GENDER AS PREDICTOR OF ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES NEEDED BY UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES IN CASSAVA FARMING IN DELTA STATE

Abstract

This study identified the entrepreneurial competency improvements needed by university undergraduates for entry into cassava farming to support the sustainable development goal (SDG) of no poverty in Delta State, Nigeria. Anchored on Human Capital Theory, the study addressed two research questions and tested two hypotheses using a descriptive survey design. The population comprised 275 undergraduates studying Agricultural Education and Crop Science in the four state-owned universities in Delta State, with no sampling involved. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, the “Entrepreneurial Competencies Needed in Cassava Farming Questionnaire (ECNCFQ),” which was validated by three experts and had a reliability coefficient of 0.855, indicating high reliability. Among the 250 completed questionnaires, responses were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviation, and Improvement Need Index (INI), while t-tests were applied to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. The findings highlighted those undergraduate required improvements in 15 planning areas and 11 innovation areas related to cassava farming. However, gender was determined as a non-significant predictor of the entrepreneurial competencies needed by university undergraduates in cassava farming in Delta State. The study concluded that enhancing these competencies is essential and recommended their integration into the Agricultural Education and Crop Science curricula in Delta State universities to better prepare students for entrepreneurial activities in cassava farming.