Research Article

Strengthening Rural Youth in Anbar Province: Assessing the Influence of Small-Scale Agricultural Initiatives

Adnan Ibrahim Khamis1, Jasim Mohammed Saleh2*, Najwa S. Ali3 and Anwer Thamer Ghaffoori2

1Faculty of Medicine, University of Fallujah, Iraq; 2Biotechnology and Environmental Center, University of Fallujah, Iraq; 3Scientific Affairs, University of Baghdad, Iraq.

Received | April 12, 2023; Accepted | November 23, 2023; Published | December 14, 2023

*Correspondence | Jasim Mohammed Saleh, Biotechnology and Environmental Center, University of Fallujah, Iraq; Email: [email protected]

Citation | Khamis, A.I., J.M. Saleh, N.S. Ali and A.T. Ghaffoori. 2023. Strengthening rural youth in Anbar province: Assessing the influence of small-scale agricultural initiatives. Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research, 36(4): 389-403.

DOI | https://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjar/2023/36.4.389.403

Keywords | Small agricultural projects, Rural youth, Economic capabilities, Social capabilities, Marketing capabilities

Copyright: 2023 by the authors. Licensee ResearchersLinks Ltd, England, UK.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Introduction

Many developing countries are undergoing major demographic changes, with an increasing proportion of young people in the total population. This is due to unemployment and instability as well as high immigration rates. Politicians and young people in third-world countries often engage in commercial farming and project management to combat these trends. For example, in Uganda, which is said to be one of the smallest countries in the world in terms of population, agriculture, and project choice, the management of rural youth is a sustainable way of developing rural development and meeting the aspirations of rural families. It is an essential option for achieving sustainable development (Anne et al., 2020). The agricultural sector plays an important role in the economies of both developed and developing countries around the world. Therefore, these countries are constantly striving to develop and improve in this field, to develop it in a way that meets the demands and needs of their citizens. The process of agricultural development is therefore of interest to the modern generation of economists in countries of the world in general, and in developing countries in particular (Ceren and Gokhan, 2020). Today, countries around the world attach great importance to the inclusive development of society and define the tasks and roles of organizations and individuals to achieve this development. It also establishes plans and programs aimed at raising awareness of the importance of development and its outcomes and of the role of each group of societies in building the modern nation. The impact of working in a small industry is small. She pointed to the important role played by the 18 European Union during the crisis, namely to involve as many businesses as possible in jobs and job opportunities and to create more SMEs (Laura et al., 2019).

Iraqi youth in general, and rural youth in particular, play an essential and central role in the rural development process, as they are the main pillar of the development dimension and the most important component of production in society. They are the most active age group and are able to work (Arab Human Development, 2016). Therefore, paying attention to Iraqi youth and developing their skills is an investment process of human energy. The process of scientific rehabilitation and development of adolescents contributes significantly to producing a mature generation that is socially, economically, and culturally open and bears the burden of developmental processes. The study points out the need to pay attention to sustainable economic growth (Ceren and Gokhan, 2020). The economic and social community pays special attention to small-scale economic projects and emphasizes their role in achieving economic and social development.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) defines a small project as a project managed by a project manager with between 10 and 50 employees, and the World Bank defines a small project. If you have less than 10 employees. The factory is considered a micro-enterprise, with 10 to 50 workers working on these small projects (Haddad, 2012). Al-Rawi (2022) points out that small-scale agricultural projects are important, as shown below.

Self-affirmation, stable income generation, creativity and innovation, and subsequent development and modernization, meeting the needs of rural communities, covering most of the market needs, and having a qualified workforce for large-scale projects. contribute to the preparation, create employment opportunities for youth, contribute to solving the problem of unemployment, produce and supply high-quality local products at low cost, develop successful management skills, make a positive contribution to poverty eradication; Increased rural income, and human and financial resources of rural poor families.

The study by Asma (2015) Encourages investment to create more job opportunities and reduce unemployment, especially for young people. Also, believes that among the advantages of small projects are ease of establishment, independence, and flexibility of management, availability of job opportunities, ability to adapt to new variables, a tool for self-training, high quality of production, the predominance of local character, and the short recovery period for invested capital. Laura et al. (2019) mention a set of rules for managing small projects, clearly represented by the goal to be achieved, setting a clear plan for implementing the project, carefully selecting the work team, scheduling costs and profits, the ability to solve problems facing the project and take risks, the ability to lead and manage the project. Small agricultural projects face some problems and obstacles that prevent them from performing their work properly. Woomer et al. (2015) pointed out that the process of developing capabilities is to enhance skills and raise individual creative competence by following the scientific method in diagnosing the obstacles to innovation and creativity and knowing their causes, and addressing them (Abdul Karim, 2018) and (Al-Rawi, 2022) classified skills as: Ability to achieve project goals, ability to plan and organize, ability to make decisions, ability to solve problems, ability to generate new ideas, ability to lead work teams, ability to adapt and adapt to new situations, personal ability to build relationships and maintain working relationships.

