British Journal of Applied Science & Technology 20(4): 1-9, 2017; Article no.BJAST.32558 ISSN: 2231-0843, NLM ID: 101664541 SCIENCEDOMAIN international www.sciencedomain.org Perception and Practice of Organic Farming among Secondary School Teachers in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria A. G. Iyagba 1* and C. B. Ekpete 1 1Department of Agricultural Science, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between the both authors. Author AGI designed the study, performed the statistical analysis, wrote the protocol, wrote the first draft of the manuscript and managed the literature searches. Author CBE carried out the field work and managed the analyses of the study. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/BJAST/2017/32558 Editor(s): (1) Ahmed Fawzy Yousef, Geology Department, Desert Research Center, Egypt. Reviewers: (1) M. H. Shankara, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. (2) Constantino Pedzisai, Institute of Lifelong Learning and Development Studies, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sciencedomain.org/review-history/18821 Received 1 st March 2017 Accepted 6th April 2017 Original Research Article th Published 27 April 2017 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and practice of Organic Farming (OF) by secondary school Agricultural Science teachers in Ahoada East Local Government of Rivers State, Nigeria. A descriptive design with a structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Ten out of the seventeen secondary schools in the Local Government Area were randomly selected and eight questionnaires per school were administered to the secondary school Agricultural Science teachers. The results indicated that majority (72.5%) of the teachers have been in the teaching profession for less than 10 years and most of them grew up in the semi urban/ urban setting, 40% aware of OF, 10% and 52.5% of the respondents agreed having high and moderate perception of OF respectively and seldom practice it. A greater percentage (85.9%) of the teachers agreed to practice OF, most planted crop in the schools is cassava (38.8%), majorly practiced intercropping and 31.2% of the respondents unwilling to inform their co-teachers of the benefits of OF. The respondents also accepted the need for elaborate knowledge and in-service training on OF, inadequate Agricultural Science curriculum to teach OF as well as better facilities and teaching methods. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]; Iyagba and Ekpete; BJAST, 20(4): 1-9, 2017; Article no.BJAST.32558 Keywords: Ahoada; organic farming; perception; practice; secondary school teachers; sustainable agriculture. 1. INTRODUCTION researchers and educators are not bordered about sustainable matters [7]. For sustainability Nigeria is one of the nations endowed with to be achieved there is need to encourage natural resources with a total area of 923,768 sq agricultural research, extension and education km of which 78% as at 2011 was used for programmes [8]. It has been observed that the agricultural purposes [1]. This vast land is fertile relevance of sustainable agriculture must be and cannot be allowed to remain fallow. Five clear to teachers who are the major players in reasons have been stated why farming in Nigeria the development of agricultural education cannot fail [2]. Those he asserted were: curriculum [4]. i. The country has a large population of over In Nigeria, agriculture is known as a core 170 million people which is more than curriculum subject. Part of the philosophy of twice the population of Zimbabwe and agriculture in schools is the improvement of the South Africa together and therefore has rural environment by raising the living standard of enough labour for farming. the community and producing food which are ii. The populace depends on staple food of health benefits [9]. The West African produced from farms in Nigeria and a Examination Council stated that among others greater proportion of Nigerians buy their the objectives of Agriculture at the Senior farm produce from the market. Secondary School level is to train students iii. The Government is focusing on food acquire basic knowledge and skills in agriculture production by assisting interested farmers and prepare students for occupation in to reduce food importation. agriculture [10]. This can be achieved with the iv. The Nigerian people like merriment more availability of qualified agricultural science than other African countries and the foods teachers, adequate classrooms, agricultural used for such celebrations can feed four laboratory and school farms [11]. Researchers other African countries. have stated the importance of school farms in v. When the country attains its full potential in Nigeria [12,13]. Some of these according to them farming, it becomes a great foreign are as a source of income to the school, transfer currency earner than what it is now. of knowledge, develop skills in students, changes in the students’ view of the environment, receive Food production for several decades before now greater personal association with the in the country was the mainstay of the country’s environment, stimulate student’s interest in economic growth which was used to establish farming and a laboratory for research. This is the first-generation Universities. Traditional further buttressed by other workers [11] who agriculture was then practiced but there has recorded the social benefits of school farms in been a shift to conventional agriculture. Rivers State, Nigeria as it enables it to develop However, agriculture has become more their farming skills, assist the students to have a technological, efficient and specialised and this good background to become future agriculturist, will necessitate adoption of new ideas especially appreciate the profitability of farming within at the formative stages of secondary school available technology among others. There is the students [3]. Conventional agriculture is not idea that school prepares the individuals for environmentally friendly which requires highly employment hoping to solve all public and private specialised systems with emphasis on high dilemmas and this has led to secondary schools yields achieved due to the inputs and other off- and Universities focusing on occupational farm purchases [4]. This author opined that it is preparation [14]. There are cases where some of these perceptions that are pushing the practice these students come from farming communities of conventional farming globally. Sustainable where they practice traditional agriculture and agriculture is still new in Nigeria and as such these students have high expectation of modern must be pursued vigorously to enhance food agriculture which are not met due to the absence production [5]. Sustainable agriculture is a of school farms [15]. On the other hand, e also system that takes into cognizance the major observed that students schooling in the urban needs of the present dwellers and preserves the areas lacked knowledge of agriculture and see resources for the next generation [6]. It was their involvement in agriculture as a drudgery noted that it is not easy to implement it as and unclean activity/vocation. School farms 2 Iyagba and Ekpete; BJAST, 20(4): 1-9, 2017; Article no.BJAST.32558 should therefore be properly equipped with farm degree of the knowledge and skills on implements/tools, constant provision of farm sustainable agriculture that were taught by inputs and adequate space for crops and teachers in the North Central region of the United livestock to be managed under the guidance of States of America [3]. The work revealed that the the teachers [16]. It was noted that in Rivers agricultural science teachers agreed on teaching State most of the school farms lacked necessary sustainable agriculture but need adequate farm structures and implements while in some information and instructional materials on cases these facilities are in total disrepair leading sustainable agriculture and inclusion of to the total neglect of the school farm [15]. Since sustainable agriculture in the curriculum. A these students are expected to transfer research was undertaken to analyse the knowledge to their parents/guardians especially awareness and perceptions of Home Economics those from farming communities, it is worthwhile secondary school teachers and students on that they learn new technological innovations of organic farming methods and organic food in which organic farming is one. This is why the Malta [21]. The work showed that knowledge teachers need to be well informed to practice about organic farming was still very vague in the organic farming. The most important function of schools and could not remember the information the agricultural science teachers is to assist the accurately on organic farming for a long time. students learn knowledge and skill in agriculture. The teacher should have adequate technical Ahoada East Local Government Area (AELGA) is knowledge and skills in transmitting agricultural one of the 23 Local Government Areas making innovations. up Rivers State, Nigeria and is blessed with large expanse of land suitable for agriculture and has Only few tertiary institutions in Nigeria are into several secondary schools.