VIEWS OF UNDERGRADUATES ON THE INFLUENCE OF FARM PRACTICAL TRAINING IN MOTIVATING AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS FOR ENGAGEMENT IN AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The need to equip agricultural graduates with skills that could help them effectively engage in productive agricultural practices led to the introduction of Farm Practical Training into the curriculum of the University's Bachelor of Agriculture program the realization of which seemed uncertain.Thus, this study investigated the views of undergraduates on the influence of farm practical training in motivating agricultural students to engage in agricultural occupations in Nigeria Three research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study.The study was survey research on 500 level Bachelor of Agriculture undergraduates of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, and University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.Two hundred and thirty-three undergraduates were randomly selected for the study.Data was collected through a structured questionnaire.Mean and frequency were used to answer the research questions while one null hypothesis was tested with a ttest at 0.05 level of significance.Findings from the study showed that undergraduates have positive views about farm practical training and the knowledge acquired during the program could stimulate them into agricultural occupations.Also, no significant difference in the influence of farm practical training in motivating male and female undergraduates to engage in agricultural occupations.It was recommended that the farm practical training programme should be intensified and taken with utmost seriousness by the instructors and undergraduates, various farm operations and activities should be encouraged and job-oriented, adequate infrastructural facilities should be provided and farm practical training programme activities should not be gender biased.