IMPACT OF SMART AGRICULTURE TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TRANING ON SUSTAINABILITY OF FARMING PRACTICES IN OGUN STATE
This study examines the impact of smart agriculture-focused Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) on sustainable farming practices among rural farmers in selected communities in Ogun State, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected from 400 randomly selected farmers using a structured questionnaire. The study employed multiple regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between exposure to TVET and key dimensions of sustainable agriculture, namely land use efficiency, adoption of eco-friendly technologies, and climate resilience.
The findings reveal that exposure to smart agriculture-focused TVET has a statistically significant positive effect on sustainable farming practices (R² = 0.479, p < 0.01), indicating that nearly half of the variation in sustainability outcomes is explained by training exposure. Other results show that TVET significantly enhances land use efficiency (R² = 0.420), promotes the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies (R² = 0.391), and strengthens farmers’ resilience to climate variability (R² = 0.350). These results suggest that practical, skill-based training plays a critical role in facilitating the transition toward climate-smart and resource-efficient agricultural systems. The study recommends strengthening digital infrastructure, scaling mobile learning platforms, and institutionalizing monitoring mechanisms to enhance the effectiveness of TVET interventions in the agricultural sector.
Keywords: Smart agriculture, TVET, sustainable farming, climate resilience, Rural development
