Agricultural Education in Cambodia as a Sustainable Development Capacity-Building Tool

• In Event: International Education Across the Years

Abstract

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing high levels of globe unemployment, participation in formal educational agricultural activities have the potential to help prevent youth from becoming unemployed while boosting economic growth. However, efforts to (re)engage and precipitate youth’s interest in the agricultural sector have had limited success. This study sought to explore how participation in such activities affects youth’s perceptions about agriculture as a potential future career. Two surveys were administered to 577 high school students in Cambodia following their participation in formal agricultural education, and multiple regression analysis was performed. The results indicate that agricultural education is an effective approach at improving youth’s perceptions, and highlight the importance of engaging them as partners in sustainable agriculture and food security solutions.

Authors

• Samantha Lindgren, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Ghaida S Alrawashdeh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Manny Reyes

• Pisey Sar