In terms of the reality in Ir aq, there have been many changes in the social, economic, and cultural aspects of life, especially since the events of 2003. Unemployment is declining. His rate of increase is over 20%, while other organizations report lower rates. Iraq suffers from a steady increase in unemployment in both urban and rural areas (Ministry of Planning, 2021).

Perhaps the most important reasons for unemployment are mismanagement, widespread corruption, and the lack of a real plan to revitalize the economy. Meanwhile, Iraq’s poverty rate has risen to (31.7%), according to the latest official statistics (Ministry of Planning, 2020). To resolve and respond to these crises, Governments and other international organizations contribute to the economic revitalization of society in general, and young people in particular, by supporting small projects to revitalize the private sector and restore economic infrastructure. is starting to A fund was established to develop agricultural projects for the Iraqi people. The purpose of this fund is to provide young farmers with low-interest loans for the implementation of agricultural projects. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration has played an important role in the fight against poverty and unemployment by contributing to the economic assistance of young people. The Enterprise Development Fund (EDF), administered by the International Organization for Migration, aims to contribute to Iraq’s economic recovery and revitalize the private sector by working with some non-governmental organizations to support small business projects, is an innovative approach. , including the United States Agency for International Development, which provides financial and informational support and trains young people to lead productive projects (Mahdi, 2021). Following the 2013 incidents and the destruction of infrastructure by terrorism, the study identifies key needs for small project development, as international organizations operating in Anbar province have increased their support for small projects in rural areas, was carried out in the countryside.

Based on the foregoing, due to the lack of realistic statistics and research on small-scale farming projects for rural youth and the issues and determinants that hinder their sustainability, success, and development, this study: Is intended to answer your questions.

1. What is the role of smallholder farming projects in the skills development of rural youth in Anbar province?
2. What are the issues and determinants that prevent the success and continuation of these projects?

From the description of the introductory part of the study and the research questions, the following objectives of the study can be formulated.

1. Identify the role of smallholder farming projects in skills development for rural youth in general.
2. Identify the role of smallholder farming projects in rural youth skills development in each of the following areas: (economic skills, social skills, managerial skills, cognitive and manual skills, problem-solving skills, adaptability to work environment, marketing skills, communication skills with sources of agricultural technology, creativity, and excellence skills)
3. Identify the issues and determinants facing rural youth smallholder farming projects.

Importance of research

Encouraging investment in rural smallholder farming projects will help create more job opportunities and reduce unemployment, especially among rural youth. Therefore, these projects must be properly managed in order to get the desired benefits from them. We must provide these projects with the support they need and overcome all the obstacles that stand in the way of these projects towards sustainable development. The importance of this research lies in the following points.

1. Focus on rural youth who make up a large part of the local community and are responsible for development.
2. The importance of this study stems from the fact that it focuses on smallholder farming projects and their role in creating job opportunities for youth and reducing unemployment and poverty.
3. This study contributes to providing a realistic database on rural youth and their agricultural projects in Anbar province, enabling senior leaders to develop and support these projects, opening new horizons for rural youth to help them make the right decisions for
4. The survey provides real-world information about the problems and obstacles facing rural youth and how to deal with them.

Procedure definition

1. Small scale farming projects: A small agricultural project (plant or animal) with no more than 10 employees.
2. Skills: Different skills, information, skills, and experiences that rural youth acquire in managing agricultural projects.
3. Excellence and creativity: The ability of rural youth to develop agricultural projects and produce high-quality commodities that is competitive in the market.
4. Customization features: The ability of rural youth to adapt to changes in agricultural projects and keep up with agricultural technology.
5. Role: An educational context in which smallholder farming projects aim to develop the skills, competencies, and information of rural youth.

Materials and Methods

Research method

The descriptive analytical approach is one of the most important and common scientific research methods in scientific research. A descriptive approach that accurately describes the phenomenon was used to achieve the research goals. A descriptive approach recognizes, interprets, and analyzes the relationships between variables that are relevant to the singularity of a study, and predicts those using realistic and accurate data and information about the phenomenon, and on which outcomes are determined. It is based on since the survey focused on the agricultural sector from which data were collected, and also on small-scale agricultural projects within the study area, the questionnaire was ready to meet the objectives of the survey (Saleh and Man, 2017).

Research community and sample

The study community included all rural youth who own small-scale farming projects across 22 agricultural sectors within districts and sub-districts of Anbar province. A multilevel sample was selected from the research community as follows:

1. A random sample of 50% was drawn from the total number of (22) agricultural faculties, so the total number of agricultural faculties studied is (11) faculties.
2. A proportionally stratified random sample was drawn in the range of (11) (10%) of the total number of rural youths in the Faculty of Agriculture, which corresponds to (2284) young men, hence the study sample. sums to (228) respondents as shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Distribution of rural youth according to the agricultural divisions included in the research sample.

