School-Based Agricultural Education Students’ Attitudes and Beliefs toward International Agricultural Concepts

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and beliefs of school-based agriculture education (SBAE) students toward international agricultural concepts. This study builds on several previous studies (Conner, Greer, & Stripling, 2017; Elliot & Yanik, 2002; Heinert, Lavery, & Roberts, 2014; Radhakrishna, Leite, & Domer, 2003). To explore new geographic regions of the United States, two states, one from the Midwest and one from the Northwest, were purposively identified. A 46-item instrument that measures attitudes, beliefs, understanding, and instruction in relation to international agriculture developed by Radhakrishna et al. (2003) was administered to students in three schools representing both rural and urban areas. A total of 133 surveys were returned, for a 55.2% response rate. Overall, students held positive attitudes and beliefs toward international agricultural concepts. Students expressed a need to understand basic geography in relation to international agricultural concepts, and students strongly agreed to concepts and information necessary to understand international agricultural concepts. When historical data were synthesized with data from this study, mean scores from all five studies across all four constructs were consistently high. Future research should focus on how students develop their attitudes and beliefs about international agriculture

Trinidad Food Producers’ Training Needs for Food Security and Implications for Extension

The purpose of this study was to explore farmers’ knowledge of food security issues in Trinidad. Such information can be used to develop appropriate extension training interventions. Using a Borich (1980) methodology, a total of 300 agricultural producers in Trinidad were surveyed with an instrument that consisted of two parts: (a) personal demographic and farm related questions, and (b) indicators of knowledge and importance of 27 food security issues derived from The National Food Production Action Plan 2012 – 2015. Overall, the top five issues identified by producers were: (a) the incentive program that is focused on outputs; (b) research and development for both livestock and crop farmers; (c) partnerships between public sector agencies, research institutions, and the private sector to provide suitable capacity to deliver all food production programs; (d) postharvest technologies that create employment opportunities, increase returns to farmers, improve food quality, and ensure food safety; and (e) and technology packages (of information) to help farmers improve yield, quality, and availability. All 27 food security issues varied in at least one of the categories assessed: 22 issues varied by location; 18 issues varied by farm type; 5 issues varied by farming status; and 19 issues varied by education level of the farmer. These results can guide extension programming in Trinidad and also be informative for policy makers