ROLE OF SCHOOL FARMS IN DEVELOPING ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IFE CENTRAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study identified activities that indicate functional school
farms and determined the specific entrepreneurial skills
developed through farm activities, aiming to enhance students'
entrepreneurial skills through agricultural education. The study
adopted a descriptive research design. The population comprised
all secondary school students in Ife Central Area, with 200
purposively selected secondary school students. Data collection
was conducted using a structured questionnaire, School Farm and
Entrepreneurial Skill Development (SFED) and analyzed through
frequency counts, mean, standard deviations and simple
percentages. The results revealed that students actively
participated in crop production, significantly improving their
competence in agricultural practices. However, engagement in
livestock farming, marketing of farm products and agro
processing, which are critical entrepreneurial skills, was limited.
Schools primarily focused on crop cultivation, with minimal
attention to selling produce or marketing activities within or
outside the school environment. The study concluded that while
school farms enhanced students' agricultural knowledge and
entrepreneurial capabilities, there was significant room for
improvement in livestock production, agro-processing and
financial management. These findings highlighted the potential of
school farms as effective tools for teaching entrepreneurial skills, with the capacity to reduce youth unemployment and promote self
reliance in the agricultural sector.