What is it about?
This study explores whether college students in Ondo State, Nigeria, are interested in becoming agricultural entrepreneurs (agripreneurs)—meaning starting their own farming or agribusiness ventures. This research looked at whether students in government-owned colleges in Ondo State, Nigeria, are interested in starting agricultural businesses (agripreneurship). The study focused on three key factors: Students’ Perception of Learning (SPOL) – How students view their agricultural education. Students’ Perception of Teachers (SPOT) – How students feel about their teachers’ influence. Mentorship – Whether guidance from experienced professionals affects their interest. The researchers wanted to know: Does the quality of their agricultural education (SPOL) influence this interest? Do their teachers (SPOT) inspire them to consider farming as a career? Does mentorship (guidance from experts) encourage or discourage them? They surveyed 120 students from two state-owned colleges and found: ✅ Positive learning experiences (SPOL) and inspiring teachers (SPOT) made students more open to agribusiness. ✅ Older students were more likely to consider it, possibly due to maturity or job market realities. ❌ Mentorship surprisingly reduced interest—maybe because mentors emphasized challenges over opportunities. ❌ Students from families with many graduates were less interested—possibly because they prefer white-collar jobs over farming. Key Takeaway: While good teaching helps, its effect is still weak. To get more young people into agriculture, schools need better, more engaging agricultural education and teachers who can make farming seem like a rewarding career. Good learning experiences (SPOL) and positive teacher influence (SPOT) made students more likely to consider agribusiness. Older students were also more interested in agripreneurship. Surprisingly, mentorship and having many graduates in the family reduced interest, possibly because those students may prefer traditional jobs over farming. However, while SPOL and SPOT had a positive effect, their impact was weak, meaning schools and teachers need to improve how they teach agriculture to make it more appealing. Why This Matters: Encouraging young people to go into farming and agribusiness can help reduce unemployment and boost food production. This study suggests that better teaching methods and stronger teacher-student engagement could inspire more students to pursue careers in agriculture.
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Why is it important?
1. Farming Needs Young People Right now, many young Nigerians see farming as old-fashioned, hard work with little reward. But agriculture is actually a huge opportunity—it can create jobs, feed the nation, and make money. If students don’t want to go into farming, who will grow our food in the future? 2. Schools Can Change Minds This study shows that good teachers and better classes can make students more interested in farming as a business. But right now, the way agriculture is taught isn’t inspiring enough. If schools improve, more students might see farming as a smart career, not just a last resort. 3. Mentors Might Be Sending the Wrong Message Surprisingly, mentorship reduced interest in farming. Why? Maybe mentors focused too much on struggles instead of opportunities. Young people need to hear success stories—how agribusiness can be profitable and innovative, not just hard labor. 4. Family Pressure Plays a Role Students from families with many graduates were less interested in farming. Why? Because society often pushes young people toward office jobs, even when farming could offer better income and independence. Changing this mindset is key. The Bigger Picture Fewer Job Options? Agripreneurship Can Help – With so many graduates struggling to find jobs, farming can be a way to create their own work. More Farmers = More Food – If young people avoid farming, Nigeria could face food shortages in the future. Modern Farming = Big Business – Farming isn’t just hoes and dirt; it’s tech, exports, and entrepreneurship. Young people could lead this change. What Needs to Happen? ✔ Better Agricultural Classes – Make farming education practical, exciting, and business-focused. ✔ Teachers Who Inspire – Train teachers to show farming as a smart, profitable career. ✔ Positive Role Models – Mentors should share success stories, not just struggles. ✔ Change the Mindset – Society needs to respect farming as much as office jobs. Final Thought: If Nigeria can get more young, educated people into agriculture, it could solve many problems—unemployment, hunger, and economic growth. But first, schools and society need to make farming look like the great opportunity it really is.
Perspectives
This study highlights a critical issue: Nigeria’s future depends on getting young people into agriculture, but the system is failing to inspire them. While the findings are insightful, they also reveal deeper, unspoken challenges we need to address. Here’s my take: 1. Farming Isn’t the Problem – Perception Is Young people don’t hate farming; they hate poverty, struggle, and lack of opportunity. The study found that mentorship reduced interest in agribusiness—why? Because many mentors (often older farmers) likely shared stories of hardship, not innovation. If we keep framing farming as backbreaking labor instead of smart agribusiness, we’ll keep losing young talent. 2. Education Is Out of Touch The fact that good teaching (SPOL & SPOT) helps but isn’t strong enough tells us something: Classroom farming isn’t real-world farming. Students learn theories, not how to use drones, export cashews, or turn tomatoes into profitable paste. If we want youth engagement, agriculture courses need to: Show the money – Teach business models, not just crop cycles. Use technology – Highlight apps, automation, and agro-tech startups. Bring in young success stories – Let students hear from 25-year-old poultry millionaires, not just 60-year-old subsistence farmers. 3. The "Graduate Mentality" Crisis The study found that students from educated families avoid farming—this is a societal failure. In Nigeria, we glorify white-collar jobs even when they pay peanuts, while dismissing agribusiness as "for the uneducated." Yet, some of the wealthiest people in the world are in agriculture—just not here. We need to rebrand farming as a power move, not a fallback plan. 4. Government & Policy Failures Even if schools improve, will it matter if: Access to land is difficult? Loans for young farmers are nonexistent? Markets are controlled by middlemen? Education alone won’t fix agripreneurship if the system stays rigged against young farmers. What Should Happen Next? ✔ Agribusiness, Not Subsistence Farming – Teach farming as a scalable business, not just survival. ✔ Fix the Incentives – Government should provide grants (not just loans), easier land access, and infrastructure. ✔ Media & Culture Shift – Celebrate young agripreneurs like we celebrate tech founders. ✔ Hands-On Learning – Schools should partner with successful farms for real-world experience. Final Thought: The Future is Agripreneurship – But Only If We Make It Cool Agriculture is Nigeria’s biggest opportunity—but we’re losing a generation because we’re selling it wrong. Farming shouldn’t be the last option for the desperate; it should be the first choice for the ambitious. If we change how we teach it, talk about it, and support it, young people will lead an agricultural revolution. But first, we must stop making farming look like a punishment and start showing it as a path to wealth and impact.
Dr Edamisan Stephen Ikuemonisan
Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Agripreneurship and Agricultural Labour Market: Agripreneurial Intentions among Undergraduate Students in Ondo State, NigeriaAgripreneurship and Agricultural Labour Market: Agripreneurial Intentions among Undergraduate Students in Ondo State, Nigeria, European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, May 2021, European Open Access Publishing (Europa Publishing),
DOI: 10.24018/ejfood.2021.3.3.298.
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