Agricultural Education and Sustainable Practice of Precision and Organic Farming among Undergraduate Students in Tertiary Institutions in Imo State

Abstract

This study focused on agricultural education and sustainable practice of precision and organic farming among undergraduate students in tertiary institutions in Imo State. Two objectives and two research questions guided and answered in the study. The population of the study comprised 1,554 lecturers and students of Agricultural Education Departments from Federal University of Agriculture and Environmental Science Umuagwo and Imo State University

Owerri. The sample size was 318 respondents consisting lecturers and students which was determined using the Taro Yamane Formula. A multistage sampling technique was used to achieve this sample. To determine the validity of the instrument, copies of the instrument attached with the objectives and research questions were given to two experts in the Department of Agricultural Education Federal University of Agriculture and Environmental Science Umuagwo. The instrument was vetted in terms of relevancy, appropriateness, and language level, their recommendations and corrections were incorporated into the final version of the instrument before it was administered to the respondents in the study area. To determine the reliability of the instrument, twenty (20) copies of the instrument were administered to 15 students and 5 lecturers from a university outside the study area but with similar characteristics of the study population. The responses obtained were analyzed using the Cronbach Alpha method to determine internal consistency. A reliability coefficient of 0.83 was obtained, indicating that the instrument was reliable for the study. A structured research questionnaire developed by the researcher consisting of 20 items developed in four-point rating scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). Responses to the questionnaire were analyzed using mean and standard deviation in answering the research questions with an acceptance mean value of > 2.50 otherwise rejected. The finding of the study among others shows that Agricultural Education contributes positively to students’ knowledge, skills acquisition, environmental consciousness, and practical understanding of modern agricultural practices such as organic farming, but agricultural Education does not sufficiently promote precision farming among students in Imo State Universities. It was therefore recommended among others that, universities offering Agricultural Education programmes should provide modern technological facilities such as drones, GPS devices, soil testing kits, and digital mapping tools to improve students’ practical exposure to precision farming techniques.