Differentiated Analysis of the Occupational Integration of Young Agricultural Bachelor Degree Holders in Agricultural Entrepreneurship: Case Study from the University of Abomey-Calavi in the Republic of Benin
Tèko Augustin Kouévi *
Department of Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Socio-Anthropology and Communication for Rural Development, Laboratory for Development, Agricultural Innovation and Rural Communication Dynamics’ Analysis (LADICom), Benin.
Gaïane Naïla Dagnon
Department of Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Socio-Anthropology and Communication for Rural Development, Laboratory for Development, Agricultural Innovation and Rural Communication Dynamics’ Analysis (LADICom), Benin.
Esaïe Gandonou
Department of Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Socio-Anthropology and Communication, Laboratory of Agro-Economy and Agro-Business (LAGEC-B), Benin.
Rose Omari
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI), Ghana.
Yves Zountchégbé Magnon
Department of Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Socio-Anthropology and Communication for Rural Development, Laboratory for Development, Agricultural Innovation and Rural Communication Dynamics’ Analysis (LADICom), Benin.
Rigobert Cocou Tossou
Department of Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Socio-Anthropology and Communication for Rural Development, Laboratory for Development, Agricultural Innovation and Rural Communication Dynamics’ Analysis (LADICom), Benin.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
At a time when agricultural entrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as a crucial alternative to unemployment and underemployment, particularly in developing countries, it is becoming imperative to have baseline or reference information on entry into the agricultural entrepreneurship sector. This article gives an overview of the integration of 1,305 agricultural bachelor degree holders into agricultural entrepreneurship in Benin. These bachelors studied and graduated in the bachelor-master-doctorate program (labeled LMD program) of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Abomey-Calavi (FSA/UAC) between 2011 and 2020. Data related to the occupational integration of this target population were collected with the help of online surveys. These data were statistically analyzed using Excel v.2019 and STATA v.15. Results reveal an overall integration rate of 16.17%, with significant variations ranging from 6% to 27% from one year to the next. Gender disparities are also notable, with only 29.52% of target bachelors entering agricultural entrepreneurship as women.
Keywords: Agricultural entrepreneurship, bachelor-master-doctorate program, young agricultural undergraduates and graduates’ employment, occupational integration, gender disparities