Drivers of youth participation in commercial agriculture: a triple hurdle analysis of groundnut production and commercialization in northern Ghana

Youth unemployment, particularly in rural areas, is an albatross around the necks of many African countries. Creating opportunities along agricultural value chains has been identified as an entry point to countries’ efforts to improve rural livelihoods. However, youth are usually left out of agricultural market planning and programming. Previous studies on agricultural market participation have placed little emphasis on rural youth, despite their unique challenges and opportunities. Using a triple hurdle analytical approach, this study contributes to this discussion by examining the drivers of youth’s decision to participate in the production and commercialization of a high-value crop, groundnut, in Northern Ghana. Data from the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (2016/2017) was used to achieve the study’s objective. The results show that agricultural output prices, access to transport services and road infrastructure; and favourable land tenure dynamics are positive determinants of youth’s participation in commercial agriculture. Interestingly, digital connectivity, level of education and gender (being female) are negative drivers of commercialization among young farmers. These results imply that policies that promote rural youth’s access to remunerative markets, productive assets, physical infrastructure, and transport services should be promoted. Importantly, ICT should be agro-customized in order for youth to fully take advantage of the opportunities that the current digital revolution presents to agriculture.