Determinant of University Students’ Choices and Preferences of Agricultural Sub-Sector Engagement in Cameroon

Cynthia J Mkong,Zoumana Bamba,Godlove Shu,Victor Manyong,Paul Martin Dontsop-Nguezet,Tahirou Abdoulaye

doi:10.3390/su13126564

Cynthia J Mkong, Zoumana Bamba + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126564

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Abstract

Although the agri-food sector has a huge potential to offer attractive employment opportunities for Africa’s burgeoning youth, a negative perception of agriculture persists among Cameroonian youths, such as in many other African countries. The paper assesses the determinants of university students’ choices and preferences for agricultural sub-sector engagement in Cameroon. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 550 students from two state universities. We used the SWOT analysis to evaluate students’ perceptions of challenges and opportunities within the agricultural sector in Cameroon, the binomial probit analysis to assess the determinants of students’ choices of agriculture as a university major, and an ordered probit analysis to evaluate the determinants of students’ preferences of agricultural sub-sector engagement. Findings reveal that choice of agriculture as a university major is significantly determined by sex, pre-university farming experience, pre-university academic background, mother’s level of education, and household income. Likewise, preference of agricultural sub-sector engagement is significantly determined by the student’s level of study and location of a childhood home. Improving the attractiveness of, and working conditions in, the agricultural sector could increase youth engagement in agribusiness and rural economic activities. The results also reinforce the need to increase household income in Cameroon, as this could lift families out of poverty and offer them more economic opportunities. Policies that regulate levels of education can equally be used to allocate human resources into different agricultural sub-sectors, subject to felt needs.

Highlights

Agriculture remains an essential driver of pro-poor growth and the largest employer in Africa, even in the context of off-farm diversification [1,2,3,4]
Our findings reveal that older students have a 0.096 greater likelihood of engaging in agriculture-related services than in primary production—a result that was not significant, (p > 0.05)
The choice of agriculture as a university major is a function of many factors, only the student’s sex, pre-university farming experience, educational background, mother’s level of income, and household income were seen to be significant determinants of this choice

Summary

Introduction

Agriculture remains an essential driver of pro-poor growth and the largest employer in Africa, even in the context of off-farm diversification [1,2,3,4]. The agricultural sector plays a crucial role in improving rural economies and reducing poverty in Africa [5]. Agriculture is the spine of Cameroon’s economy, employing up to 70% of its workforce and contributing 42% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 30% of its export revenue, and Sustainability 2021, 13, 6564. The agricultural sector remains underdeveloped with the predominance of subsistence farming characterized by low yields per hectare, low rates of modern technology adoption, high vulnerability to climate, and weather risks, among others

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