Willingness to Practice Agriculture as a Career Among Agriculturer Undegraduates in Imo State.
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the study include;
- To identify social economic characteristics of undergraduates of Agriculture.
- To analyze students’ satisfaction in studying Agriculture.
- To determine Students’ willingness to venture into Agriculture-related activities as a career.
- To analyze students’ constraints to taken up agriculture as a career.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
The undergraduates are those in the age range of 16-30 years they are stake holders in agricultural practices especially when the parents are agriculturists. Most certainly they are not enough empirical data on their participation. Several youth programme on agriculture has operated and failed due to inadequate data and information on what determines undergraduate participation and practice of agriculture (Onu, 2005).
According to Egbe 2004 agriculture is an art, a science, a business, profession, occupation and industry for the production of food and fibre for man’s use having extensive in scope with many career opportunities.
Accordingly, agriculture is listed as the career open for students of agriculture in areas of self-reliance in production of various crops, fishery, piggery, rabbitary, or distribution of farm products. Civil servants work in ministry of agriculture, national directorate of employment, agricultural agencies etc. There are others working in research stations and industrial attachments in agro-allied industries like detergents, processing, supplies, textiles, feed mills etc. (Egbe, 2004).
Many factors have been directed to influence undergraduates’ participation in making a career in these agricultural concerns. The willingness to practice or otherwise according to Okorie (2000) are inherent in factors that limit choice of occupation.
According to him these factors are nature of participation, job recommendation, returns on investment, motivation and incentive, technicality involved in the occupation and status of the job.
In his own investigation, Eze (2004) enumerated factors that will limit/ or encourage participation. He reported factors such as exposure to career occupation, quality of teaching agriculture, return to agricultural project, availability of input for agricultural enterprise, and public image of agricultural occupations.
Institutional and industrial development in Nigeria is not enough and most of the installed ones are no longer in use needing replacement. Their replacement has not been infected. Hence under-graduates view it that they will suffer practicing agriculture. It is only the more determined ones will be willing to practice. When teaching and training facilities are available under-graduates’ interests are motivated and willingness to practice becomes high (Omebe S., 2003).
CHAPTER THREE
Methodology
Study Area
The study would be carried out among undergraduates in Imo State tertiary institutions. Imo state has five(5) Institutions. They include;
- Imo State University, Owerri (IMSU).
- Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
- Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri (AIFCE).
- Federal Polytechnic, Nekede (FEDPOLYNEK).
- Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS
SOCIO ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESPONDENTS
Age
Table 4.1 shows age distribution of respondents which shows that 35.0% are within the age range of 18 -21 as well as 27 to 30 years the age range of 31 and above has the least percentage of 15.0
Chapter five
Summary ,conclusion and recommendation
Summary
The study focused on the willingness to practice agriculture as a career among agriculture undergraduates in Imo state. The objectives were to identify the social economic characteristics of agriculture undergraduates, to analyze students’ level of satisfaction in studying agricultures to determine students’ willingness to venture in to agriculture related activities a career to analyze students ‘constraints to taking agriculture as a career in the area.
The study continently selected one hundred (100) in the area. The study adopted random samplings which were employed in selecting socio economic profiles of the respondents. Letters were obtained through the use of a set of structured questionnaire which was administered to the respondents.
The result of the data showed that 49% of the mothers of respondents were civil servants, 25% were farmers and 13% were into trading/business while 13% were medical practitioner. It also revealed that among the father of respondents, 59% were civil servants, 26%were artisans and 10% were farmers while 5% were engineers. About 35%were within the age of 18-21, 25% were 22-26years, 25% were within the age range of 27- 30, 15% were 31 and above.
Also 30% of the respondents were single, 40% were married, 20% were engaged; 10% were divorced. The male respondent were 52% while female were 48%
How ever 20% of the respondent will go into crop production 30% livestock production while 6% and 4% will go into bee keeping and aqua culture respectively. Lack of credit load facilities and lack of storage facilities were the major reasons for the respondents’ unwillingness to venture into agriculture related enterprises.
CONCLUSION
The study revealed that higher proportion of the respondents
Were male, Christians, married and had parents who are mostly civil servants. Majority of the respondents were willing to practice agriculture enterprises like livestock and crop productions after graduation. Reasons for respondents’ unwillingness to practice agriculture include lack of access to credit loan facilities by agriculture graduates’ unavailability of storage and processing facilities.
The study therefore concluded that more agriculture undergraduate will venture into agriculture related enterprises after graduation if credit loan facilities are made available to them.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The study therefore recommended that stake holders in the agriculture sector should make arrangement for special credit loan facility for graduates of agriculture. Infrastructural storage, processing and marketing facilities should also be provided in the rural Areas where key agricultural activates are taking place.
These will encourage those who are unwilling to venture into farming while sustaining the interest of those who were currently willing to venture into farming.
References
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