Agripreneurship Orientation and Fruits Business in Ondo State
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The following objectives will be assessed;
- To examine the socio-economic characteristics of fruit farmers in Ondo state
- To assess farmer’s perception of major sources of risk in fruit farming in Ondo state
- To ascertain the contribution of fruit farming to the economy of Ondo state
- To ascertain the role fruits play in the nutrition and health of Ondo state
- To determine the production resources in fruit farming in Ondo state
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
AGRIPRENEURSHIP
When talking about entrepreneurship in agriculture, it is termed as Agriculture Entrepreneurship or Agripreneurship. Agripreneurs, thus, do not differ from entrepreneurs in their basic traits. While profiling some of the agripreneurs (Chander, 2016, 2016a, b and c), I found them very articulate in personal, interpersonal and process skills. It is their pro-risk-taking attitude that makes them more likely to cash upon the opportunity available in new agricultural ventures compared to conventional farmers. They not only believe in new venture new gains, but also work consistently to prove themselves true. They are the trend setting farmers
Like all entrepreneurs, agripreneurs are risk-takers who deliberately allocate resources to a business venture, in this case an agribusiness, to exploit opportunities in return for profit; they are the primary decision-makers, responsible for the businesses’ success or failure. The agripreneurs who are the focus of this publication are not subsistence entrepreneurs who engage in entrepreneurship as a survival strategy because there are no other options; their businesses are registered or enter the formal economy at least at some stage, and have achieved impact at scale in terms of sales, profits and jobs. Agripreneurs are not only engaged in production level activities, but create and develop agribusinesses all along and around the value chain. Herein, agripreneurship is analysed using three interlinked layers: (i) at the inner core is the individual entrepreneur, and his or her intrinsic qualities and immediate cultural environment; (ii) the network environment and social capital of the entrepreneur connect the entrepreneur with the external environment; and (iii) the final outer ring consists of the broader enabling environment in which the entrepreneur operates. Although entrepreneurs can emerge from anywhere, individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, high social capital and operating in a conducive environment, are far more likely to succeed.
Agripreneurs operating at scale
Agripreneurs face significant challenges in establishing their businesses, but the next hurdle then becomes one of scaling up and ensuring sustaining growth. Scaling businesses involves taking a deliberate step towards transformative change, so as to create significant economic, and often social and environmental impacts. Four scaling strategies can be distinguished – deep, up, out or across – which involve some combination of targeting new or existing markets with new or existing products. Typically, an effective upscaling strategy will involve a combination of nine ingredients, centred around business and markets, governance, empowerment and transparency, and knowledge and technology. Business and markets includes developing a business case, generating awareness and demand, accessing finance, and developing the value chain. Strategies to improve governance and empowerment involve creating coordination platforms, engaging in lobbying and advocacy, and improving leadership and management. Finally, increasing knowledge and education, embracing technological innovations, and accessing data and information and communications technologies (ICTs) can also help agripreneurs to reach success at scale. A combination of these ingredients creates a recipe for success.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to examine Agripreneurship orientation and fruits business in Ondo state.
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
- Primary source and
- Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in gathering information relevant to the Agripreneurship orientation and fruits business in Ondo state. 100 farmers and staffs of ministry of Agriculture in Ondo state were selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF DATA
One hundred and sixty (160) questionnaires were distributed and one hundred and forty (133) were returned. This figure was the sample size. Out of the one hundred and thirty-three, only one hundred and twenty (120) were properly responded to. As a result, the researcher used one hundred and twenty for this study when more than 50% of the respondents agree to the questions, the answer is taken as valid for the purpose of this study. In analyzing the data, the approach that will be adopted is to find out the percentage and positive and negative answers to the question posed.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain Agripreneurship orientation and fruits business in Ondo state. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of Agripreneurship orientation and fruits business
Summary
This study was on Agripreneurship orientation and fruits business in ondo state. Five objectives were raised which included; To examine the socio-economic characteristics of fruit farmer in Ondo state, to assess farmer’s perception on major sources of risk in fruit farming in Ondo state, to ascertain the contribution of fruit farming to economy of Ondo state, to ascertain the role fruits play in the nutrition and health in Ondo state and to determine the production resources in fruit farming in Ondo state. In line with these objectives, five research questions were asked and answered. The total population for the study is 100 farmers and 100 staffs of ministry of agriculture were selected randomly. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up of male farmers, female farmers, directors and administrative staffs were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
The results show that fruits are of economic, medicinal, nutritional, and social importance to households, but the major attraction to their cultivation is economical in terms of income generation, labour, market e.t.c. Households preferred some fruits to others. The most preferred fruits were ogbono (I. gabonensis) followed by kola (Kola acuminata), orange (Citrus spp), avocado (P. americana) and others, while the least preferred was mango (M. indica). Preferences were based on input requirement, resistant to pest and diseases, frequency of fruiting, availability of market, maturity and others. Extension should intensify awareness on the nutritional and medicinal benefits of less preferred fruits species to increase interest, production and consumption, particularly among rural households. Above all, building capability, skill, knowledge on processing and preservation of the fruits, particularly the indigenous fruits to increase interest, production and guard against
Recommendation
However, the major constraint in the production of fruits and vegetables in Nigeria is inadequate supply of infrastructural facilities which reduce the shelf life of these fruits and vegetables and subsequently bring about great loss of human and capital resources. Therefore, the government needs to improve the infrastructural facilities such as good irrigations system for production, good roads for transportation and electricity to maintain storage facilities in order to sustain the constant supply of fruits and vegetables. Also, Government and the private sector should sponsor research and development for capacity building and manpower development to help sustain the fruit and vegetable crop enterprise now and in the future
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