Contribution of Home Farming on Academic Performance and Career Preferences among Senior High Agriculture Science Students in Sagnarigu Municipal in the Northern Region of Ghana

Subject Areas : Agricultural Education

Afishata Mohammed Abujaja ^{1 *} , Ibrahim Muhammad Gadafi ² , Saidatu Zakaria ³

1 - Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
2 - Agriculture, Food and Consumer Science, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
3 - Agriculture, Food and Consumer Science, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

Received: 2024-11-15 Accepted : 2025-03-01 Published : 2025-03-30

Keywords: Academic Performance, Career Preference, Home Farming, Sagnerigu,

Abstract :

This research examines home farming experiences of Senior High School students and how that influences their academic achievements and career decisions. A cross-sectional survey was adopted for the study. A total of Two Hundred and Fifty-nine students were randomly sampled. A questionnaire and checklist were used for the data collection. Data was analysed using Chi-square tests and logistic regression to establish the significant relationship between home farming and students' decision to study agriculture, academic performance, and career preferences. Access to education was sex-dependent with males having more (66.8%) access. A majority (63.7%) of the respondents grew up in rural areas. A majority of respondents engaged in home farming. Students' Parents’ occupations significantly influenced their involvement in home farming. Greater proportion (90.3%) of the students deliberately choice to study Agriculture at the SHS level. Engagement in home farming has a significant effect on student’s decision to study Agriculture Science, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (H0₁). This suggests that home farming has a strong, positive influence on the decision to study Agriculture. Students who did not engage in home farming are about 7.4 times more likely to be undecided about their future careers in Agriculture. Home farming did not significantly influence the actual academic performance of respondents.  It was therefore concluded that students who engaged in home farming were more likely to choose Agriculture Science as a course of study. The study then recommends that early exposure to home farming should be encouraged at the basic education level.

 

References:

Abimbola, O. A., & Balschweid, M. A. (2013). Investigating community factors as predictors of rural 11th-grade agricultural science students’ choice of careers in Agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Education, 49(4), 1-10.
Adam, A. M. (2020). Sample Size Determination in Survey Research. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 26(5), 90-97.
Akrasi, R. O., Egir, I. S., Seini, A. W., Awo, M., Okyere, E., Barnor, K. (2021). Food Security in Northern Ghana: Does Income from Shea Based Livelihoods Matte? Taylor and Francis. 30 (3): 169-185.
Antwi, N. A. O. (2023).Why the Ghanaian Child Refuses to be a Farmer. Accessed From https://www.linkedin.comZPulse On 25th October 2024.
Asravor, R. K. (2017). Livelihoods Diversification Strategies to Climate Change among Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana: Diversification Strategies to Climate Change. Journal of International Development. 30 (8): 1318-1338.
Baba, A., Achanso, S. A., Abraham, S. (2022).Community Perception on Girl-Child Education in the Sagnarigu-Dungu Community, Tamale, Ghana. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) |Volume 9 (12):2321-2705.
Béné, C., Barange, M., Subasinghe, R., Pinstrup-Andersen, P., Merino, G., Hemre, G.-I., & Williams, M. (2015). Feeding 9 billion by 2050–Putting fish back on the menu. Food Security, 7(2), 261-274.
Croom, D. B., & Flowers, J. L. (2001). Factors Influencing an Agricultural Education Student’s Perception of The FFA Organization. Journal of Agricultural Education, 42(2), 28–37.
Dlamini, N. F. (2017). Factors influencing the Choice of Agriculture as a study discipline by undergraduates: A Case Study of a Distance University's Agriculture department. University of South Africa.
Echebiri, R., & Chukwu, P. (2005). Resource use and factor productivity in urban smallholder vegetable production in Umuahi agricultural zone of Abia State, Nigeria. Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, 3(1), 61-74.
Esters, L. T., & Bowen, B. E. (2005). Factors influencing career choices of urban agricultural education students. Journal of Agricultural Education, 46(2), 23-34.
Ghana Statistical Service (2005). 2010 Population and Housing Census, Northern Region Analysis of District Data and Implications for Planning.
Kakumbi, Z., Samuel, E. B., Mulendema, P. J. (2016). Pupil Home Background Characteristics and Academic Performance in Senior Secondary Schools: A Case Study of Selected Secondary Schools in Kitwe District, Zambia. Journal of Education and Practice.7 (22): 19 -25.
Kolb, A. Y., Kolb, D. A. (2011). Experiential Learning Theory: A Dynamic Holistic Approach to Management Learning and Development. Researcgate. 1 (20): 42-68.
Lachowki, S., Lachowska, B. (2007). Mental Wellbeing of Children Engaged in Agricultural Work Activities and Quality of Family Environment.National Library of Medicine. 14 (1): 15-21
Lauren, T. (2020). Cross-Sectional Study, Definition, Uses and Examples. Scribbr.
Lawankar, M., Shelar, R., Pote, N. (2023). Agriculture Education in School Curriculum. New Era Agriculture Magazine. 1 (12): 48-53.
Lobley, M., Baker, J. R., and Whitehead, I. (2010). Farm succession and retirement: Some international comparisons. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (1) 1, 49-64.
Makabori, Y. Y., & Tapi, T. (2019). The Perception and Interest of Career Choices in Agriculture: Case of Agroecotechnology and Agribusiness. Jurnal Trton. 10 (2): 1 -20.
Mkong, C. J., Abdoulaye, T., Dontsop-Nguezet, P. M., Damba, Z., Manyong, V., Shu, G. (2021). Determinant of University Students' Cchoces and Preferences of Agricultural Sub-Sector Engagement in Cameroon. 13 (12): 6564.
Njoroge, J. K. (2022). Learning by Doing- how Farming as a Child Shaped my Life. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Kenja.
Obayelu, O.A. & Fadele, I.O. (2019). Choosing a career path in agriculture: Tough youths for in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. Agricultura Tropical et Subtropica, 52(1): 27–37.
Okiror, J., Matsiko, B. F., Oonyu, J. (2011). Just How Much Can Pupils Learn from School Gardening? A Study of Two Supervised Agricultural Experience Approaches in Uganda. Journal of Agricultural Education. 52 (2): 24-35.
Sabates-Wheeler and Sumberg, J. (2020). Understanding Children's Harmful Work in African Agriculture: Points of Departure. Action on Children's Harmful Work in African Agriculture. Working Paper 1.
Schmidt N. A. & Brown J. M. (2019). Evidence-based Practice for Nurses: Appraisal and Application of Research. 4th Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Singh, 2003 – Singh, S. (2003). Simple random sampling. In Advanced sampling theory with applications (pp. 71-136). Dordrecht: Springer.
Sumberg, J. (2012). Youth and the Rural Economy in Africa: Hard Work and Hazard. CABI International, Boston, USA.

