Acceptance and Sustainability of Contract Farming Among Youth in Malaysia

Problem statement: Contract farming is one of the agriculture branche s that is ready to be discovered for its huge potential and it is perceiv ed as a new dimension which offers agricultural sustainability. But do the youth as the pillar of t his sector do accept agriculture? Thus, this study would like to discover factors that affect acceptance of youth towards contract farming in Malaysia. Approach: This is a quantitative study using a survey form. Data was gathered from 400 undergraduates studying in various tertiary institu tions and were analyzed using the PASW software. The data collection process took two months to be c ompleted. Results: Results depict that the respondents studied have a high and positive accept ance towards contract farming. Based on the analysis performed, factors of attitude, knowledge and belief are significant predictors of acceptance towards contract farming. Conclusion/Recommendations: It is believed that the findings of this study would add new perspective on understanding the complexities associated with agricultural sustainability among youth. Results gained provide a sign for policy makers to utilize education as a tool to increase youths' positive attitude towards farming. Based on the results it is recommended tha t more specific courses related to contract farming c an be exposed at the tertiary level in order to enhance youth's awareness and acceptance towards contract farming. Eventually, this would set the direction into getting more youth to be involved in innovative farming activities and in the end it would make agriculture to be attractive and maintai n its sustainability.

[1]  A. Adrian,et al.  Producers' perceptions and attitudes toward precision agriculture technologies , 2005 .

[2]  M. Frick.  Rural and Urban Inner-City High School Student Knowledge and Perception of Agriculture. , 1995 .

[3]  Md. Salleh Hassan,et al.  Internet usage among agro-based entrepreneur: can it affect productivity? , 2009 .

[4]  S. Wheeler.  The barriers to further adoption of organic farming and genetic engineering in Australia: views of agricultural professionals and their information sources , 2008, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems.

[5]  S. Mann,et al.  On the acceptance of animal production in rural communities , 2003 .

[6]  N. Minot.  Contract Farming and Its Effect on Small Farmers in Less Developed Countries , 1986 .

[7]  C. Eaton,et al.  Contract farming: partnerships for growth. , 2000 .

[8]  D. Duncan,et al.  An Evaluation Of Student Knowledge And Perceptions Toward Agriculture Before And After Attending A Governor's School For Agriculture , 2004 .

[9]  Parmod Kumar.  Resource Provision , Productivity and Contract Farming A Case Study of Punjab , 2009 .

[10]  James E. Dyer,et al.  ATTITUDES OF ILLINOIS AGRISCIENCE STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS TOWARD AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS , 2000 .

[11]  W. Edeson.  Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN , 1996 .

[12]  S. Onzere,et al.  Delineating the Multifunctional Role of Agroecological Practices: Toward Sustainable Livelihoods for Smallholder Farmers in Developing Countries , 2010 .

[13]  Isabella Gidarakou,et al.  Young women's attitudes towards agriculture and women's new roles in the greek countryside: A first approach , 1999 .

[14]  W. Murray,et al.  Promoting indigenous entrepreneurship through small‐scale contract farming: The poultry sector in Sarawak, Malaysia , 2006 .

[15]  Sukhpal Singh.  Contract farming for agricultural development: review of theory and practice with special reference to India. , 2005 .

[16]  J. Kola,et al.  Finnish Citizens' Attitudes towards Multifunctional Agriculture , 2006 .

[17]  J. S. James.  Consumer knowledge and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology vary , 2004 .

[18]  D. Stobbelaar,et al.  Adolescents Attitudes Towards Organic Food: A Survey of 15- to 16-Year Old School Children , 2007 .