Socio-economic Determinants of Agripreneurship Choice among Youths in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The current down turn in the global oil sector has necessitated the quest for alternative means of wealth creation through effective engagement of youths in agripreneurship. However, the socio-economic determinants of agripreneurship choice among youths in Ebonyi State, Nigeria seem not to have been empirically established. The study adopted a multistage sampling technique in eliciting data from one hundred and eighty youth agripreneurs using structured questionnaires. The study also employed both descriptive and inferential statistics to realize the objectives. The result showed that about 60% of the youth agripreneurs in Ebonyi State, Nigeria were males who are within the mean active age of 27 years and earn a mean annual income of N77, 333 on average household size of five 5 persons. The most revealed agripreneurial choices of the youths were farm production (crop and livestock production), farm input supply, agro-processing, and marketing/distribution. The probit regression analysis result revealed that with the Pearson Goodness-of-fit of 1148.799 which was statistically significant at 1% (P<0.01), and the Pseudo R2 value of 0.058, the socio-economic characteristics of youth has strong significant effect on the agripreneurial choice among the youth. Based on the findings, the study recommended for agripreneurship education and training at all levels to ensure capacity building among the youth for diverse agro-enterprises

Socio-economic Determinants of Agripreneurship Choice among Youths in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The current down turn in the global oil sector has necessitated the quest for alternative means of wealth creation through effective engagement of youths in agripreneurship. However, the socio-economic determinants of agripreneurship choice among youths in Ebonyi State, Nigeria seem not to have been empirically established. The study adopted a multistage sampling technique in eliciting data from one hundred and eighty youth agripreneurs using structured questionnaires. The study also employed both descriptive and inferential statistics to realize the objectives. The result showed that about 60% of the youth agripreneurs in Ebonyi State, Nigeria were males who are within the mean active age of 27 years and earn a mean annual income of N77, 333 on average household size of five 5 persons. The most revealed agripreneurial choices of the youths were farm production (crop and livestock production), farm input supply, agro-processing, and marketing/distribution. The probit regression analysis result revealed that with the Pearson Goodness-of-fit of 1148.799 which was statistically significant at 1% (P<0.01), and the Pseudo R2 value of 0.058, the socio-economic characteristics of youth has strong significant effect on the agripreneurial choice among the youth. Based on the findings, the study recommended for agripreneurship education and training at all levels to ensure capacity building among the youth for diverse agro-enterprises

Socio-economic Determinants of Agripreneurship Choice among Youths in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The current down turn in the global oil sector has necessitated the quest for alternative means of wealth creation through effective engagement of youths in agripreneurship. However, the socio-economic determinants of agripreneurship choice among youths in Ebonyi State, Nigeria seem not to have been empirically established. The study adopted a multistage sampling technique in eliciting data from one hundred and eighty youth agripreneurs using structured questionnaires. The study also employed both descriptive and inferential statistics to realize the objectives. The result showed that about 60% of the youth agripreneurs in Ebonyi State, Nigeria were males who are within the mean active age of 27 years and earn a mean annual income of N77, 333 on average household size of five 5 persons. The most revealed agripreneurial choices of the youths were farm production (crop and livestock production), farm input supply, agro-processing, and marketing/distribution. The probit regression analysis result revealed that with the Pearson Goodness-of-fit of 1148.799 which was statistically significant at 1% (P<0.01), and the Pseudo R2 value of 0.058, the socio-economic characteristics of youth has strong significant effect on the agripreneurial choice among the youth. Based on the findings, the study recommended for agripreneurship education and training at all levels to ensure capacity building among the youth for diverse agro-enterprises

An assessment of the performance of emergency management agency in the natural hazards management among farm households in the southeast zone, Nigeria

An assessment of the performance of emergency management agency in mitigating natural hazards among farm households in Southeast Zone, Nigeria was studied. About 240 farm households who were administered questionnaire were chosen from the states’ flood- and erosion-prone regions using multi-stage sampling technique. The results indicate that the EmergencyManagement Based-Performance Index’s average level of national emergency management activities was 57.33. The total average ratings of the National Emergency Management Agency/State Emergency Management Agency performance indicators based on their usefulness as a measure of natural hazard were estimated as 47.8% which showed that the NEMA/SEMA key performance indicators’ degree of effectiveness in hazard management is deemed to be below average of the index. These key performance indicators (KPI) include; distribution of food, provision of seedlings, provision of agro-chemical, training of farmers on postharvest crop preservation, use of weather, rehabilitation of water resources, expansion of irrigation facilities, distribution of fingerlings, provision of household items. The highest weighted score assigned to the distribution of food was 2.89, indicating that it is 57.8% successin mitigating natural disasters, while the average weight score allocated to the distribution of seedlings was 2.62, indicating a 52.4% degree of efficacy. However, the study recommends that the funds allotted to NEMA/SEMA should be monitored to ensure it is utilized in achieving its stated aims and objectives

Lassa virus in novel hosts: insights into the epidemiology of lassa virus infections in southern Nigeria

ABSTRACTIdentification of the diverse animal hosts responsible for spill-over events from animals to humans is crucial for comprehending the transmission patterns of emerging infectious diseases, which pose significant public health risks. To better characterize potential animal hosts of Lassa virus (LASV), we assessed domestic and non-domestic animals from 2021–2022 in four locations in southern Nigeria with reported cases of Lassa fever (LF). Birds, lizards, and domestic mammals (dogs, pigs, cattle and goats) were screened using RT-qPCR, and whole genome sequencing was performed for lineage identification on selected LASV positive samples. Animals were also screened for exposure to LASV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Among these animals, lizards had the highest positivity rate by PCR. Genomic sequencing of samples in most infected animals showed sub-lineage 2 g of LASV. Seropositivity was highest among cattle and lowest in pigs. Though the specific impact these additional hosts may have in the broader virus-host context are still unknown – specifically relating to pathogen diversity, evolution, and transmission – the detection of LASV in non-rodent hosts living in proximity to confirmed human LF cases suggests their involvement during transmission as potential reservoirs. Additional epidemiological data comparing viral genomes from humans and animals, as well as those circulating within the environment will be critical in understanding LASV transmission dynamics and will ultimately guide the development of countermeasures for this zoonotic health threat