Abstract
The study was conducted to identify work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in plantain production in Anambra State. Five research questions were developed in consonance with what the study sought to find out. Five null hypotheses were also formulated and tested at the probability of 0.05 level of significance and 168 degree of freedom (df). A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 170 respondents, made up of 138 graduate teachers of agricultural science and 32 extension agents in Anambra state. The questionnaire was face validated by three experts and also tested for reliability using Conbach’s Alpha which yielded the reliability coefficient of 0.79. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions and t-test statistic was used for testing the null hypotheses. The findings revealed that secondary school graduates in Anambra State needed 7 work skills in site selection and land preparation for plantain production, 9 work-skills in planting of plantain, 11 work-skills in field management of plantain, 4 work-skills in harvesting of plantain, 9 work-skills in processing of plantain fruit into flour, 8 work-skill in processing of plantain into chips, 6 work-skills in processing of ripped plantain fruit into fried plantain, 6 work-skills in marketing of plantain products. Findings on the hypotheses tested revealed that there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of the responses of Agricultural science teachers and Extension Agents in relation to the work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in plantain production. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the work-skills identified should be packaged into training manuals for use in skill-acquisition centers and for integration into secondary school agricultural science curriculum.
CHAPTER ONE
Background of the Study
INTRODUCTION
Plantain belongs to the family of Musaceae genus of Musa and Specie of Musa paradisiaca . It is an important staple food crop in many communities in Anambra State. Plantain is grown by many farmers for consumption and as a source of income. According to Baiyeri and Ajayi (2000), plantain is a starchy food consumed by about 70 million people in different parts of the world in different ways. It can be fried, baked, boiled, roasted; eaten alone or with other food like rice, beans, pap and so on. Plantain is considered a delicacy which is well accepted and enjoyed by many at meal time, including children and adults. According to Rasheed (2003), plantains are not only most economic source of dietary energy in terms of cost per area cultivated or weight harvested but also a useful source of carotene, vitamin A, Potassium and Iron which are essential for healthy living. Plantain flour is used excellently in bakery industries following the ban on wheat importation by Federal Government of Nigeria (Madu, 1999). Plantain is an excellent food for young children and elderly people due to its easy digestibility and nutrient content. Madu pointed out that plantain has a lot of medicinal values. It is used in treatment of ulcer, diarrhea, throat infection, asthma, low libido in men. Pectin (Fibre in plantain) has been found effective in treatment of colon cancer (Ogazi, 1996). Plantain floor is a medically recommended diet for diabetic patients.
According to recent studies carried out on plantain and banana at International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) (2007), plantain is an evergreen herbaceous tropical plant that can be considered a giant herb. The external “trunk” is infact a psudostem formed by the concentric assemblement of leaf sheaths, the true stem which forms the complex inflorescence (fruit bearing part) is a susterranean organ which extends upward at the core of the
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psudostem. According to Udoh, Ndon, Asuquo and Ndaego (2005), According to Udoh, Ndom, Asuquo and Ndeyo (2005), it is this inflorescent that bears a stout peduncle that carry many flowers in nodal clusters called a hand.
This inflorescent, bears a stout peduncle that carry many flowers in nodal clusters called a hand, the authors maintained that they are three types of such flowers: the female flowers are located at the first 10 glomerules of the bunch and they develop into edible fruits (finger) the neutral flowers are hermaphrodites which appear next to the female flowers. They do not develop into fruits. The male flowers are usually coved with purple bracts at the end of the bunch. There are about 116 plantain cultivars found in Africa but the common cultivars are designated as Musa AAB. (Hirimburegama and Gamage,
1997). According to the authors, for production purposes, bunch size and plant size are considered. Based on Bunch size, we have French plantain, horn plantain and false horn plantain. Plant size depends on the number of leaves produced before flowering, we have giant plantain, medium and small plantain. According to Robinson (1996), plantain production fits well as a crop in boosting crop production to meet our food demand in Nigeria. It has several advantages over other carbohydrate staples
– its cost of establishment is paid only once and several harvests can be made from one planting
– it has short gestation period of 9-12 months.
– income per hectar is higher when compared with other crops.
– its cultivation does not need heavy machineries.
All plantain by-products can be utilized, the stalk, leaves, and peels apart from using them as animal feed, the stalk and peels are used in soap production and tenderizers respectively because of high potassium content (Asenjo and Porreta 1999). The leaves are used in preservation of kola nut, bitter kola and for wrapping or food before cooking.
