Title: PERCEPTION OF RURAL YOUTH TOWARDS AGRICULTURE AS AN OCCUPATION

Authors: Parth Nandania, B. N. Kalsariya and V. B. Paradva

Publisher: The President, Society of Extension Education Gujarat

Keywords: rural youth, perception, agriculture, occupation, socio-economic factors

Volume: 40

Issue: 2

Year: December 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56572/gjoee.2025.40.2.0019

Abstract: Rural youth's enthusiasm, openness to new ideas and capacity for innovation position them as key drivers of rural transformation. Yet, recent trends show a steady decline in their engagement with agriculture. This declining connection threatens the resilience and continuity of India's agriculture. Against this backdrop, the present study was undertaken to examine perception of rural youth towards agriculture as an occupation. It also explores association of characteristics with perception of rural youth towards agriculture as an occupation. The investigation employed an ex-post facto research design and was purposively conducted in three districts of Gujarat's Saurashtra region to examine the perception of 180 respondents. For data analysis, suitable statistical methods were applied. The results revealed that a majority (61.67 per cent) of the rural youth had a moderate level of perception towards agriculture as an occupation. Variables such as land holding, annual income, socio-economic status, risk orientation, innovativeness and sources of information were found to have a positive and highly significant association with perception while farming experience, family's main occupation, economic motivation and achievement motivation showed a positive and significant relationship with perception. Conversely, education showed a negative and significant link with perception, whereas factors like age, family size, livestock holding, marital status and social participation were not significantly related to perception.