Transborder smuggling and youth participation in agriculture in Badagry local government area of Lagos state

Abstract

The study focused on assessment of trans-border smuggling and youth participation in agriculture in Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State. One hundred and six youth smugglers were selected using simple random sampling technique. Data were collected on respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics, factors that enabled their involvement in smuggling, level of involvement in smuggling, agricultural activities available and level of participation in agricultural activities using structured questionnaire. Results revealed that 50.9% of the respondents were male, 69.8% were married, 32.1% were Yoruba, while 64.2% had between 7 and 12 years of formal education. Poverty (71.7%) was the most dominant factor responsible for the respondents’ engagement in smuggling. Level of involvement in smuggling was high (77.4%) among respondents in the study area. Cultivation of crops (x ?=2.62) was the most prominent agricultural activity in the study area in which they participated mostly (x ?=2.32). Years of formal schooling (? = 0.024, p = 0.012), Poverty (? = 0.16, p = 0.00) and Level of involvement in smuggling (? = -0.022, p = 0.001) were significant determinants of respondents’ involvement in agriculture. The study concluded there was a low participation of respondents in agricultural activities in the study area. The study recommended the need for targeted interventions, including economic empowerment programmes, improved access to agricultural resources and policy measures that discourage smuggling while promoting sustainable youth involvement in agriculture.