In Nigeria and in Anambra State in particular, there is a need to increase the production of this all important crop and it is a way of reducing poverty level of citizens through skill training programme in plantain production. Plantain production involves the process of site selection and land preparation, planting, field management, harvesting, processing and marketing of the products.
Marchwardt (2001) defined production as the process of bringing into existence by intellectual or creative ability. However, for some one to succeed in plantain production, certain related work-skills are needed.
Robert (1991) defined work as an activity that produces something of value for people. Also Okorie and Ezeji (1988) explained that work refers to any physical or mental activities which transform natural materials into a more useful form. The authors further explained that work activities are instrumental activities which are undertaken in order to meet certain individual needs either directly or indirectly by producing for the needs. Therefore, people in Anambra State work to satisfy their basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and higher needs like recognition, self actualization and so on. Skills are well established habits of doing things by people. According to Okorie (2000) skill is the habit of acting, thinking and behaving in a specific way in such a way that the process becomes natural to the individual through practice. A person that works productively is skilled because he has acquired the habit of performing a task in an acceptable manner within his job. Skill in the context of this study can be regarded as performance activities needed by secondary school graduates in plantain production on commercial bases for making a living in Anambra state. Work-Skill according to Olaitan, Nwachukwu, Igbo, Onyebuchi and Ekong (1999) are practical activities which individual performs for work to be done effectively. Therefore, in the context of this study, work-skill is the type of job in plantain production business in which an individual is engaged and is
expected to demonstrate acquired skills in a productive manner that will earn him a living.
The National policy on Education (FRN 2004) defined secondary school as an institution where children receive education after primary education before the tertiary stage. Secondary school graduates in this study are youths that have completed six years of secondary school education, who offered Agricultural science at the senior secondary school level and who cannot secure admission into tertiary institution or get employed in other occupations. The high rate of unemployment is acute among these youths due to lack of work – skills for self-employment. One of the objectives of agricultural science in secondary school as sated in national policy of education (2004) is to enable students acquire basic knowledge and skills to prepare them for occupation in Agriculture. Unfortunately, these children graduated without occupational skills which may be due to certain factors these graduates could be trained in work skills relating to plantain production if a relevant programme is developed.
In Anambra state, Agbakoba (2001) observed that majority of farmers engage in plantain production at their backyard gardens, and these small holder farmers are conservative in their various ways of farming, using traditional methods which involve hoes and other crude implements, practice intercrops, shifting cultivation without the use of fertilizers, lack knowledge of high- yielding and disease resistance hybrid plantain sucker. According to the author, they even suffer losses due to poor post harvest handling, storage and utilization of the production. This results in low yield and whatever they produce are sold at the local market for local consumption.
Moreover, the quantity produced by these peasant farmers cannot meet up with the demand for the products as the population of consumers kept increasing. Again, with the ban on wheat importation by the Federal
Government of Nigeria, the use of plantain flour in bakery industries has also resulted in an increase in the demand for plantain as an industrial raw material. (Madu, 1999).
The Government of Anambra state is aware of this problem of increasing plantain production and other staple food crops like yam, cassava and rice. This becomes a difficult decision for the government to stop farmers from growing other crops and focus on plantain; instead, there is a felt need that new hands could be engaged to enter into plantain production. The intention of the government therefore is to focus on encouraging the secondary school graduates who are not employed to take up the advantage of being trained effectively in plantain production (Agbokoba, 2001).
The major issue for government and secondary school graduates is that specific skills in plantain production on which these youths could be trained at skill acquisition centers in the state do not exist in their programmes. Therefore, these skill acquisition centers need to have programmes of action for youth employment in plantain production.
If these skills are identified by the study and made available at skill acquisition centers, it will help in training the youth in plantain production which is now a money spinning crop in the state. The state government has financed groups of identified farmers in the state through Micro Credit Fund for the achievement of the millennium goals in food production and poverty alleviation. This will reduce unemployment of youths in the state as well as minimize criminal acts of youths and their complete dependence on their parents for a living. It may also reduce idleness of energetic youths, rural urban migration and equally improve the economy of the state since they can be employed in plantain production business. Therefore, this study was considered necessary in other to determine skill needs of the secondary school graduates for preparing them for occupation in plantain production.
Statement of the Problem
Plantain is one of the staple foods in Anambra state. It is enjoyed by many at meal time, but its production favour small holder farmers who still engage in traditional methods of farming in plantain production which lead to low yield (Agbokoba, 2001). Although the yield from the subsistence farmer are low, he demand for plantain is increasing.
