Assessment of Entrepreneurship Skills Needs of Small-Scale Farmers in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Specifically, this study assessed the effects of socioeconomic characteristics on     entrepreneurship skills of the farmers in the study area. A total of 104 farmers were randomly selected from ten communities in Akpabuyo local government area. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression and correlation analysis. The result from the study shows that age (114.183) and household sizes (36.709) are significant socioeconomic variables that positively enhances the entrepreneurship skills of the farmers. Other socioeconomic variables that were significant but contributed inversely includes marital status (-81.153), sex (-37.035), education (-38.655) and income (-36.091). Also, this result was further subjected to correlation analysis to show how the socio economic variables relate with the entrepreneurship farming skills. The result shows that age was significant with 0.3249^* and 0.3417^* at enhancing the farmers skills to recognize business opportunities in the environments and networking with other business partners. The study further reveals that education was significant with 0.3127^* at enhancing farmers skills to recognize business opportunities, however, as the farmers level of education advances inversely by -0.3193^* the farmers records a drop in networking skills. Furthermore, result indicates that farm sizes recorded -0.4452^* for farmers skills at recognizing business opportunities in their environments. In summary, the findings reveals that the farmers are not innovative and therefore, lack the drive that is usually associated with an entrepreneurial spirit. Consequently, it is recommended that in promoting entrepreneurship development of farmers there is need to focus more on entrepreneurship farming by paying special attention in developing the entrepreneurial spirit of both farmers and extension agents.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Skill Needs, Small-Scale Farmers

DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-6-03

Publication date:March 31^st 2020