Towards Food Security and Youth Participation in Community Development in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States: Implications for Counselling

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate food security and youth participation in community development in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States. The ex-post factor research design was employed in this study. Four research hypotheses were formulated to guide the researchers in this study. The population for the study was five thousand (5,000) youths from Cross River and Akwa Ibom States. The sample was 506 youths made up of 307 boys and 199 girls using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling techniques. The major instrument for data collection was a four point likert type scale called Food Security and Youth Participation in Community Development (FSYPCD). Pearson Product Moment Correlational statistics, independent t-test and simple percentage were used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that there is a relationship between youths‟ participation in community development and food security. That there is no significant difference between Akwa Ibom and Cross River States in-terms of government‟s motivation of youths to ensure food security, food production and that there is a relationship between youths‟ participation in community development and political education. Counselling implications were raised to ensure food security in the two States, Cross River and Akwa Ibom and the nation at large such as reversing rural-urban migration to urban-rural migration, providing more social amenities in the rural areas, giving interest free loans and giving the youths adequate political education to enliven their participation in food security, food production and community development.

Key words: Food Security, Food Production, Youth Participation, community development, Political Education, Government‘s Motivation of Youths.