Research findings and application in aquaculture and fisheries: bridge-building measures among lecturers of agricultural education in Nigeria

Abstract

The reduction in the capture of wild fishes and other important aquatic organisms has created a wide gap between the quantity of aquatic products supplied by farmers and the quantity demanded by consumers in Nigeria. Meanwhile, agricultural educators are being encouraged to use their knowledge of aquaculture and fisheries to improve supply for sustainable food security. However, there are challenges in accessing and communicating such innovative research findings to the end users- farmers and prospective farmers- especially in the classroom. Hence, the study identified constraints and bridge-building measures among agricultural educators in accessing and applying research findings to teaching aquaculture and fisheries in Nigeria. The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed method and a thematic approach. Sixty-three agricultural educators who are experienced specialists in aquaculture and fisheries were purposefully sampled. A validated online semi-structured interview guide and structured questionnaire were used to elicit qualitative and quantitative data, respectively, from respondents. A Cronbach’s alpha reliability index of 0.93 was obtained. A t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. The study, among others, identified 13 thematic constraints to accessing research findings, 14 thematic constraints to applying research findings, and 5 thematic and 7 thematic bridge-building measures for accessing and applying research findings, respectively, to educate farmers and prospective farmers in aquaculture and fisheries in Nigeria. There should be collaborative efforts by the government, scientists, research institutes, international research organisations, producers, and agricultural education lecturers in accessing and applying research findings for updated and globalised aquaculture and fisheries education in Nigerian universities.