The Interactive Effect of Age and Education on Bonding Social Capital towards Empowerment of Urban Agriculture Communities in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysian government has initiated the Urban Agriculture (UA) program for urban communities since 2006 in an effort to encourage people producing variety of staple food that provides a high-quality, nutritious diet for their own consumption. With the rapid urbanization that is going on in Malaysia, many urban communities need the UA program as a solution to overpriced groceries and expensive food. However, empowering communities through this program is vividly challenging. Hence, this study look at age and education level to find the correct requirements of remunerative and sustainable program. This study utilized a quantitative approach and multi-stage random sampling on 212 UA program community members in Klang Valley. The results show that a majority of respondents possess high levels of bonding social capital and social empowerment. It was revealed that bonding social capital is highly correlated with social empowerment. The interaction analysis suggests that age and education level significantly moderate the relationship between bonding social capital and social empowerment. It signifies that those of young age and high-level education have a more significant impact on the relationship. The findings offer valuable insights for targeted programs promoting social empowerment, considering different age groups and educational backgrounds to achieve positive outcome.