Abstract

This study focus on assessing Youths  Engagement  and  Income  Effects  in  Agribusiness, using the case of mushroom (Pleurotus Oestratus) Cultivation and Marketing in Buea, Cameroon. Specifically, the study identify how youth are being  engage in mushroom agribusiness, the income effect of those who are engage in the mushroom business, the challenges they faced and possible solution to overcome the challenges in other to improve and engage more youth in the  business.

Data was collected using questionnaires, observations and key informant interviews. The results revealed that 83.3% of mushroom  farmers  in  Buea  were  youth  and  the  government and NGO provided facilities such as  training programs,  workshops,  provision of seed  and material in other to engage promote mushroom agribusiness.

In  addition,  most  of  the farmers (96.2%) generated income that affected them positively. The mean selling  price of mushroom in Buea (2500 FCFA) was relatively higher  than  that  of  other regions, probably due to high demand and scarcity of the product  in  Buea.  However, most of the mushroom farmers (>95%) do  not  transform  and market their mushroom. The net value added at the production stage of the mushroom value chain was 1707.5/Kg of fresh mushroom, giving a net margin of 68%.

Therefore,  although  the  production stage presents a high net income, mushroom farmers in Buea can make more income if transformation and marketing stages (the remaining 32% net margin) are harnessed. The challenges farmers faced include; lack of marketing platform, lack of adequate  material  for transformation, storage and poor attitude of  the  consumers  toward  the product. It  was recommended that training programmes organised by the government and NGOs should focus on building youth capacity towards mushroom transformation  and  marketing.

The latter should undertake multiple communication strategies so as to increase the number of youth participation and expression for interest should not be limited only to agricultural students but rather should encourage youth in other academic disciplines, who have entrepreneurial interest. Furthermore, agriculture and entrepreneurship management courses should be included in the school curriculum.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Agriculture can help reduce poverty, raise income and improve food security for 80% of the world poor (World Bank, 2018) but the sector is yet to adequately exploited by youth in developing countries, towards addressing these problems. The growing food crisis, impacts of climate change and increasing global unemployment and underemployment rates disproportionately affect the world’s youth population (Bennell, 2010; FAO, 2009).

The new world’s population is projected to touch 9.8 billion by 2050 (UN, 2017). According to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), the population of youth (aged 15 to 24) is also anticipated to rise to 1.4 billion by 2050 (PRB, 2017), representing about 14.2 percent of the new projected global population. Most of them will be born in developing countries in Africa and Asia, where more than half of the population still live in rural areas (UNDESA, 2011). PRB‟s 2050 projections show Africa’s population will be more than double to 2.6 billion by 2050 and account for more than half (57 percent) of the global population increase by that date. PRB‟s 2050 projections also show that Africa’s youth population will rise to 35 percent of the world youth total in 2050, from 20 percent today.

Despite the agricultural sector’s ample potential to provide income-generating opportunities for rural youth, challenges related specifically to youth participation in this sector and, more importantly, options for overcoming them have been sparingly reported (FAO, CTA and IFAD, 2014). Edible mushrooms (Macro fungi) are delicious and are rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals while containing little fat. Although they are usually collected from the wild, they are currently threatened by rapid unprecedented deforestation around Africa.

In Cameroon, the demand for culinary mushrooms has greatly increased in recent years (Kinge et al., 2014) and projections from anecdotal evidence show an increasing trend. Its production constitutes a substantial volume of internal trade especially by women in rural areas. Certain mushroom species reportedly provide health benefits, including anti-cancer and anti-viral properties and the potential to reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. With alternative medicine becoming more widely accepted, opportunities for healthy foods and dietary supplements continues to increase, creating an avenue for employment in the agricultural sector.

However, a multitude of important challenges preventing youth’s involvement in the agricultural sector must be identified and overcome in order to address the untapped potentials of this sizeable and growing demographic. Hence, more research work is needed to sensitize, educate, and assist in mushroom cultivation and commercialization in Cameroon towards providing evidence in policy for youth engagement in agribusiness and rural activities in Africa.

The assertion that the future of food security can only be guaranteed by rural youth is not frivolous. Yet, only a few young people perceive a future for themselves in agriculture or rural settings.

While most of the world’s food is produced by ageing smallholder farmers in developing countries, older farmers are less likely to adopt the new technologies needed to sustainably increase agricultural productivity, and ultimately feed the growing world population while protecting the environment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to re-engage youth in today’s agriculture if food security must guarantee a healthy population in the future.

1.2. Problem Statement

The global “youth crisis” (high unemployment rates, high rates of youth internal migration from rural to urban areas, rising average age of farmers, and the almost universally negative views youth have towards agriculture as a way of life) have prompt the global community to recently place a strong interest and emphasis on developing “youth-friendly” policies and implementation strategies to combat the negative social, economic and political consequences stemming from precarious  youth livelihoods (FTF and USAID, 2015).

In Cameroon, most attention on agricultural research has centered towards cash crops for exports such as cocoa, coffee, bananas and oil palm, and a number of studies on vegetable crop production while less attention has been given to mushroom research. The few existing mushroom research are mostly concerned with the taxonomy, ecological and ethnomycological studies (Dijk et al., 2003; Roberts and Ryvarden, 2006; Douanla-Meli, 2007).

Women and children usually scramble for mushroom after the first drop of the rain, but youths can seize the advantage to sustainably grow mushroom for food and generate income all year round using agricultural waste like corn combs, and rice husks (CEDEP, 2012). Medical advice to patients suffering from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, cancer and other ailments promote mushroom consumption but the product is scarce. With alternative medicine becoming more widely accepted, opportunities for healthy foods and dietary supplements continue to increase.

In fact, research evidence show that the demand for edible/medicinal mushroom presently exceeds supply due to low capital investment to boost production, lack of trained personnel in mushroom biotechnology, poor post- harvest storage facilities and poor marketing strategies (Kinge et al., 2014).

Although a dearth of information on the cultivation, nutritional content, biotechnology and bioactivity of compounds in mushroom for medicinal utility exist, there is a need for more research studies to identify the challenges preventing youth involvement in mushroom agribusiness and to address this significant untapped potential of this sizeable and growing demographic. Such research should need to contribute to policy development towards enhancing youth engagement in agribusiness and rural economic activities in Cameroon in miniature and Africa large.

1.3. Research Objectives

The main objective of this study is to assess youth engagement in agribusiness and the income effects, using the case of mushroom (Pleurotus sp.) cultivation and marketing in Buea, South West Region of Cameroon.

1.3.1. Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the study include:

1. To assess how youths are engaged in mushroom agribusiness in Buea.
2. To assess the income effects of youths engaged in mushroom cultivation and marketing in Buea.
3. To identify the challenges faced by youths during mushroom production and marketing in Buea.
4. To propose measures to overcome these challenges for enhancing youth involvement in mushroom agribusiness.

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