Impact of social capital on agricultural productivity: Evidence from the moderating role of youth empowerment in North Central Nigeria

Abstract

The study examines the relationship between social capital, measured through cooperative, social media, and social club memberships, and agricultural productivity in North-Central Nigeria. It also evaluates the moderating effect of youth empowerment. Data was collected via a structured questionnaire from 447 smallholders. Multiple linear regression analysis with interaction terms was employed to interpret the data. The model explains 47.4% of the variation in agricultural productivity, with youth empowerment emerging as the most significant predictor (b = 0.405, p < 0.001), followed by social media membership (b = 0.226, p < 0.001). Participation in cooperative membership also showed a substantial effect (b = 0.128, p = 0.010), while social club membership had a marginal influence (b = 0.089, p = 0.079). The interaction effects reveal that youth empowerment significantly moderates the relationship between social club membership and productivity (B = 0.049, p < 0.001), and has a smaller but notable moderating role in the association between social media membership and productivity (B = 0.025, p = 0.055). However, it does not significantly influence the relationship between cooperative membership and productivity. The interaction model accounts for 48.9% of the variance in productivity. These findings underscore the importance of empowering youth through skills development, leadership training, digital literacy, and access to finance and technology to enhance social networks and increase farm income. The study recommends integrating empowerment programs with digital inclusion and cooperative initiatives to maximize their impact on agricultural productivity.