No	Agricultural division	Number of rural youths	Sample 10%
1	Fallujah	218	22
2	Karma	194	19
3	Habbaniyah	192	19
4	Khalidiya	202	20
5	Ramadi	244	24
6	Heet	196	20
7	Al Jazeera	240	24
8	Saqlawiyah	208	21
9	Haditha	172	17
10	Shamiya	186	19
11	Amriya	232	23
	Total	2284	228

 

Curriculum development: By reviewing the literature, papers, and studies relevant to the research topic and seeking the opinions of experts, experts, and professors of agriculture, a preliminary plan of research axes and paragraphs is developed and distributed in its original form in accordance with its objectives. He holds a master’s degree in psychology from the Faculty of Agriculture and Psych education, University of Baghdad. and Tikrit University), in addition to the Agricultural Advisory Service Department, conducts field visits and conducts face-to-face interviews with correspondents covering the subject under study.

The preliminary research plan consisted of two main axes. The first axis represents rural youth skill development areas, and the number of paragraphs reached (69) paragraphs distributed in nine rural areas as follows.

1. Developing economic skills (8)
2. Development of social skills (10) paragraph
3. Development of management capabilities (9)
4. Development of cognitive abilities and skills (Section 7)
5. Cultivation of problem-solving ability (6)
6. Cultivation of adaptability to work environment (7)
7. Development of marketing skills (8)
8. Development of communication skills with sources of agricultural technology (7), paragraph
9. Development of skills in the field of excellence and creativity (7) paragraph

The second axis represents the complexities and problems faced by rural youth in managing smallholder farming projects, with paragraphs (22) divided into four areas: Management issues (7) paragraph, knowledge issues (5) paragraph, marketing issues (5) paragraph, funding issues (5) paragraph.

The research approach was presented in its original form to a group of experts specializing in the field of agricultural extension and agricultural economics through the preparation of a questionnaire containing research axes, fields, and paragraphs to confirm its legitimacy and validity. Experts were asked to determine the level of alignment with each of the nine regions and each of the 69 paragraphs, and the extent of the problems and obstacles faced by rural youth in managing smallholder farming projects. rice field. These paragraphs are then arranged on a graduated scale to indicate the degree of agreement between them and consist of three sentences (I agree, I agree with the change, I disagree). A number (1, 2, 3) was then determined for each utterance, and the percent agreement (91%) was determined for all regions and paragraphs by calculating the expert’s average agreement value. A questionnaire containing two main axes was developed to achieve the study objectives. The first axis included skills by (9) domains and (69) factors in rural youth development, and the second axis included problems and barriers. This complicates the work of agricultural projects as it involves four sub-areas (administrative and technical issues, knowledge issues, marketing issues, and financial issues) in paragraph (22).

Paragraphs on both axes were assigned a four-point scale consisting of the following statements (disagree, somewhat agree, agree, fully agree), each with a standard weighting (1, 2, 3, 4) given. Thus, the degree of scale for the first axis is determined between (69 and 276) degrees, while the scale for ‘Problems and Disabilities is (22 and 88) as the lowest and highest numbers determined by the respondents. Determined between degrees.

To confirm the effectiveness of the questionnaire, a preliminary test (pre-test) of the questionnaire was conducted with 20 random respondents outside the final survey sample. The stability factor was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha method and was (0.89), demonstrating the validity of the field survey questionnaire. After confirming form validity, content validity, and questionnaire reliability, data were collected from a survey sample consisting of rural youths (228 persons) owning small farming projects in Anbar province (period until December 1, 2022) until 25 January 2023, the statistical analysis program SPSS will be used to process the survey data and present the results in their final form. Also, using percentages and their means, as well as the relationship between survey variables, is the purpose of the study.

Research hypothesis

Smallholder farming projects develop rural youth skills (economic, social, managerial, information and skills, marketing, problem-solving, communication with technology sources, environmental adaptation, creativity, and excellence) plays a large and effective role in Anbar province.

Results and Discussion

Recognizing the part of little rural ventures in creating the capabilities of rustic youth in common

The comes about in Table 2, appeared that the respondents’ degrees extended between (170-276) degrees, with a normal of (221.6) degrees and a standard deviation of (3.2) degrees, agreeing to a scale for the part of little rural ventures in creating the capabilities of country youth, whose degree was decided between (69-276) degrees. The information displayed in Table 2 appear that (66%) of the respondents accept that little agrarian ventures have had a major part in creating the capabilities of country youth, whereas (5%) of the respondents accept that these ventures had a frail part in creating youth capabilities, which implies that these rural ventures have significantly created the capabilities, aptitudes, and information of provincial youth in Anbar Governorate and made strides their financial, social, authoritative and showcasing conditions. Suresh et al. (2021) alluded to the part of rustic youth in provincial advancement and administration of rural ventures, by creating their capacities in effective administration. A think about (Anne et al., 2020) demonstrated that the dynamic part of rustic youth is superior to that of rustic ladies or young ladies and that most families are rustic youth, so it is essential to supply successful training for youthful individuals to supply them with the vital abilities to oversee their ranches.

 

Table 2: Numbers and percentages of respondents according to their views on the role of small agricultural projects in developing the capabilities of rural youth.

