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The Relationship Between School Farms And Learners’ Interest In Agriculture Among Primary Schools In Uganda: The Case Of Balawoli Sub-County, Kamuli District

Batesaki Stephen, Mirembe Suzan


Abstract

Uganda’s agricultural sector continues to face a demographic challenge in which young people increasingly perceive farming as an unattractive, low-status livelihood option, a perception that education stakeholders have argued could be addressed in part through meaningful, hands-on agricultural learning experiences integrated into primary schooling, most notably through school farms. This study examined the relationship between school farms and learners’ interest in agriculture among primary schools in Uganda, using Balawoli Sub-county, Kamuli District as a study area, guided by objectives that sought to establish the extent and nature of school farm activities in the sub-county’s primary schools, assess learners’ level of interest in agriculture, determine the relationship between school farm engagement and learners’ interest in agriculture, and identify the challenges limiting the effectiveness of school farms in fostering this interest. A descriptive correlational research design combining quantitative and qualitative approaches was adopted, with data collected from a sample of 186 respondents comprising upper primary learners, agriculture teachers, and head teachers from eight primary schools, using questionnaires, interviews, and school farm observation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and path analysis (AMOS). Results showed moderate-to-high learner engagement in school farm activities (mean = 3.58) and a significant positive correlation between school farm engagement and learners’ interest in agriculture (r = 0.588, p < 0.01). Regression analysis showed that school farm engagement and perceived relevance of agriculture jointly explained 42.6 percent of the variance in learners’ interest in agriculture (R² = 0.426). Path analysis revealed that perceived relevance of agriculture significantly mediates the relationship between school farm engagement and learners’ interest, with a significant indirect effect (β = 0.243, p < 0.01) alongside a significant direct effect (β = 0.287, p < 0.01), yielding a total effect of 0.530. The study concludes that school farms have made a meaningful, though moderate, contribution to fostering learners’ interest in agriculture in Balawoli Sub-county, operating substantially through their effect on learners’ perceived relevance of agriculture to their own lives and futures, and recommends increased investment in school farm infrastructure, stronger integration of school farm activities into the agriculture curriculum, and deliberate efforts to showcase modern, profitable agricultural practices to learners.

Keywords

School farms learners’ interest in agriculture experiential learning primary schools agricultural education path analysis Balawoli Sub-county Kamuli District
Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research

Cite This Article

Batesaki Stephen & Mirembe Suzan (2026). The Relationship Between School Farms And Learners’ Interest In Agriculture Among Primary Schools In Uganda: The Case Of Balawoli Sub-County, Kamuli District. Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research, 5(9). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=1870

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