Entrepreneurship through Agriculture In Nigeria

Abstract

Poverty is one of the supreme challenges in Nigeria. This paper explores entrepreneurship in agriculture as a strategy for a drastic reduction in unemployment and poverty in Nigeria. Agriculture creates employment opportunities to 70% -75% of the Nigerian working population and contributes about 20.9% of Nigeria’s total gross domestic product. Yet, young educated and ambitious Nigerians do not show much interest in agriculture. Currently, Nigerian farmers are elderly, toiling away with outdated techniques and tools. Not only are these old farmers unlikely to use latest technologies that guarantee rewards in agriculture and afford a modern lifestyle. The youth believe that career in agriculture would “condemn” them to a “backwards”, “dirty” lifestyle associated with the elderly “uneducated” farmers currently performing physical arduous backbreaking farm work. Meanwhile, the educated and ambitious youth struggle almost hopelessly to find employment in the few highly esteemed sectors, such as the civil service, banking, engineering, medicine and law. This paper persuades youths to take up a career in the agricultural sector through entrepreneurship activities; the paper tells stories of successful educated young entrepreneurs in agriculture. Some young successful educated and ambitious agri-preneurs are identified and their stories are told. These agri-preneurs are potential role models (i.e., people whose achievements in agricultural entrepreneurship the youths can emulate/imitate). The paper advises youths to start small with simple straightforward projects capable of producing cash rewards in the short-term and to look out for the several government and UN grants opportunities that encourage agropreneurship. Before launching their enterprises, aspiring agri-preneurs are counselled to avail themselves of training and apprentice opportunities from successful agri-preneurs.