COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN NASARAWA STATE: A CASE STUDY OF SNAKE FARM AGRO TOURISM, KARU LGA

This study investigates community involvement in tourism development at Snake Farm Agro Tourism, Karu LGA, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Despite global recognition of community participation as vital for sustainable tourism, local engagement remains limited due to institutional barriers, power imbalances, capacity deficits, and inequitable benefit distribution, undermining socio-economic outcomes. The study aims to assess the extent of local involvement, evaluate their roles, examine decision-making participation, and explore views on tourism’s poverty reduction contributions. Employing a descriptive research design, it targeted 250 stakeholders, sampling 152 respondents via purposive and stratified random techniques. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using descriptive statistics with frequencies and means. Findings indicate moderate community awareness and involvement in tourism activities, with significant roles in cultural promotion and labor. However, decision-making participation is low, reflecting dissatisfaction. Tourism contributes to poverty reduction through employment and income, but infrastructure improvements lag. In conclusion, while Snake Farm Agro Tourism supports cultural and economic gains, limited governance inclusion hinders sustainability. Recommendations include establishing inclusive participatory forums, providing capacity-building training, investing in infrastructure, and fostering stakeholder collaborations to ensure equitable and sustainable tourism development. Keywords: Community, Participation, Tourism, Development, Agro-tourism, Poverty, Reduction, Sustainable.