Browsing by Author "Moriba, Samba"

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    Diffusion of Technologies by the Tikonko Agricultural Extension Centre (TAEC) to Farmers of the Tikonko Chiefdom in Sierra Leone: Impacts, Problems, Proposed Solutions, and an Updated Outlook
    (New Prairie Press, 2011) Moriba, Samba
    Sierra Leone is a west African nation with about two-thirds of its population engaged in agriculture but it cannot feed itself. The country’s agricultural activities were disrupted by a decade-long Civil War that created a great need for improved farming technologies. The Tikonko Agricultural Extension Centre (TAEC) operates in the Tikonko Chiefdom to assist local farmers in improving food production through the fabrication of farm tools to be adopted and used by farmers. This study was conducted to investigate the impacts of the TAEC’s technologies on farmers and their communities in the Tikonko Chiefdom and identify problems and solutions associated with the technologies and their diffusion. The target population included farmers (N = 318) who used TAEC’s technologies and TAEC staff (N = 18) who were involved in the diffusion process. A majority of the farmers adopted and used TAEC’s technologies readily, which they perceived had considerable impact on their farming practices and communities. The relevance of TAEC’s technologies to farmers in Tikonko Chiefdom was also evident. However, the participating farmers and TAEC staff encountered numerous problems. A majority agreed that the diffusion and adoption process could be improved by increasing the farmers’ access to loans. Providing appropriate technologies that can be adopted by low income farmers stands to increase their productivity and self-reliance while improving their nations’ food security. It is undeniable that technologies contributing to food sufficiency and alleviating poverty are needed throughout the developing world; policymakers must be reminded of this condition continually.
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    Examining the General Global Competence of Students Enrolled in an International Dimension Course: An Attempt to Internationalize Undergraduate Education in a College of Agriculture
    (Mississippi State University, 2015-02-28) Moriba, Samba
    Many U.S. colleges and universities are concerned with how best to prepare students to become globally competent citizens. Therefore, the need existed to examine the general global competence of students enrolling in international dimension (ID) courses at Oklahoma State University. This investigation was a census study; the target population included all undergraduate students (N = 147) enrolled in three ID courses offered in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) during the fall semester of the 2010–2011 academic year. General knowledge instruments were used to gather pretest and posttest data to measure differences. Although students’ post-course scores were higher than pre-course scores, their overall performance was below 60%. This difference in knowledge gain connoting general global competence was statistically significant (p < .05), but the corresponding effect size was small, which signaled little practical significance. Whether ID courses are an efficacious way of achieving substantial change in students’ general global competence remains an open question. A more appropriate method to assess change in general global competence may be writing assignments. Faculty are encouraged to improve their ID courses by infusing learning experiences that stand to enhance students’ general global competence while complementing content-specific objectives.