Full-Text:



Received: 15 November 2024

Reviewed: 06 February 2025

 Revised: 15 February 2025

Accepted: 01 March 2025 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contribution of Home Farming on Academic and Career Preferences among Senior High Agriculture Science Students in Sagnarigu Municipal in the Northern Region of Ghana

 

Afishata Mohammed Abujaja*, Ibrahim Muhammad Gadafi, Zakaria Saidatu,

Department of Agricultural and Consumer Sciences Education, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

*Corresponding author's email: [e-mail]

 

T

        

Keywords  Academic Performance, Career Preference, Home Farming, Sagnerigu

Abstract

              his research examines home farming experiences of Senior High School (SHS) students and how that influences their academic achievements and career decisions. A cross-sectional survey was adopted for the study. A total of Two Hundred and Fifty-nine students were randomly sampled. A questionnaire and checklist were used for the data collection. Data was analysed using Chi-square tests and logistic regression to establish the significant relationship between home farming and students' decision to study agriculture, academic performance, and career preferences. Access to education was sex-dependent with males having more (66.8%) access. A majority (63.7%) of the respondents grew up in rural areas. A majority of respondents engaged in home farming. Students' Parents’ occupations significantly influenced their involvement in home farming. Greater proportion (90.3%) of the students deliberately choice to study agriculture at the SHS level. Engagement in home farming has a significant effect on student’s decision to study Agriculture Science, thus rejecting the null hypothesis (H01). This suggests that home farming has a strong, positive influence on the decision to study Agriculture. Students who did not engage in home farming are about 7.4 times more likely to be undecided about their future careers in Agriculture. Home farming did not significantly influence the actual academic performance of respondents. It was therefore concluded that students who engaged in home farming were more likely to choose agriculture science as a course of study. The study then recommends that early exposure to home farming should be encouraged at the basic education level.

 

---

Related articles