Investigating Agropreneurial Intention among Students in Higher Learning Institution using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Abstract

This study uses the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to determine the factors influencing the intention of agriculture students in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) to be involved in agribusiness. To meet the aim of this study, a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was held among students from the Faculty of Agriculture, UPM. This method of qualitative data collection was utilized in order to gain an in-depth understanding of youth participation rates within the agriculture sector in Malaysia. A total of 20 students from UPM were involved in this study, most have had some amount of experience in entrepreneurship either formally or informally. Apart from personal factors and social norms, this study found that institutional factors, more specifically the way in which agricultural studies programs are set up, play an imperative role in influencing agropreneurial intention among students. A well-rounded, quality agropreneurship education that goes beyond theory-based learning, can in different ways positively influence the other determinants of agropreneurial intention thereby increasing agropreneurial intention. Efforts should be intensified to align agriculture education and training. Beyond trade-based learning, it should also focus on providing knowledge, technical skills, and attributes that young farmers need for their agropreneurship careers. At the tertiary level, learning should be multidisciplinary so that students can grasp and incorporate concepts pertaining to, for example, food sciences, risk management, or data analytics - that can help them be dynamic in navigating the growth of their agribusiness and potential pitfalls.