Smallholder transition to agripreneurship: the role of agricultural extension education.

Abstract

The agricultural sector, worldwide, is viewed as the vehicle that can take developing countries to the next level of development as it promises not only to deliver food security but also poverty alleviation, employment creation as well as economic growth. Contemporary literature suggests that this can be achieved when smallholder and subsistence farmers move from their current levels of farming and grow into Agripreneurship. One of the most powerful strategies that the agricultural sector relies on to achieve agricultural productivity, rural development and economic growth is the Agricultural Extension Services (AESs). It can then be argued that the AESs have a huge role to play in ensuring farmers’ growth and development from just agriculture to Agripreneurship. Little has been done towards investigating the role of the AESs in Agripreneurship. This paper was aimed at examining the role of the AESs towards helping farmers develop from agriculture to Agripreneurship. Journal articles, books and published reports by the Department of Agriculture were extensively reviewed. Results show that AESs has a strong potential in influencing farmers to advance from agriculture to Agripreneurship. These can be achieved when facilitation changes from farming only for food to farming for profits through knowledge and information transfer. This implies that facilitation and communication skills and models must be innovative to ensure that the youths are carried alongside. It is also of paramount importance that the farmers’ support be coined with incentives for farmers willing to advance from just agriculture to Agripreneurship. Farmers also have a role of maintaining good track of record keeping to accessing financial assistance for their agribusinesses. Therefore, it is recommended that government interventions be focused towards Agripreneurship at its most and reduced concentration on just agriculture. Future studies can explore the dimensions of Agripreneurship on poverty alleviation and employment creation, especially, for the youths.