Availability and Use of Agricultural Equipment in Vocational Agriculture Lessons in Kebbi State

This study assessed the availability and utilization of agricultural equipment in vocational agriculture lessons in secondary schools in Kebbi State, North West Nigeria. Agriculture is the dominant economic activity in Kebbi State, and secondary school vocational agriculture should ideally function as a feeder for modernized farming. Yet systematic evidence on equipment provision and use in school agricultural programmes is lacking. The study adopted a descriptive survey design, involving 160 agriculture teachers from 20 schools across four local government areas. An agricultural equipment inventory checklist and structured questionnaire were administered. Findings revealed critical shortages of basic implements such as hoes, cutlasses, watering cans, and sprayers, with over 55 percent of schools reporting inadequate equipment for class sizes. Tractors and irrigation equipment were entirely absent in all sampled schools. Of the equipment available, approximately 40 percent was in disrepair. Only 38 percent of teachers reported conducting practical sessions more than twice per week. The study recommends that the Kebbi State Ministry of Agriculture and Education co-fund a school agricultural equipment programme, establish equipment sharing networks among clusters of schools, and engage the Kebbi Agricultural Development Programme as a resource partner. Curriculum guidelines should specify minimum equipment standards. These findings underscore a systemic gap in practical agricultural education provision in Nigeria's North West zone. Keywords: agricultural equipment, vocational agriculture, Kebbi State, secondary schools, practical instruction.