Normal view MARC view ISBD view

Entrepreneurial skills among the agriculture students in Kerala

By: Aysha Adhina M.
Contributor(s): Helen, S (Guide).
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Vellanikkara Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture 2020Description: 107p.Subject(s): Entrepreneurial skillsDDC classification: 630.71 Online resources: Click here to access online Dissertation note: MSc Abstract: Abstract The mounting rate of unemployment is one among the most important issues of the Indian economy in the current era. Entrepreneurship is an essential strategy to solve the problems of unemployment prevailing in India. It is a fact that all the trained agriculture students cannot be employed in the public sector. Hence the interest of students towards agripreneurship must be rejuvenated to mould them to take up agripreneurship as their career option. In this context, agriculture students are expected to have entrepreneurial skills for promoting entrepreneurship among them. Therefore the present study was conducted to assess entrepreneurial skills among the agriculture students in Kerala. Three categories of agricultural students from College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Institute of Agricultural Science – RARS Pattambi and Govt. Vocational Higher Secondary School (Agriculture), Pudukkad were purposively selected for the study. Fifty agricultural students from each group were randomly selected to form the respondents for the study. Attitude of agriculture students towards agripreneurship and entrepreneurial skills among the agricultural students were the dependent variables in the study. The results showed that majority of the students from all the three categories were female. Majority of the VHSE (Ag.) students were from low income families, while majority of D.Sc.(Ag.) and B.Sc.(Ag.) students belonged to middle income category. Around 38 per cent of the VHSE (Ag.) students had participated in training on entrepreneurship. Whereas none of the D.Sc.(Ag.) students had undergone any training on entrepreneurship. While all the B.Sc.(Ag.) students had attended entrepreneurship development training programmes. Majority of the agricultural students wanted to become a government officer in Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare with a mean weightage score of 3.72, while agripreneurship was identified as the least preferred career option. Among the three categories of students, majority of the students came under medium category of leadership ability (VHSE (Ag.): 44%, D.Sc.(Ag.): 46% and B.Sc.(Ag.) : 56% ). Majority of students from all the three categories viz; 40 % of the VHSE (Ag.) students, 64% of the D.Sc.(Ag.) students and 58% of the B.Sc.(Ag.) students had medium level of achievement motivation. It was observed that majority of the agriculture students had moderately favourable attitude towards agripreneurship. The overall entrepreneurial skills of agriculture students were assessed through four dimensions viz.; general skills, managerial skills, product development skills and marketing skills. B.Sc.(Ag.) students possessed high general skills (88.22) followed by VHSE (Ag.) students and D.Sc.(Ag.) students with the index values of 80.74 and 71.92 respectively. It was concluded that B.Sc.(Ag.) students had high managerial skills (82.04), while both the VHSE (Ag.) and D.Sc.(Ag.) students were found to have above average managerial skills with the index values of 77.84 and 76.34 respectively. The product development skills were found to be the highest among the B.Sc.(Ag.) students with an index value of 84.04. Whereas both the D.Sc. (Ag.) (74.3) and VHSE (Ag.) (73.74) students possessed above average product development skills. B.Sc.(Ag.) students secured high marketing skills (83.52) followed by D.Sc.(Ag.) students (71.52) and VHSE (Ag.) students (59.73). While analysing the marketing skills of VHSE (Ag.) students, they had average level of marketing skills whereas D.Sc.(Ag.) students were in above average category of marketing skills. The major findings of the study pointed out that B.Sc.(Ag.) students possessed high overall entrepreneurial skills with an index value of 84.45 followed by D.Sc. (Ag.) students and VHSE (Ag.) students with the index values of 73.52 and 73.01 respectively. It was observed that there existed only negligible difference in the overall entrepreneurial skills between D.Sc.(Ag.) students and VHSE (Ag.) students. Training received by the students, achievement motivation, innovativeness, risk taking ability and decision making ability had positive and significant relationship with the entrepreneurial skills of VHSE (Ag.) students. While leadership ability, selfconfidence, achievement motivation, innovativeness and risk taking ability were positively correlated with the entrepreneurial skills of D.Sc.(Ag.) students. In the case of B.Sc.(Ag.) students, factors namely occupational status of mother, leadership ability and self-confidence had positive and significant correlation with the entrepreneurial skills. Entrepreneurial education was identified as the mostneeded support system essential for enhancing entrepreneurial orientation among all the three categories of agriculture students followed by financial and moral support from family and friends. The results of the study indicated that agripreneurship was the least preferred career path by majority of the agriculture students. Hence interventions are needed to motivate the students to take up agripreneurship as their career choice.
Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title. Log in to add tags.
    average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)
Item type Current location Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
Theses Theses KAU Central Library, Thrissur
Theses
Reference Book 630.71 AYS/EN PG (Browse shelf) Not For Loan 174901

