Agripreneurs profile: A case study of farmers in Delta State oil and gas producing area

Various government policies and programs initiated to address the challenges facing agriculture over the years have not met their objectives. This is evidenced by the volume of such policies and programs and the constant changes in their form. It is therefore important to identify the profile of Agripreneurs in the rural arears as a first step diagnoses of the challenges so that appropriate solutions can be provided. This is the reason behind this study. Using the case study of Dharmapuri farmers in Dharmapuri, Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh farmers in India; some features of Agripreneurs were identified. These and others were used to access the profile of Agripreneurs in this study. Case study approach was used because it is appropriate in an explorative inquiry such as this. The study indicates that the profile of Agripreneurs is very poor compared to the Dharmapuri farmers. This includes dependency on rain fed agriculture, poor access to government support, smaller farm size, and poor access to credit. This may account for the poor state of the sector and why government intervention has not had the desired effect in Nigeria. The study also indicates that components of the profile are interrelated. This creates a vicious circle of negative effect. Therefore, a holistic solution is needed to address them. The study also indicates that agriculture remains the occupation in the rural area and thus the major sector that can transform their economy.