ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILLS REQUIRED BY PENSIONERS FOR ENTERY INTO GRASSCUTTER REARING OCCUPATION FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD IN ENUGU STATE

Abstract

This study was designed to identify the entrepreneurial skills required by Pensioners for entry into grasscutter rearing occupation for sustainable livelihood. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. A structured questionnaire made up of 57 items was used to elicit response from 126 respondents comprising 83 registered grasscutter farmers and 43 Agricultural Extension workers in Enugu State. The instrument was validated by three experts and the reliability was established using Cronbach Alpha which yielded a coefficient of 0.89. The data collected was analyzed using mean and standard deviation (SD) to answer the research questions and t-test statistic for testing the null hypotheses formulated at 0.05 level of probability and 182 degree of freedom. The findings of the study revealed that entrepreneurial skills are required by Pensioners on 17 items in Planning, 23 items in housing, 11 items in feeding and 6 items in marketing of grasscutter. Based on the finding, it was recommended that the identified skills should be incorporated into the curriculum of skill acquisition centres where it could be used for the training of Pensioners. It was also recommended that the identified skills should be taught to the managers of skill acquisition centres who in turn will train the Pensioners.