Challenges faced by the youth regarding participation in family farming in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

This study was conducted in sub-district Nankana Sahib aiming at exploring the challenges hampering the participation of rural youth in family farming. Total 360 respondents selected through snowball sampling technique were interviewed through face-to-face interview technique on a structured, validated and pre-tested interview schedule. Collected data were analysed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings unveiled that more than half (56.7%) of respondents had experience of family farming surpassing over 15 years. Greater than half (51.2%) of respondents had overwhelmed reliance on farming in order to generate income. This study confirms that, personal factors (wandering, studentship, dependency on elders and lack of confidence), cultural (litigation, social injustice, generational difference), marketing (inflation, crashed marketing) and farming related factors (small land size, high production cost, land ownership, poor returns, and labour intensiveness) were the key factors hindering the participation of rural youth in family farming. This study urges a pivotal role of agricultural institutions to assist and train youth for the persuasion to join family farming. Government should on board the policies to make agriculture a profitable venture, thus the youth can be mobilized to participate in family farming. The concept of family farming also is required to be familiarised among youth through interactive approach of media.