Selected Inputs Among Youth Farmers In Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the determinants of utilization of selected inputs among youth farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. It described the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents in the study area and examined the utilization of selected inputs among youth farmers in the area. Multistage random sampling was used in sampling 120 respondents in the state. A structured questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion were used in eliciting information from the respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as percentage, frequency and mean score were used in analyzing the data for the study. Results showed that; large proportions (75.0%) of the respondents were males, majority of the youth farmers in Benue were within the mean age of 40 years. Result further revealed the grand mean of 2.23 as indicated high utilization of farm inputs in Benue State. There was low level of extension services in the State as indicated by grand mean of 1.8. The three point Likert-Type Scale used showed high utilization of agrochemicals ( =2.5), improved seed ( =2.1), loan ( =2.4) and processing assets ( =2.4).The study concluded that several factors militated against utilization of selected inputs among youth farmers in the area such as inadequacy of extension contact, inadequacy of water, inefficient market, and bad road, among others. It is therefore recommended that, there should be adequate utilization of selected inputs among youth farmers in the study area if agriculture is to contribute effectively to food security in Nigeria.