No	Categories	Number	Percentage	Average capabilities development
1.	Low (205 degrees below)	11	0.05	188
2.	Medium (206- 241)	66	0.29	220
3.	High (242 or more)	151	0.66	256
	Total	228	100%

 

Recognizing the part of little agrarian ventures in creating the capabilities of provincial youth in each of the taking after areas

Advancement of financial capabilities: The conclusions of the respondents contrasted almost the degree to which little rural ventures contribute to the advancement of the financial capabilities of rustic youth. The normal score of the respondents’ conclusions around the degree of creating financial capabilities was (25.17) degrees concurring with a scale whose scores were decided between (8-32) degrees. The information contained in Table 3 appears that little agrarian ventures have contributed to diminishing the unemployment rate and have progressed moderately the financial circumstance of country youth and given work openings for their family individuals, whereas a few respondents accept that rural ventures have accomplished a medium rate of monetary adequacy for youthful individuals whereas giving money related reserve funds to construct other ventures, and this implies that agrarian ventures had a part in creating a few viewpoints of the financial capabilities of rustic youth. The advancement of financial capabilities is a critical and imperative calculate for engaging country youth, to create their capabilities to extend their financial salary, and all of this contributes to the advancement of the farmland in common (Tashtoush and Abdel, 2018).

 

Table 3: Distribution of respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in developing economic capabilities.

S.	Paragraphs related to the development of economic capabilities	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	The project contributed to improving my economic situation	3,51	87,75	2
2	The agricultural project achieved financial sufficiency for me and my family	2,74	68,5	8
3	The project contributed to providing job opportunities for my family members	3,39	84,75	3
4	The agricultural project contributed to achieving financial stability for my family	3,27	81,75	4
5	The agricultural project contributed to reducing the unemployment rate in our village	3,66	91,5	1
6	The project achieved well-being and decent living for me and my family	2,83	70,75	6
7	The project contributed to the creation of financial savings for the establishment of other projects	2,81	70,25	7
8	The project provided me with the ability to acquire modern devices and equipment in agriculture	2,96	74	5

 

Table 4: Distribution of respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in developing social capabilities.

S.	Paragraphs related to the development of social capabilities	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	The agricultural project increased my appreciation and respect for the community	3,96	99	1
2	The project contributed to increasing my social responsibility to achieve self-sufficiency	3,82	95,5	4
3	Encouraging my family and friends to do similar agricultural projects	3,76	94	5
4	Transferring experiences, information and skills to the people of the community in which I live	3,90	97,5	3
5	Be sure to participate in training and qualification courses related to the project	3,22	80,5	10
6	Be sure to participate in the implementation of awareness programs and campaigns	3,58	89,5	7
7	Exchange information and experiences with owners of other agricultural projects	3,92	98	2
8	I cooperate with my colleagues in solving problems facing the agricultural project	3,41	85,25	8
9	The agricultural project was a motive for contributing to extension activities in the region	3,39	84,75	9
10	I encourage other young people to practice agricultural work to earn a living for their families	3,68	92	6

 

Advancement of social capabilities

The comes about in Table 4, appeared that the respondents accept that little rural ventures have contributed altogether to the advancement of the social capabilities of rustic youth, as the normal score of the respondents conclusions were (36.64) degrees agreeing to a scale whose degree was decided between (10-40) degrees. It comes at the bleeding edge of the positioning that agrarian ventures have expanded the regard and appreciation of provincial youth within the community which there’s a trade of data and encounters with other business visionaries, and work fortified the exchange of aptitudes, data, and encounters among the individuals of the community, as well as the commitment of these ventures to extend the social duty of youth to attain self-sufficiency for rural items, and this implies that these youth ventures have expanded participation, interaction, and solidarity among the members of society in Anbar Governorate. An effective rural venture will allow connections and regard to the community, and typically shown by the instrument of a ponder (El-Houssain et al., 2021), as the venture, by enlisting country laborers and utilizing them in that venture, will contribute to the solidification of relations between the proprietor of the venture and the individuals of the town, and in this way win theirs adore. The successful part in accomplishing financial and social improvement, and youth constitute a constrain for alter, particularly in Middle Easterner nations, of which Iraq is one of the shafts, as measurements show that two-thirds of the age of these nations is less than 30 a long time ancient (Al-Dulaimi, 2020).

Improvement of regulatory capabilities

The normal degree of the respondent’s suppositions around the degree to which agrarian ventures contribute to the advancement of the regulatory capabilities of rustic youth was (32.53) degrees, concurring to a scale whose degrees were set between (9-36) degrees. The information contained in Table 5 appears that an expansive rate of the respondents accept that their rural ventures have enormously contributed to raising their authoritative competence, first of which comes having adequate aptitudes to oversee the extent, depending on their data and encounter in making fitting choices, and they always endeavor to create their cultivate trade, and they moreover can arrange huge future ventures, and it is obvious that little rural ventures had a persuasive part in creating the abilities, data and administrative skill of rustic youth. This shows the significance of aptitude in managing the agrarian venture because it is the premise for the victory of the rural extend. The project manager must have the vital aptitude and know-how within the expressions of administration, in arranging for him to specific his venture to security (Saleh et al., 2022).

