Impact of Agriculture on entrepreneurship development: Case study of Akure South Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria

• J. O. Akanji

  Management Information System Unit, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.

  Author

• O. O. Toluwase

  Department of Entrepreneurial and Business Management, National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.

  Author

The purpose of this research is to determine the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers involved in entrepreneurship in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State; determine the impact of agriculture on entrepreneurship development; identify the factors hindering agriculture as a tool for entrepreneurship development in the study area; and proffer some recommendations based on the findings of the study. Secondary information were collected through personal interviews and structured questionnaires administered to the target audience (farmers, small scale business owners and people in the field of agriculture and entrepreneur) from the 12 (twelve) agrarian communities using random sampling method. Impact of agriculture on entrepreneurship development were establishment of more agribusiness, improvement of social amenities, transportation system, increase in local markets, construction of more processing companies, and increase in scale of production. Factors hindering agriculture as a tool for entrepreneurship development were marketing constraints, poor transportation, low publicity, lack of adequate storage and processing facilities, infrastructural inadequacies, unstable agricultural input and output prices, non-availability of human labor, technical constraints, unstable government policy, low support from government, low level of awareness, poverty and lack of adequate research. Location (x2= 273.77, p˂ 0.000), household size (x2=244.62, p˂0.001) and educational background (x2 =244.20, p˂0.001) had significant relationship with factors hindering agriculture as a tool for entrepreneurship development. Sex (x2 =37.45 p˂ 0.402) and age (x2 =110.82, p˂0.407) had no significant relationship with factors hindering agriculture as a tool for entrepreneurship development. However, it is imperative that local authorities and government policy makers to elevate entrepreneurial agriculture in the study area through creating enabling environment for the farmers, improving infrastructure and providing adequate inputs.

1. J. O. Akanji, Management Information System Unit, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.

   Management Information System Unit, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.

2. O. O. Toluwase, Department of Entrepreneurial and Business Management, National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.

   Department of Entrepreneurial and Business Management, National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.

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