Youth restiveness and agricultural development in southwest Nigeria: Examining determinants, perceived forms and sustainable solution

Abstract

Youth restiveness in farming communities is a major rural development concern because it can weaken farm labour availability, disrupt access to farms and markets, and discourage agricultural investment. This study assessed perceived youth restiveness in selected farming communities in Southwest Nigeria and examined its implications for agricultural development. A multi-method research design was adopted, combining a cross-sectional survey with Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 862 youths from recognised youth clubs in farming communities of Ekiti, Ogun and Osun States, representing a 95.1% valid response rate. Data were collected with the aid of questionnaires, through interview schedule questionnaire administration method and FGDs. Quantitative data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean scores and binary logistic regression, while qualitative data were transcribed and thematically analysed to complement the survey findings. Findings showed that 33.3% of the respondents were unemployed, 3.6% were civil servants and only 5.0% were directly engaged in farming. Drug trafficking/abuse (mean = 3.19), stealing (mean = 3.17), political thuggery (mean = 2.85), internet scam/cyber fraud (mean = 2.77), kidnapping (mean = 2.63) and armed robbery (mean = 2.61) were perceived as frequent forms of youth restiveness. Binary logistic regression results showed that access to education had a positive and significant relationship with perceived youth restiveness (b = 0.0287; P < 0.05), suggesting that education without corresponding employment and rural enterprise opportunities may heighten unmet expectations among youths. The study concludes that youth restiveness in farming communities is connected with weak livelihood engagement, low participation in agriculture and limited rural employment opportunities, with implications for farm access, labour supply and production continuity. The study recommends rural job creation, youth-focused agribusiness empowerment, functional local government support, transparent empowerment programmes and security-sensitive agricultural development interventions.