Creating cognitive and expertise capabilities

It is obvious from the information of Table 6 that little agrarian ventures have a major part in creating the cognitive and expertise capacities of provincial youth, as the normal of the respondents’ conclusions come to (26.02) degrees agreeing to a scale whose degrees extended between (7-28) degrees, the bleeding edge of these capabilities is that country youth have procured satisfactory abilities and data through their administration of rural ventures, and they are training and teaching specialists within the agrarian extend, and they are in steady contact with logical inquire about and rural expansion organizations. As well as

 

Table 5: Distribution of respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in developing administrative capabilities.

S.	Paragraphs related to the development of administrative capabilities	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	Have the sufficient skill to manage the agricultural project	3,91	97,75	1
2	Rely on my experiences and information to make the right decisions	3,77	94,25	2
3	I can develop distinct mental perceptions about the future of the agricultural project	3,46	86,5	6
4	Use agricultural technology in project management	3,25	81,25	9
5	I always develop work in the agricultural project	3,71	92,75	3
6	Have the ability to plan large agricultural projects in the future	3,68	92	4
7	Providing information and advice to young people who have agricultural projects	3,56	89	5
8	I face problems and challenges that hinder working efficiently and effectively	3,39	84,75	8
9	Make sure that the production costs are much lower than the revenue	3,80	85	7

 

Table 6: Distribution of the respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in the development of cognitive and skill capacities.

S.	Paragraphs related to the development of cognitive and skill capabilities	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	Through my management of the project, I gained extensive agricultural information	3,88	97	1
2	The agricultural project represents a continuous training and rehabilitation center	3,53	88,25	6
3	I have sufficient skills to deal with any technical or administrative problems facing the work	3,49	87.25	7
4	I educate and train project workers and provide them with knowledge and experience	3,84	96	2
5	I offer agricultural advice and guidance to my fellow entrepreneurs	3,72	93	5
6	The agricultural project generated a motive for me to search for advanced agricultural innovations	3,75	93,75	4
7	I constantly communicate with scientific research and agricultural extension agencies to gain information	3,80	95	3

 

Table 7: Distribution of respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in developing the ability to solve problems.

S.	Paragraphs related to developing the ability to solve problems	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	Rely on my experiences in facing work problems and obstacles	3,68	92	1
2	Possess the skill in diagnosing and discovering agricultural project problems	3,52	88	2
3	My peaceful management of the project avoided getting into trouble	3,28	82	5
4	I can predict work problems before they happen	3,46	86,5	3
5	I can face emergency conditions that hinder work on the agricultural project	3,19	79,75	6
6	I can proceed with the business project and avoid losses	3,33	83,25	4

 

these agrarian ventures have persuaded them to rummage around for agrarian innovation, subsequently, in the event that these ventures proceed and coordinate bolster is given to them, they will contribute to planning a rural era that has adequate encounter and abilities and employment progressed innovations in cultivate administration. The think about by Saleh (2022) shows that the administration of the extend will increment the agrarian data in a huge way, and this makes a difference in the youth with self-reliance, and the suitable choice taken in overseeing the venture. A consider by (David, and Andrews, 2022) appeared that learning and information have a compelling part in creating human capital. As well as human advancement in light of the spread of counterfeit insights, this must be connected within the wide open towards rural advancement. They ought to pay consideration to providing guidance courses and classes, which are concerned with overseeing effective little ventures within the nations of the world, in arranging to take after these ventures and how to oversee them in arrange to reach the required victory.

Developing the ability to solve problems

In order to determine the extent to which smallholder farming projects contribute to the development of rural youth’s capacity to deal with and solve problems, the data presented in Table 7 are based on respondents’ average opinion (20.46%). Showed what level it had reached. It was in the range of (6-24) degrees. They rely on their own personal experience to deal with work problems and have sufficient skills to diagnose and detect problems. You can also anticipate work problems before they occur and work without loss. Furthermore, reliance on professional knowledge in dealing with work problems and obstacles is effective in avoiding problems that arise during work, therefore a continuous effort to include the latest information in the agricultural sector. You need to expand your expertise through training, thereby increasing your success rate of any agricultural project (Woomer et al., 2015).

Cultivate adaptability to the work environment

According to the scale for determining the role of smallholder farming projects in developing the adaptability of rural youth to the working environment, the scores ranged from (7 to 28) degrees, with an average respondent’s opinion of (25.65). It was degrees. As is evident from Table 8, a large proportion of rural youth believes that agricultural projects foster adaptability to the working environment, thanks to close relationships with work colleagues, work-friendliness, and mutual respect. I feel that I play an important role in you have a high ability to control your emotions when performing your work, and you have the ability to respond to changes in emergencies. This is the mechanism by which research finds that the presence of good relationships with colleagues has a strong effect on the development of team spirit and that experiences with colleagues at work have benefits in developing team mental strength (Glenda et al., 2015) required skills and abilities.

