Interface of Agricultural Credit and Vocational Training in Improving Entrepreneurship among Rural Households in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The national challenge of increasing food production and alleviating poverty, which on actualization will address the first goal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), may not be fully achieved until development stakeholders begin to reallocate resources proportionately to the rural sector. The rural dwellers who account for over 70% of the Nigerian population engage in farming as a source of livelihood and should be made to have access to both capital and human resources to embark on agricultural enterprises or other entrepreneurial activities that could ameliorate their pitiable socio-economic conditions. Basically, 70% of the Enugu State human population (3,257,298) is engaged in farming (FGN 2001). This study examined the interface of agricultural credit and vocational 
training in improving entrepreneurship among rural households in Enugu State, Nigeria. To achieve this, multinomial logic regression analysis was used. One hundred and eighty randomly selected household heads were interviewed using structured questionnaire. Results showed that their socio-economic characteristics were characterized by low potentials. The households who belonged to more groups or had more educational qualifications had a positive relationship with access to both Agricultural credit and vocational training. There was a clear indication that improved socio-economic variables increase their chances of accessing more agricultural 
credit and agricultural vocational training which in turn improves their entrepreneurial attributes. It is therefore paramount that development stakeholders redesign programme that is capable of ameliorating this gap in vocational training/extension services and agricultural credit among rural dwellers.