Effect of Intensive Farming System and Hands-On Instruction on Agricultural Production and Entrepreneurship of Persons with Visual Impairment

Abstract

Agricultural training can become a pathway to economic participation when persons with visual impairment are provided with accessible opportunities to learn through practice rather than theory alone. This study examined the effect of an intensive farming system and hands-on agricultural instruction on the agricultural production and entrepreneurship skills of persons with visual impairment in Oyo State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control-group design was adopted. Sixty-two participants were involved, comprising 35 in the experimental group and 27 in the control group. The experimental group received intensive sack-farming training integrated with hands-on instruction, including tactile orientation, guided practice, crop production, irrigation, crop staking, harvesting and entrepreneurship activities, while the control group received conventional agricultural instruction. Data were collected using the Agricultural Production Skills Performance Checklist and Agricultural Entrepreneurship Skills Scale and analysed using ANCOVA at the 0.05 significance level. The findings showed significant  effects of treatment on agricultural production skills, F(1, 59) = 680.60, p < .001, partial η² = .920, and agricultural entrepreneurship skills, F(1, 59) = 739.82, p < .001, partial η² = .926. However, treatment × visual impairment interactions were not significant for either outcome. The study concludes that an adapted intensive farming system integrated with hands-on instruction strengthens agricultural production and entrepreneurship skills among persons with visual impairment.