Advancement of promoting capabilities

The normal suppositions of the respondents around the commitment of agrarian ventures to the advancement of showcasing capabilities come to (23) degrees, agreeing to a scale whose scores were set between (8-32) degrees. The comes about appeared that there’s a remarkable advancement within the suppositions of the respondents, as they see that little ventures have generally created their marketing capabilities, in spite of the fact that numerous of them don’t depend on social media to advance their merchandise, they monitor the factors of offer and request for products within the markets, and they too have serious experiences approximately the showcase and its factors, and most of their items meet the requirements of the showcase. In any case, a percentage of them don’t pay consideration to the regular packaging of items, and a few accept that their items don’t compete with imported commodities altogether, as shown in Table 9. This is often reliable with the consideration (Fernandez et al., 2021) which appeared that observing the supply and request for commodities within the advertising is critical in arranging to supply competitive costs, and this requires encounter within the encompassing showcase to offer farmers items, and hence the fitting winning for agriculturists.

Creating communication capabilities with the sources of rural innovation

The comes about contained in Table 10 appear that provincial youth ventures have created their communication capabilities with the sources of agrarian innovation from a few angles, as the normal of the respondents’ suppositions come to (22.74) degrees agreeing to a scale whose degrees were decided between (7-28) degrees. The field of advancement

 

Table 8: Distribution of respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in developing adaptability to the working environment.

S.	Paragraphs related to the developing adaptability to the working environment	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	I have good relations with my colleagues at work	3,98	99,5	1
2	The work is characterized by friendliness, respect, and appreciation of others	3,96	99	2
3	Make sure to control my feelings while working with my colleagues	3,90	97,5	3
4	Emergency change as new educational opportunities	3,50	87,5	5
5	Use modern farming methods to face sudden changes in work	3,48	87	6
6	I can face the risks that surround my work	3,62	90,5	4
7	Use alternative farming systems in the face of emergency changes	3,21	80,25	7

 

Table 9: Distribution of the respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in the development of marketing capabilities.

S.	Paragraphs related to the development of marketing capabilities	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	I offer the market distinct and high-quality goods	2,82	70,5	5
2	The products that I market are desired by consumers for their quality and reasonable prices	2,91	72,75	4
3	Use social media to promote my products	2,48	62	8
4	Have sufficient experience and knowledge about the market and its variables	3,42	85,5	2
5	The products of the agricultural project compete with imported and local products	2,75	68,75	6
6	I offer the market well-packed products that attract the consumer	2,69	67,25	7
7	Monitor offer and demand for commodities in the market and offer competitive prices	3,64	91	1
8	The products that I market meet the needs of the market and the consumer	3.28	82	3

 

Table 10: Distribution of respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in developing communication capabilities with technology sources.

S.	Paragraphs related to developing communication capabilities with the sources of agricultural technology	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	Be sure to participate in most of the agricultural extension activities	3,47	86,75	2
2	Follow-up agricultural and industrial exhibitions related to my field	3,32	83	4
3	Use the Internet to learn about modern agricultural technologies	3,69	92,52	1
4	cooperate with the agricultural extension agents in providing clarifications and field observations	3,39	84,75	3
5	participate in extension conferences and workshops	3,08	77	5
6	Continuous communication with researchers and agricultural extension agents to obtain up-to-date information	2,83	70,75	7
7	participate in most of the training and development courses related to my work	2,96	74	6

 

Table 11: Distribution of respondents according to their opinions about the role of small agricultural projects in developing and developing capacities in the field of excellence and creativity.

S.	Paragraphs related to developing capabilities in the field of excellence and creativity	Average	Percentage weight	Order
1	Make sure to continuously develop work in the agricultural project	4	100	1
2	Create modern methods of work resulting from scientific experiments	3,92	99	2
3	I offer distinguished products in terms of quality and quality	3,76	94	5
4	I spend a lot of money to develop my practical experience and skills	3,80	95	4
5	I use advanced technological means and methods in my work	3,88	97	3
6	My agricultural project is a model for advanced projects in the region	3,52	88,25	6
7	Most of the extension activities are organized on my farm because they are more special	2,66	66,5	7

 

centered on their visit to utilize of the web to seek agrarian advancements, their enthusiasm to take an interest in expansion exercises, their participation with rural expansion operators in giving clarifications and field perceptions, and their nonstop follow-up of agrarian and mechanical presentations related to their work. The consideration of Herr and Mualla (2018). It speaks to little and medium ventures and incorporates cutting-edge companies that empower advancement, upgrade efficiency, and contribute to basic alter. Standard little and medium endeavors, which are as it were adjusting to showcase weight, are moreover critical in feasible improvement as well as work. Germany is considered a role show for little and medium-sized companies. This is often due to a few critical reasons, counting.

The nearby banking system in Germany, because it is non-profit. Financial development in creating nations is vital, but it’ll not succeed without social elevate. Germany contributes to be a part show, through its money-related and instructive framework, in expansion to its government bolster for little and medium-sized companies to empower dialogs approximately these little and medium-sized companies in creating nations. The consideration of Sami et al. (2021) demonstrates that expansion administrations improve the specialized competence of dairy ranchers, by moving forward administration abilities and illness control. This demonstrates the significance of project management abilities in creating youth capabilities.

