Abstract:
This study examined the perceptions of teachers and students of school
farm interventions by an agricultural education NOD known as Development
Assistance to School Farms (DASFA). The population for the study was students
and teachers who have participated in school farm activities supported by
DASFA. Students of the Agro-Youth Clubs at Cape Coast School for the Deaf
and Jukwa Senior Secondary School and their teachers, patrons, and farm
assistants were purposively sampled because of their participation in all four of
the agricultural enterprises examined.
A descriptive survey design employing the Retrospective Pre-post Approach
was used to examine competency perceptions of the students before and after the
school farms and gardens project interventions. Teachers were surveyed through
the use of questionnaires. Means and standard deviations were computed to
describe students' perceived competency levels. Paired t-tests were computed to
determine whether there were significant differences between perceived levels
before and after the project interventions.
The findings of the study indicated that significant gains were rna,' ~ in terms
of students' acquisition of knowledge and skills in the four enterprises included in
the study. Teachers indicated that the interventions were helpful in contributing
to the delivery of the agriculture curriculum in their schools. Some problems
reported include insufficient inputs and lack of incentives. Recommendations for
improving the management of school farms included wider involvement and
commitment, transparent record-keeping and the sharing of profits.
