Evaluation of Agribusiness Program on Youth Decision and Participation Level in Micro and Small Horticultural Enterprises in Tanzania

Tanzania has been experiencing youth unemployment problem for many years. As a result, the government, together with development partners, has come up with numerous strategic initiatives to increase youth involvement in the agricultural sector. Introduction of agribusiness programs to empower youth with entrepreneurship skills useful in establishing and operating their business enterprises. Yet, there is limited information on the effectiveness of such programs on youth decision and participation level in horticultural enterprises in the country. Therefore, this study examines the effect of the youth agribusiness program on youth decision and participation level in micro and small horticulture enterprises (MSEs) in the Morogoro and Pwani regions. A sample of 157 respondents comprising 51 participants and 106 non-participants of the youth agribusiness program were selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed by the Double Hurdle Model (DHM).Results indicate the presence of a positive and significant relationship between participation in agribusiness program on youth decision and participation level in horticultural enterprises. Specifically, youth decision to establish horticultural enterprises was influenced by the presence of family members in agribusiness, farming experience, and easy access to farming inputs. Likewise, household head, non-farming income, credit access, and access to markets influenced youth participation level in those enterprises. This study recommends for the replication of the training model to increase youth employability in the agribusiness sector.