Creating capabilities within the field of greatness and imagination

The comes about in Table 11, appeared that the normal of the respondents’ suppositions with respect to the role of agrarian ventures within the advancement of imaginative capacities come to (25.54) degrees, concurring to a scale whose degrees extended between (7-28) degrees, and it showed up that rustic youth ventures had a significant impact on the advancement of their capacities within the field of imagination and greatness. They are sharp to create work persistently and innovate modern ways to perform work. They moreover utilize advanced agrarian advances within the hone of their work, as well as their endeavor to create their mastery and logical and commonsense aptitudes. A study (Ceren and Gokhan, 2020) showed the significance of perception on the ceaseless advancement of work within rural extend, and the requirement for youthful individuals to get the vital preparation, in arrange to donate them the foremost imperative unused data in their field of work and increment their involvement. Think about by Santosh (2022) shows that central governments ought to direct a sensible cost level reasonable for ranchers for all agrarian inputs, the foremost vital of which are progressed seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides.

To decide the degree of significance of each field of the part of agrarian ventures in creating the capabilities of country youth in Anbar Governorate, the information in Table 12 appears that the advancement of capabilities within the zones of information and adjustment to the work environment, social capabilities, and capabilities of greatness and inventiveness has topped the positioning step separately, taken after by the advancement of capabilities to address issues and regulatory capabilities. Whereas the advancement of showcasing and financial capabilities came at the conclusion of the positioning step. Maybe the extraordinary intrigued appeared by provincial youth in their agrarian ventures was the reason influencing the advancement of their cognitive and expertise capabilities, confronting issues, and flexibility in the working environment) El-Houssain et al. (2021). A think about (Anne et al., 2020), shows that the improvement of cognitive and ability capacities is an imperative and crucial figure for creating the capabilities of provincial youth, towards creating their financial pay by broadening their sources of wage.

Distinguishing the issues and determinants confronting little agrarian ventures for provincial youth

The conclusions of rustic youth contrasted around the issues and determinants confronting rural ventures. They see numerous issues in financing, the first of which is the government’s disregard of the loaning arrangement for rural ventures and the powerless part of non-governmental organizations and companies in supporting these ventures. In expansion to the complex schedule regulatory methods for getting money-related credits, on the other hand, the respondents accept that there are showcasing issues confronting work in rural ventures, such as competition of imported products for the items of neighborhood rural ventures, the need of laws to secure and back the costs of nearby items, and the tall compensation of publicizing gadgets to advance the delivered merchandise. Mokhigul’s (2022) looked at the dynamic part of rustic youth in country advancement and the need of giving back to them, and including them in preparing courses within the fruitful administration of rural ventures, and this coincides with the proposals of the ponder to pay consideration to provincial youth in rustic improvement (Ceren and Gokhan, 2020).

Country youth moreover demonstrated the presence of administrative issues spoken to within the tall compensation of the labor constraint and the shortcoming of administrative and media bolster in empowering ventures and complex authoritative methods to get venture stores. With respect to the cognitive issues at the conclusion of the course of action, it was found that there was carelessness by the expansion body to issues and specialized needs. Ventures, the shortage of preparing and recovery courses related to agrarian ventures, and the need for instructive administrations by the rural expansion and investigate organizations, as appeared in Table 13. This think about concurs with the ponder of Bashir et al. (2018), as it comes about demonstrates a need for intrigued in country youth, and so youth are the girls of future country improvement, in expansion to their significance in economic improvement.

 

Table 12: The role of agricultural projects in developing the capabilities of rural youth.

S.	Areas of development	Weighted mean	Percentage weight
1	Developing cognitive and skill capabilities	3,72	93
2	Developing adaptability to the working environment	3,66	91,5
3	Development of social capabilities	3,65	91,25
4	Developing the capabilities of excellence and creativity	3,64	91
5	Developing the ability to solve problems	3,62	90,5
6	Development of administrative capabilities	3,61	90,25
7	Developing communication capabilities with technology sources	3,25	81,25
8	Development of economic capabilities	3,15	78,75
9	Development of marketing capabilities	2,87	71,75

 

Table 13: Problems and obstacles facing agricultural projects for rural youth.

S.	Administrative and technical problems	Average	Weighted mean	Percentage weight	Ranking by importance
1	Weak government support to encourage projects in the media	3,95	3,66	91,5	3
2	Administrative difficulty in obtaining work permits and production materials	3,73
3	Complex administrative procedures to obtain project funds	3,92
4	Poor administrative and accounting experience	2,48
5	Weak government support with high prices of production inputs	3,87
6	Government neglect of agricultural projects	3,75
7	High labor wages	3,97
Cognitive problems
1	Lack of knowledge and skills of entrepreneurs	1,26	3,04	76	4
2	Absence of government guidance programs for the development of agricultural projects	2,94
3	Lack of educational and educational services by extension and agricultural research	3,22
4	Scarcity of training and qualification courses related to agricultural projects	3,88
5	Weak role of agricultural extension in education for project management	3,91
Marketing problems
1	Compete with imported commodities for the products of local agricultural projects	4	3,7	92,5	2
2	Poor market capacity to absorb locally produced commodities	2,71
3	Price inconsistency and instability	3,90
4	The absence of laws to protect and support the prices of local products	3,99
5	High wages for advertising devices to promote the goods produced	3,94
Funding problems
1	Governmental neglect of the lending policy for agricultural projects	3,97	3,95	98,75	1
2	Raise interest on project loans and financing	3,89
3	Complex routine administrative procedures to obtain financial loans	3,95
4	The loans granted do not cover the expenses of the agricultural projects	4
5	The lack of contribution of non-governmental organizations with the weakness of companies in their support for small agricultural projects	3,96

