PARTICIPATION OF RURAL YOUTH IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

Abstract

The main Purposes of this study were to determine: (I) the participation of the rural youth in selected rural development activities (ii) to determine some of the selected characteristics namely age, education, family farm size, family annual income, training experience, eosaiopoliteness, organizational participation, cOITIfl)UfliCatiOfl exposure and lamily size and (iii) to explore the relationship between the selected characteristics of the rural youth and their participation in selected rural development activities. The study was conducted in entire Sarishabari Upa2ila under Jarnalpur district. Data were collected irom 80 rural youths by using interview schedule during 10 to 30th May, 2008. Appropriate scales were developed ii'. order to measure the concerned variables. Correlation (r) analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Participation Index (PM) was also computed to explain the dependent variable. Out of the 24 items ol participation rural youth in rural development activities, the top five were: i. Inspire people to send their children to school, ii. Advise parents, relatives & neighbor to adopt FIYV. iii. Minimize local conflict. iv. Advise parents, relatives & neighbor to maintain soil lertility, parents. relatives & neighbor about fertilizer management. 1-lowever, in respect of overall participation by rural youth, a proportion of 50% was in low category and medium category. Among the rural youths minor school education were 7 1.3% and 25% high school education only. The highest proportion 65% had small tbrm size, two fifth (40) had very low to low annual income, 57.5% had low training exposure and 42.5% had medium training exposure, 45% had low organizational participation and 48.8% had no orgallil.ati011aI participation, 51.3% Y. by Advise 38.8% was in had low communication exposure quality, 47.5% had low cosmopoliteness quality. Correlation analyses between dependent and independent variables revealed that four were statistically positively signiticant. Four (4) independent variables namely: Family larni size, Cosmopoliteness. Organi'-atior.al participation and Coniniunicatioll exposure had strong positive relationsh i participation of rural youth in rural development activities. Education, faniiy annual income and family size had positively insignificant and age and Training experience had negatively insignificant relationship with the participation of rural youth in rural development activities.