MSc

The study entitled “Perception of youth towards agriculture and allied sectors
in Kerala: A multi-dimensional analysis” was conducted during the year 2020-2021.
The objectives of the study were to assess and compare the perception of rural and
urban youth towards agriculture and to inventories region-specific agricultural
opportunities. The sustaining and impeding factors influencing youth to take up
agriculture as their primary occupation and the strategies to enhance their involvement
in agriculture were delineated.
The study was conducted in ex post facto research design, in the three
purposively selected districts (Most populated districts) Viz., Calicut, Ernakulam and
Thiruvananthapuram. From each of the three selected districts, three rural panchayats
were randomly selected and from each of the three selected panchayats five rural youth
were purposively selected comprising a total sample of 45 rural youth. Fifteen youth
were purposively selected from three corporation of the respective districts forming a
sample size of 45 urban youth. Ten extension officials were also purposively selected
from the three districts. Thus, comprising a total sample size of 120 respondents.
Perception of youth towards agriculture and allied sector was the dependent
variable and was measured in terms of four dimensions i.e., profit maximization,
environmental disquiet, technology dimension and contentment dimension, developed
for the study. Twelve independent variables were selected through judges rating and
relevancy scoring. The statistical tools used were frequency, standard deviation,
percentage analysis, correlation and Mann- Whitney U test.
Based on analysis of data, it was noted that majority of youth (71.11%) belonged
to medium level of perception and only 16.66 per cent of them were with low level of
perception. Whereas, 12.23 per cent of them were having high perception towards
agriculture and allied sectors. Mann- Whitney U test was conducted to compare the
perception of rural and urban youth towards agriculture and it revealed that there was
not much significant difference between perception of rural and urban youth towards
agriculture. Among the four dimensions of perception only profit maximization
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exhibited a significant difference between the perception of rural youth and urban youth
which was assessed through Mann – Whitney U test.
Majority of youth (45.55%) were in the lower young age (20-25 years),31.11
per cent of them were in the upper young age (31- 35 years) and 23.34 per cent of them
were in middle young age (26-30 years). Majority of the youth (64.45%) were partially
aware about agripreneurial opportunities. A large proportion of the youth (81.11%) had
medium level of deferred gratification. It was also observed that most of respondents
(65.55%) belonged to medium level of scientific orientation, whereas 18.88 per cent of
respondents were with low level of scientific orientation. More than half of the
respondents (56.67%) had a medium level of leadership quality and 22.22 per cent of
them were with low leadership quality. Sixty-five point six per cent of the respondents
had medium level of innovativeness and 18.47 per cent of them were with low level
innovativeness.
Regarding decision making ability 58.89 per cent and 22.23 per cent belonged
to the medium and low levels of decision-making ability. It was revealed that 63.33 per
cent of respondents belonged to the medium category of mass media exposure whereas
only 20.00 per cent of them with high level of mass media exposure. It was observed
that 63.34 per cent of youth had medium level of achievement motivation whereas only
23.33 of them had low level of achievement motivation. Majority of the youth (70.00%)
belonged to the category of medium level of assertiveness and 68.90 per cent of the
youth belonged to the medium category of risk orientation. Majority of youth (63.33%)
had medium level of self-confidence and 21.12 per cent of them had high level of self
confidence.
It was observed that ‘scientific orientation’, ‘leadership quality’, ‘assertiveness’
and ‘mass media exposure’ were significantly correlated to the perception of youth
towards agriculture and allied sectors. Delphi technique was employed to identify the
region-specific agribusiness opportunities for youth by consulting with extension
officials from the selected districts and were categorized into different groups i.e.,
Agriculture (on farm/off farm)includes hi-tech agriculture, agritourisim; processing and
value addition includes tuber crops, fruits value addition; supply chain units includes
seedlings nursery, bio control & fertilizers shop; animal husbandry includes dairy
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farming, piggery units; allied sectors & other services includes bio flock fish farming
and consultancy services.
Preferences for healthy and organic foods, availability of advanced technologies
and lack of credit & minimum support prices, low social image were identified as major
sustaining and impeding factors respectively which influenced youth participation in
agriculture. Strategies like evaluation and improvisation of existing schemes, allocation
of improved subsidies for adopting advanced technologies, young farmer clubs and
assured prices were suggested for enhancing youth participation in agriculture.
The study concluded that both rural youth (71.11%) and urban youth (71.11%)
were having medium level of perception towards agriculture and allied sectors and there
was no much significant difference observed between the perception rural and urban
youth towards agriculture except in profit maximization. Therefore, to attract youth
towards agriculture, the extension interventions should emphasis more on investment
& returns to make agriculture a profitable and a sustainable business.