 

Among the comes about of the think about, it was found that there’s a positive relationship to the speculation of the think about, which demonstrated that little rural ventures have an expansive and viable part in creating the capabilities of country youth, through the taking after angles (financial and authoritative speculations, data abilities, financial issues and aptitudes, communication, and communication with innovation, adjustment to the environment, inventiveness and greatness) for neighborhood ranges. Spoken to by the youth of Anbar Governorate.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Little rural ventures for country youth in Anbar governorate have contributed altogether to the advancement of their capabilities in different angles. These ventures moreover contributed to developing their capabilities within the field of inventiveness and brilliance, facing problems that prevent work and making the proper decisions to fathom them, as well as creating their authoritative capabilities. there’s the disregard of the loaning approach by the government, the shortcoming of the part of non-governmental organizations and companies in supporting agrarian ventures, and issues related to showcasing items and commodities such as the competition of imported commodities for the items of nearby rural ventures, the nonattendance of laws that are based on securing and subsidizing the costs of neighborhood items, cost clashes and precariousness, and authoritative and technical problems such as tall labor drive and powerless government and media back in supporting rural ventures. It was found that there are inadequacies within the expansion viewpoints, spoken to by the nonappearance of administrative expansion programs for the advancement of rural ventures, the expansion system’s disregard of the issues and specialized needs confronting ventures, and shortcomings in instructive and social administrations by expansion and agrarian inquire about.

The comes about of study indicates a shortcoming within the part of the rural expansion in actualizing expansion exercises, in overseeing little rural ventures, with a clear weakness in government execution, in supporting little ventures and overcoming administrative obstacles in enlisting small projects, with the got to advantage from outside mastery in this field, as demonstrated. An instrument in Germany’s involvement, giving data and exhortation to youthful individuals who have agrarian ventures.

The think prescribes dependable specialists to energize and bolster the venture of rustic youth, to work in agrarian ventures whereas guaranteeing their maintainability and victory, through the arrangement of provincial improvement programs focusing on country youth to address cases of unemployment and destitution. Since of the awesome part played by little rural ventures for rustic youth in creating their capabilities, abilities, and data, in this manner, the capable specialists have to be energized and bolster the continuation of provincial youth to work in rural ventures and give all implies that guarantee their supportability and victory through the planning of national advancement programs focusing on this bunch Country youth to address cases of unemployment and destitution. Actuating the government’s part in supporting the financing and loaning approach for agrarian ventures in a way that meets the costs of those ventures, encouraging authoritative methods for giving advances, decreasing the intrigued rate, and enacting the part of non-governmental organizations and companies in supporting these ventures. Planning extension educational, preparing, and characteristic programs that would work to supply provincial youth with cutting-edge logical and connected data and aptitudes, empower them to embrace agrarian advances, actuate communication channels, address issues and needs confronting work in these ventures, and give generation prerequisites at subsidized costs.

Limitations of the study

The analysts were not able to cover all the towns of Anbar Governorate within the current think, since the area speaks to 33% of the range of Iraq, in expansion to the remoteness of the towns from the city centers and the shortcoming of security in those farther zones. The analysts require more time and conceivable outcomes of development between towns, to cover all the towns that were accepting bolster from worldwide organizations for little ventures all through Anbar Governorate. In expansion, the thing did not address the part of rustic ladies in little ventures. Since of the need of time, the ought to move between distant towns. In expansion to that, due to the huge number of little ventures given by universal organizations working in Anbar Governorate, particularly after the area was freed from fear-based oppression, there are ranges that are troublesome to reach, since of the security limitations in those remote zones, which made it troublesome for analysts to reach most ranges within the area, and constraining information from divisions Central within the locale and sub-districts of the province.

Acknowledgment

I extend my sincere thanks, appreciation and gratitude to all the agricultural departments of Anbar Governorate, for facilitating the research and collecting the data required for the full completion and completion of the study.

Novelty Statement

The study showed the necessity of providing trainers specialized in extension activities that help rural youth develop their abilities to manage small projects. Rural youth must be helped to learn, serve others, succeed in life, and bear responsibility. Training young people, providing them with various skills, developing their leadership capabilities, and investing their energy in giving them a good upbringing.

Author’s Contribution

The manuscript was written by Dr. (Jasim Saleh), and it was checked by Dr. Najwa, the data was analyzed by Dr. Adnan, K, the data was collected by Ms. Anwar, coordination was made with all authors together to show the manuscript as required.

Ethics approval

I declare my agreement to follow the terms of publication in the Journal and to follow the global contexts in global publishing without conflicting with all ethical values.

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable.

Conflict of interest

The authors have declared no conflict of interest.

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