Agricultural Entrepreneurship and Food Security: A Study of Young Farmers in Benue State

This study investigates agricultural entrepreneurship among young farmers in Benue State, North Central Nigeria, examining the entrepreneurial practices, innovations, and contributions of youth engaged in commercial farming to both their own livelihoods and the state's food security. Benue State, often called Nigeria's food basket, possesses abundant agricultural land, but youth engagement in commercial farming remains constrained by social stigma around farming as a low-status occupation, land tenure insecurity, and inadequate access to farm inputs and markets. The study employs a descriptive survey design, recruiting 200 young farmers aged 18 to 35 from five agricultural local government areas across Benue, including Makurdi, Gboko, and Otukpo. A structured questionnaire collected data on farm size, enterprise type, value-added activities, market channels, and support utilisation. Findings indicate that youth who approach farming entrepreneurially, including value-addition activities such as processing, packaging, and direct marketing to urban outlets, earn significantly more than those practising subsistence-level cultivation. The majority of respondents access extension services infrequently or not at all, and smartphone-based agricultural information is emerging as a primary knowledge source. Security concerns from farmer-herder conflicts are identified as a significant deterrent to farm expansion. Recommendations include the expansion of the Benue State Agricultural Development Programme's youth outreach and the development of a youth agricultural entrepreneurship support programme that combines land access facilitation, input subsidies, and market linkage support. Keywords: agricultural entrepreneurship, youth farmers, food security, Benue State, value addition.