Abstract:
Youth participation in Agricultural Co-operative Societies (ACS) is crucial for both
co-operative development and socio-economic progress. However, their involvement
in ACS remains limited. This study assessed the factors influencing youth
participation in agricultural co-operative societies within the northern region of
Burundi. Specifically, the study assessed the level of awareness among youth
regarding ACS in the study area, examined the cultivation related co-operative
activities in which youth are involved, the study also established the costs and
benefits associated with their participation in ACS and finally it examined the socio-economic factors influencing youth engagement in ACS. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design, involving a sample of 332 respondents selected through
purposive, simple random and systematic sampling. Both quantitative and qualitative
data were collected using questionnaires, interview guides and focus group discussion
guides. Through IBM SPSS version 25 and Excel, descriptive statistical analysis was
used for quantitative data while content analysis was employed for qualitative data.
The study applied Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) analysis to evaluate the costs and
benefits of youth participation in ACS while a binary logistic regression model was
used to examine socio-economic factors influencing youth participation in ACS.
Results indicated low awareness level among youth regarding ACS with an average
mean index of 2.23 and aligning standard deviation of 1.35. Notably, crops like
beans (42%), vegetables (15.6%), rice cultivation (13%) and maize (9.3%) were the
most cultivation related co-operative activities in which youth are involved. The BCR
indicated a positive return on investment in ACS (BCR=1.6), indicating a viable
venture. Socio-economic factors such as access to market, access to credit, access to
land, education level and profitability were statistically significant (p<0.05) and
hence emerged as key predictors influencing youth engagement in ACS. Youth's
limited membership in ACS is determined by lower level of awareness, negative
perceptions and adherence to traditional co-operative models. Socio-economic factors
have an impact on youth participation in ACS. It is recommended to the National
Agency for Promotion and Regulation of co-operative Societies to increase awareness
among youth through training forums and changing from traditional model to
entrepreneurial model. The study also recommends the government establishing a
Ministry of Co-operative and Small and Medium Enterprises, along with a co-operative university