The Agricultural Skills Chasm: Curriculum Reform for Precision Farming and Sustainable Protein Systems in TVET

Abstract

The agricultural industry of the globe is challenged more than ever before with the need to produce more food given the limitations of climate change, scarcity of resources and the changing preferences of the market. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is one of the key measures in terms of developing a skilled labor force to meet these demands but in most developing countries, its potential is not fully utilized. Nigeria has a high gap between skills taught in the Agricultural TVET institutions and the competencies demanded by a modernizing livestock industry. To reduce this "skills chasm" this paper recommends a tripartite framework to streamline the fundamental curricular reoriented approach to two paradigm shifts Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) and Sustainable Protein Systems (SPS). This conceptual paper, through systematic review of the literature and the synthesis of the available research, suggests a framework of curriculum reform that incorporates PLF and SPS by: (1) Curriculum Revitalization, integrating knowledge of IoT, data analytics, and alternative sources of protein such as insect meal; (2) Immersive Pedagogical Integration, using on-campus innovation hubs and problem-based learning; and (3) Strengthened Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships. Implementation issues such as infrastructure, cost and faculty capacity are critically discussed and strategic suggestions made. The article believes that such a framework will generate a new breed of agricultural professionals not just job hunters but innovators, business persons and make the Nigerian livestock sector most productive, sustainable and competitive globally. The model can be used to offer a replicable model of how agricultural TVET can be transformed into an agent of a sustainable and competitive agri-food sector in other similar contexts around the world.