AGRIBUSINESS INCENTIVES AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN NORTHERN UGANDA: A CASE STUDY OF GULU DISTRICT

Description

The study established the relationship between agribusiness incentive and youth employment in Northern Uganda, taking the case of Gulu district. The study was guided by the following objectives; to examine the influence of technology on youth employment; investigate the effect of agricultural infrastructure on youth employment; and evaluate the influence of institutional support on youth employment. The study used a case study design adopting both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A sample size of 137 respondents was selected using stratified random sampling, purposive sampling and simple random sampling. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SSPS version 20. The major findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between technology and youth employment, and technology was a predictor of youth employment. Likewise, a significant relationship was observed between agricultural infrastructure and youth employment where agricultural infrastructure was seen to be a predictor of youth employment. Further still, the relationship between institutional support and youth employment showed a significant relationship. In conclusion, technology, agricultural infrastructure and institutional support as dimensions of agribusiness incentives, determine youth employment in the district. The study, therefore, recommends that the management of the district should make efforts to ensure that there is adequate use of technology, the required agricultural infrastructure is available and offer institutional support to farmers so as to promote youth employment. The stakeholders in the agricultural sector should develop strategies in line with the study variable relationships to enhance youth employment in local governments.