ISSN 2360-798X
Abstract
This study examined the impact of Agripreneurship education on poverty reduction among rural households in Taraba State, Nigeria. A descriptive and inferential design was adopted using data from 257 households, analyzed with descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. On level of access to Agripreneurship education, findings showed generally low to moderate access, with training (55.3%), extension services (37.8%), credit facilities (34.7%), ICT-based information (42.4%), cooperative membership (47.1%), and market linkage support (39.3%) indicating weak institutional coverage. Results on extent of adoption of Agripreneurship education in agricultural practices revealed high adoption in income diversification (mean = 2.86), farm planning (2.79), market information use (2.74), and agribusiness engagement (2.69), while low adoption was recorded in value addition (2.38), ICT use (2.31), and storage practices (2.49). Multiple Regression Results showed that Agripreneurship education significantly reduces poverty (β = -0.421, p < 0.01), with strong explanatory power (R² = 0.71). Significant determinants included education, farm size, farming experience, extension access, credit, cooperatives, training intensity, and information access, while household size increased poverty. Findings on Challenges Limiting Agripreneurship Education Effectiveness shows that major constraints were inadequate extension services (2.84), lack of credit (2.79), high transportation cost (2.73), poor ICT infrastructure (2.62), and limited training opportunities (2.58). The study concludes that Agripreneurship education reduces poverty but is constrained by weak institutional and infrastructural support. It recommends strengthening extension services, expanding rural credit access, improving ICT infrastructure, enhancing cooperative systems, and reducing transportation costs to improve rural livelihoods.
Keywords: Agripreneurship Education, Poverty Reduction, Rural Households, Agricultural Extension, Taraba State