Leveraging Japanese Sado Island Farmers’ GIAHS Inclusivity by Understanding Their Perceived Involvement

Sado Island in the Niigata prefecture is among the first Globally Important Agriculture Heritage Systems (GIAHSs) in Japan and among developed countries worldwide. Recent studies have pointed out the need to incorporate culture and farmer opinions to further strengthen GIAHS inclusivity in rural farming. In connection to this, this study explored whether farmer visibility, which is highlighted by GIAHS designation, actually translates to farmers’ actual perceptions of GIAHS involvement. A survey was conducted among Sado Island farmers to determine their knowledge and perception of their GIAHS involvement, in connection to their perspectives on youth involvement, Sado Island branding, and tourism management. Results showed that 56.3% of Sado Island farmers feel uninvolved or unsure towards the GIAHS, which is in stark contrast with the prevalent farming method in the area, special farming (which complies with GIAHS regulations) (77.3%). Further analyses revealed that farmers who feel that the GIAHS does not promote youth involvement, Sado Island branding, and tourism management have a higher predisposition to perceive themselves as uninvolved towards the GIAHS. This study highlights the need for careful reevaluation and integration of farmer insights and needs into the current GIAHS implementation in Sado Island and in other GIAHSs as well.

Leveraging Japanese Sado Island Farmers’ GIAHS Inclusivity by Understanding Their Perceived Involvement

Sado island in Niigata prefecture is among the first GIAHS designated sites in Japan and among developed countries worldwide. Recent studies have pointed out the need to incorporate culture and farmer opinions to further strengthen GIAHS inclusivity in rural farming. In connection to this, the study explored whether farmer visibility, which is highlighted by GIAHS designation, actually translates to farmers’ actual perception of GIAHS involvement. A survey was conducted among Sado island farmers to determine their knowledge and perception of their GIAHS involvement, in connection to their perspectives on youth involvement, Sado island branding, and tourism management. Results showed that 56.3% of Sado island farmers feel uninvolved or unsure towards GIAHS, which is in stark contrast with the prevalent farming method in the area which is special farming (complies with GIAHS regulations). Further analyses revealed that farmers who feel that GIAHS does not promote youth involvement, Sado island branding, and tourism management have higher predisposition to perceive themselves as uninvolved towards GIAHS. This study highlights the need for careful reevaluation and integration of farmer insights and needs to the current GIAHS implementation in Sado island and in other GIAHS as well.

YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN PARAMILITARY BODIES: A CASE STUDY OF THE ROYAL SHEPHERDS OF CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH IN NIGERIA, 2002-2021

Christ Apostolic Church is a foremost African Indigenous Church which has proliferated and shown phenomenal growth particularly in Nigeria. One of the factors responsible for the growth and expansion of the church in Nigeria was the activities of its youth organisations among which is the Royal Shepherds. This article focuses on the Royal Shepherds which is the paramilitary outfit of Christ Apostolic Church in Nigeria. The research highlights the history of the organisation, its aims and objectives and its administration. It also features the programmes and activities of the organisation and gives detailed attention to the specific contributions of the organisation to the growth of Christ Apostolic Church in Nigeria. Data were gathered through the use of structured oral interview, archival materials and bibliographical search. Useful suggestions were offered to improve the operations of the organisation.

THE IMPACT OF YOUTH RESTIVENESS ON PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA

The youths are the most viable and productive group of people which also constitute the most vibrant and energetic sector of any nation. This is due to the fact that they possess distinct characteristics which clearly distinguish them from other segments of the society. These include: physical strength, psychological prowess, superb intelligence, perseverance and many more. The irony of it however, is that these potentials are not harnessed or put into positive use by these youths and this is occasioned by myriads of factors. No doubt, youth involvement in violent conflicts remains one of the most challenging issues that are bedeviling the peace of Nigeria. Hence, youth restiveness and violent conflicts pervaded the social fabric of Nigeria as a whole. It is in view of this that this paper tries to examine the major causes of youth restiveness in Nigeria; its effect on the sociopolitical and economic development of Nigeria and therefore proffers possible solutions to the ugly trend.

Political Involvement among Youth in Malaysia: Lessons Learnt

Youth are asset for the country and their ideas may provide significant contribution towards the country development process. They are the driving force towards the progress of the country and their contributions are undeniable in providing new ideas. Other than as the human capitals provided for the workforce, youth are also backbone of the country. Youth involvement in politics happen throughout the world and Malaysia has no exception. Youth have voice out their concern on the government’s policies and actions towards developing process by using available platform such as social media other than joining political parties or any association specifically for youth. The opportunities should be given to this group since country will lose creative, dynamic and innovative ideas from this group, known as Generation Y. The tagline like young leaders have create phenomena to give them opportunities to be leader at every level of government (community, state as well as country). This article will discuss the political involvement based on the survey among students in Universiti Utara Malaysia. Findings showed that internet (social media) has attracted the respondents to know more about politics. Their lower involvement in political parties’ activities are quite contradictory in which their willingness to vote and encourage others to vote during the election process in Malaysia. This paper will highlight the importance of social media as a platform for gaining youth involvement in political scenario in Malaysia.

Agricultural Information Systems and Sustainable Food Value Chain Development

The oil boom of the 1970s in Nigeria has negatively impacted the young generation's psychology about agriculture. This has led to a continued drain of workforces. The general view on agriculture is of a ‘murky' business, as such always relegated within choices. Myriad programs and projects are being rolled out to revamp agriculture and attract youth in Nigeria. However, they remain largely with insignificant positive results and most of them with little or no deliberate appeal strategy towards enchanting youth. This research analyses the level of youth involvement in agribusinesses in Jigawa, describes and analyses ICTs landscape, then presents innovative approaches towards enchanting youth for agri-preneurial enterprises. Purposive sampling was used to select locations of data collection while convenient sampling was employed to elicit data. Results reveal that the youth entrepreneurial involvement is towards marketing, while a robust ICTs platform exist for supporting enterprises. Also, three packages were drawn and presented for the promotion of agri-prenuership in Nigeria.