Agribusiness Career Choice among Secondary School Students: An Assessment of Start Them Early Program in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study empirically assessed the relationship between Start Them Early Program (STEP) and willingness to engage in agribusiness enterprises among students in selected secondary schools in Oyo state, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised 648 students and 54 STEP tutors who were interviewed using structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. Results showed that nearly all the students (99.8%) had knowledge of agriculture, especially in crop production (41.0%), before STEP was introduced in their schools and it was mainly through their fathers’ occupation (48.3%). From students’ and tutors’ perspectives, STEP enterprises significantly influenced students’ willingness to engage in agribusiness in future at P<0.01. To position the future youths in effective agribusiness operations, Oyo state government needs to incorporate STEP into the educational curriculum to cut across all secondary schools, to ensure the continuity of the program and bridge the farmers’ age gap in Oyo State.