Youth Unemployment and Conflict: Implications for Agricultural Development and Food Security in Nigeria

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to assess the implication of youth unemployment and conflict on food security and agricultural development. The specific objectives include; to identify the determinants of youth unemployment and conflict, examine the implication of youth unemployment and conflict on food security and agricultural development and to identify the strategies put in place to reduce youth unemployment. The identified determinants of youth unemployment and the resulting conflict include; low economic growth rate, poor implementation and adoption of untimely policy measures, sociological and psychological attitude towards vocational studies, neglect of agricultural sector, poor enabling environment, rural urban migration, high population of youths and inadequate power supply. The implications of youth unemployment and conflict on food security and agricultural development include; poverty, food insecurity, high food importation bill, waste of human resource and loss of lives and properties. Programmes across the country to promote and facilitate entrepreneurship among others were some of the strategies put in place by government to reduce youth’s unemployment. The study therefore recommends that the current education curriculum be revised or enhanced to meet the needs of the learners and the labour market, diversification of the economy especially towards Agriculture should be facilitated and that rural infrastructure should be provided to reduce rural-urban migration. 

Country : Nigeria

1 Bisong Theresa Larry Ph.D.2 Ntui Oliver Effiong

  1. Department of Agricultural Education, School of Vocational and Technical Education, Cross River State College of Education, Akamkpa – Nigeria
  2. Department of Agricultural Education, School of Vocational and Technical Education, Cross River State College of Education, Akamkpa – Nigeria

IRJIET, Volume 7, Issue 9, September 2023 pp. 83-88

doi.org/10.47001/IRJIET/2023.709009

References

  1. Amalu, U.C. (1998). Agricultural Research and Extension Delivery Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: University of Calabar press.
  2. Amalu. U.C (2010) Mobilizing information and communication technologies for development    Democracy, and mitigation of food insecurity, climate change and HIV/Aids scourges in rural Nigeria. 5th Annual conference of the Nigerian society of indigenous knowledge and Development.
  3. Amasarasuriya, H. Gundz and Mayer. M. (2009). Rethinking the nexus between south unemployment and conflict: perspectives from Srilanka.
  4. Bello, T. (2003) attacking unemployment hurdles in the fragile economics of the Sub-Saharan Africa: The experience of Nigeria. Paper presented at the Economics for the future – conference on the              occasion of the celebration of 100 years of Cambridge Economics; Cambridge, united kingdom.
  5. Chukwuka,C.O. (2014). Causes and effect of unemployment on society.
  6. Collier, p. (2000). Economic causes of civil conflict and their implication for policy: Washington D.C World Bank.
  7. Collier, p. and Hoeffler, A. (2004) Greed and Grievance in civil war: oxford economic papers, vol. 56(4) Oxford University press UK.
  8. Commission for social development (2007), youth unemployment impact, challenges and opportunities for social development. Item 3(c) of the provisional agenda, follow up to the world summit for social development.
  9. Cramer, C. (2010). Jobs, unemployment and violence: seminar on conflict and development. London.
  10. Ekpenyong, S. (1993). Elements of sociology African Heritage. Research and publications Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria.
  11. Emefiele, G. (201). Business news on food import bill, September 19th, 2015.
  12. Emeka, E. O. (2011). Youth unemployment and implications for stability of democracy in Nigeria. Department of sociology, university of Ibadan, Nigeria.
  13. Eyo, O.E (2005). Agricultural Development in Nigeria: Plans, policies and programme.
  14. Fainthorpe, R., &Maconacine, R. (2010). Beyond the ‘crisis of youth’ mining, farming and civil society in post-war Sierra Leone. African Affairs, 109(435). 251-272.
  15. FAO (2006). Food security, policy brief June 2006, issue 2, food and Agriculture organization Rome.
  16. Flores, M. (2004). Conflict, rural development and food security in West Africa ESA working paper, No.04-02.
  17. Gough, K. V. (2018). ‘Moving around’” the social and spatial mobility of youth in Lusaka, Geografiska Annaler: series B. Human Geography. 90(3). 243-255.
  18. Hirshleifer (2001). Economic foundation of conflict theory: Cambridge.
  19. H. E. Ofem, Ndifon, Angba, Feting and Akinmosin, (2012). Effect of Youth empowerment Strategies on Conflict Resolutions the Niger-Delta of Nigeria: evidence from Cross River State: Journal of Agriculture and rural Development Vol. 6. No. 1, 72.
  20. James, M. Buchanan (2008). Opportunity cost, the new Palgrave Dictionary of Economics online (Second ed).
  21. Juma, C. (2011). The new harvest: Agricultural innovation in Africa. New York: Oxford University Press.
  22. Justino, P. (2010). The impact of armed Civil Conflict on Household Welfare and policy Responses. Institute of Development Studies, Brighton UK. Weather Head Center for International Affairs, Harvard University USA.
  23. Tenuche, M. (2009). Youth Restiveness and violence in Nigeria: A Case Study of youth Unrest in Ebiraland, Medwell Journals Vol. 4.
  24. Porter, G., Hampshire, K, Mashiri, M, Dube, S & Maponya, G. (2010). ‘Youth escapes’ in rural Africa: Education, mobility and livelihood trajectories for young people in eastern cape, South Africa. Journal of International Development, 22(8), 1090-1101. Retrieved from International     Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) database.
  25. UNEPA. (2011). World population report 2011: People and possibilities in a world of 7 billion.
  26. Von Weiser, F. (1994) Theories dergesell chaftlichen Wirthchaft. In Michalos, A. C. (2016) (Eds.) Encyclopaedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. Retrieved 2023.
  27. World Bank, (2007). Poverty and Hunger: Issues and Options for Food Security in Developing Countries. World Bank, Washington, DC.