MSc

Abstract
The mounting rate of unemployment is one among the most important issues of
the Indian economy in the current era. Entrepreneurship is an essential strategy to solve
the problems of unemployment prevailing in India. It is a fact that all the trained
agriculture students cannot be employed in the public sector. Hence the interest of
students towards agripreneurship must be rejuvenated to mould them to take up
agripreneurship as their career option. In this context, agriculture students are expected
to have entrepreneurial skills for promoting entrepreneurship among them. Therefore
the present study was conducted to assess entrepreneurial skills among the agriculture
students in Kerala.
Three categories of agricultural students from College of Horticulture,
Vellanikkara, Institute of Agricultural Science – RARS Pattambi and Govt. Vocational
Higher Secondary School (Agriculture), Pudukkad were purposively selected for the
study. Fifty agricultural students from each group were randomly selected to form the
respondents for the study. Attitude of agriculture students towards agripreneurship and
entrepreneurial skills among the agricultural students were the dependent variables in
the study.
The results showed that majority of the students from all the three categories
were female. Majority of the VHSE (Ag.) students were from low income families,
while majority of D.Sc.(Ag.) and B.Sc.(Ag.) students belonged to middle income
category. Around 38 per cent of the VHSE (Ag.) students had participated in training
on entrepreneurship. Whereas none of the D.Sc.(Ag.) students had undergone any
training on entrepreneurship. While all the B.Sc.(Ag.) students had attended
entrepreneurship development training programmes.
Majority of the agricultural students wanted to become a government officer in
Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare with a mean
weightage score of 3.72, while agripreneurship was identified as the least preferred
career option. Among the three categories of students, majority of the students came
under medium category of leadership ability (VHSE (Ag.): 44%, D.Sc.(Ag.): 46% and
B.Sc.(Ag.) : 56% ). Majority of students from all the three categories viz; 40 % of the
VHSE (Ag.) students, 64% of the D.Sc.(Ag.) students and 58% of the B.Sc.(Ag.)
students had medium level of achievement motivation. It was observed that majority
of the agriculture students had moderately favourable attitude towards
agripreneurship.
The overall entrepreneurial skills of agriculture students were assessed through
four dimensions viz.; general skills, managerial skills, product development skills and
marketing skills. B.Sc.(Ag.) students possessed high general skills (88.22) followed
by VHSE (Ag.) students and D.Sc.(Ag.) students with the index values of 80.74 and
71.92 respectively. It was concluded that B.Sc.(Ag.) students had high managerial
skills (82.04), while both the VHSE (Ag.) and D.Sc.(Ag.) students were found to have
above average managerial skills with the index values of 77.84 and 76.34 respectively.
The product development skills were found to be the highest among the B.Sc.(Ag.)
students with an index value of 84.04. Whereas both the D.Sc. (Ag.) (74.3) and VHSE
(Ag.) (73.74) students possessed above average product development skills.
B.Sc.(Ag.) students secured high marketing skills (83.52) followed by D.Sc.(Ag.)
students (71.52) and VHSE (Ag.) students (59.73). While analysing the marketing
skills of VHSE (Ag.) students, they had average level of marketing skills whereas
D.Sc.(Ag.) students were in above average category of marketing skills.
The major findings of the study pointed out that B.Sc.(Ag.) students possessed
high overall entrepreneurial skills with an index value of 84.45 followed by D.Sc. (Ag.)
students and VHSE (Ag.) students with the index values of 73.52 and 73.01
respectively. It was observed that there existed only negligible difference in the overall
entrepreneurial skills between D.Sc.(Ag.) students and VHSE (Ag.) students.
Training received by the students, achievement motivation, innovativeness, risk
taking ability and decision making ability had positive and significant relationship with
the entrepreneurial skills of VHSE (Ag.) students. While leadership ability, selfconfidence,
achievement motivation, innovativeness and risk taking ability were
positively correlated with the entrepreneurial skills of D.Sc.(Ag.) students. In the case
of B.Sc.(Ag.) students, factors namely occupational status of mother, leadership ability
and self-confidence had positive and significant correlation with the entrepreneurial
skills. Entrepreneurial education was identified as the mostneeded support system
essential for enhancing entrepreneurial orientation among all the three categories of
agriculture students followed by financial and moral support from family and friends.
The results of the study indicated that agripreneurship was the least preferred
career path by majority of the agriculture students. Hence interventions are needed to
motivate the students to take up agripreneurship as their career choice.

There are no comments for this item.

Log in to your account to post a comment.
Kerala Agricultural University Central Library
Thrissur-(Dt.), Kerala Pin:- 680656, India
Ph : (+91)(487) 2372219
E-mail: librarian@kau.in
Website: http://library.kau.in/