The peasant farmers could not guarantee adequate supply of plantain because of their less productive methods of farming and their interest in producing other crops such as cocoyam, maize, and cassava and so on.
The government of Anambra state could improve her fund generation from plantain which is favoured as a raw material in bakery industry following the ban placed on wheat importation by Federal Government of Nigeria (Madu,
1999). There is need to involve the youths that are not yet employed into large scale plantain production in order to meet up with the demand for plantain in Anambra state, instead of convincing the rural farmers, how are interested in producing other crops at the same time. In the state, there are many secondary school graduates who could not secure admission into higher institutions or get employed in any skilled occupation. This group of youths usually migrate from rural areas where there are abundance of utilizable land into already congested urban towns and cities to seek for livelihood through any means. They usually constitute disadvantaged urban dwellers who are regarded as touts and lawless individuals. They constitute a gradual wastage to the economy of the state. They are regarded as security risk individuals. If this group of people could be trained by government in skills that could benefit them, they may change their societal unacceptable behaviours.
The state government has established skill acquisition centers at various locations in the state to help the idle and unskilled youth train in skill
acquisition for employment. But the skill acquisition centers have no programme of action in training youth for job in plantain because the necessary skills needed for success in plantain production do not exist in any of the centers.
Therefore, if the skills identified by this study are sent to state skill acquisition centers, they will be used in training unskilled youths in plantain production to meet up with the increasing demand for plantain in Anambra state; hence the need for the study.
Purpose of the Study
The major purpose of this study was to identify work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in plantain production in Anambra state.
Specifically, the study seeks to:
1. identify work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in site selection and preparation of land for plantain production.
2. determine the work-skills needed of secondary school graduates in planting plantain.
3. determine the work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in field management of plantain.
4. identify the work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in harvesting plantain.
5. find out the work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in processing & marketing of plantain and its products.
Significance of the Study
The finding of this study will be of great benefit to the following; secondary school graduates, government of Anambra state, administrators of skill acquisition centers, and curriculum planners.
Specifically, the study would be beneficial to the secondary school graduates when the identified skills are incorporated into the training programmes of the state skill acquisition centres. The graduates of the skill acquisition centres would become competent in plantain production and consequently would become gainfully employed. The study will provide information to government of Anambra state which will be used in packaging programmes for training the secondary school graduates in plantain production at various skill acquisition centers. The study will also provide information to the administrators of skill acquisition centers on the required work-skills for secondary school graduates to become proficient in plantain production.
Moreover, the findings of this study will help the curriculum planners to be acquainted with the work-skill needs of secondary school students in plantain production so that they can include them into the syllabus for effective teaching and learning of agricultural science in senior secondary school.
Research Questions
Five research questions were formulated to guide the study in line with the purpose of the study.
1. what are the work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in site selection and preparation of land for plantain production?
2. what are the work-skills needs of secondary school graduates in planting plantain?
3. what are the work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in field management of plantain?
4. what are work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in harvesting plantain
5. what are the work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in processing and marketing plantain?
Hypotheses
Five null hypotheses were formulated for this study and were tested at the 0.05 level of significance
1. There was no significant difference between the mean responses of graduate teachers of agricultural science and extension agents on work- skill needs of secondary school graduates in site selection and preparation of land for plantain production.
2. There was no significant difference between the mean responses of agricultural science teachers and extension agents on work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in planting plantain.
3. There was no significant difference between the mean responses of agricultural science teachers and extension agents on work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in field management of plantain.
4. There was no significant difference between the mean responses of agricultural science teachers and extension agents on work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in harvesting plantain.
5. There was no significant difference between the mean responses of agricultural science teachers and extension agents on work-skill needs of secondary school graduates in processing and marketing of plantain.
Scope of the Study
The study was limited to the identification of work-skill needs of secondary school graduates for success in plantain production in Anambra state. The information required from the respondents were restricted to the relevant skills in site selection and preparation of land, planting operations, field management (involving weeding, fertilizer application, pest and disease control) Processing and marketing of plantain products.
Assumption of the Study
The graduate teachers of agricultural science were assumed to be competent in responding to the questionnaires used for collecting data, because they had been trained in crop production and were familiar with steps in plantain production. The extension agents were working with farmers in the state helping them to solve their farming problems.
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
WORK-SKILL NEEDS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL GRADUATES IN PLANTAIN PRODUCTION IN ANAMBRA STATE
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