Adoption of Green Technologies in School Farms by Agricultural Science Students for Enhancing Food Security in Abia State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study appraised the adoption of green technologies in school farms by Agricultural Science students for enhancing food security in Abia state, Nigeria. Specifically, it determined:  the extent of adoption, challenges and strategies for increasing the adoption of green technologies. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was 23,169, consisting of 285 teachers and 22,884 students of Agricultural Science in Abia State. A multistage sampling method was used to obtain a sample size of 237. Questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. It was validated by experts in Crop Science and Agricultural Education from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument. The test yielded a coefficient of 0.83.  The researcher and three research assistants administered and retrieved copies of the questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using mean to answer research questions and t-test to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that Agricultural Science students in Senior Secondary Schools adopt green technologies in school farms to a low extent. It also revealed nine challenges and eight strategies for increasing the adoption of green technologies in school farms. Findings on hypotheses revealed that there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of Agricultural Science teachers and students on the adoption of green technologies in school farms by Agricultural Science students in Abia state, Nigeria. It was recommended among others that, the Abia state Government should increase the adoption of green technologies through advocacy and capacity-building programmes in the state.