Difference in Opinion of Sustainable Agriculture Concepts Between Master of Science and Master of Agriculture Cohorts

Sustainable agriculture concepts and its practices are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s society and agriculture settings. Classes teaching sustainable agriculture practices are also becoming more common in agriculture programs at institutions of higher education. Sam Houston State University has implemented coursework and degree plans that focus on these practices and ideals, allowing students to develop conceptual philosophies and knowledge in both traditional and sustainable agriculture practices. Students (n=39), from two separate sections, enrolled in a sustainable agriculture and food environment (SAFE) course in the fall of 2015 and fall of 2016, completed a free response pre/post-survey polling their beliefs on sustainable topics and concepts discussed in class. Students were divided into two cohorts, consisting of students pursuing a Master of Science degree in Agriculture (MS), and those obtaining a Master of Agriculture degree in SAFE (MA). Student responses comparing the two cohorts were analyzed using the GLM and FREQ procedures in SAS. A significant difference (P<0.01) existed between the two cohorts in their definitions of sustainable agriculture and defining the causes of the sustainable agriculture movement. MS students identified the sustainable movement to be driven by economic shifts in their pre-responses, MA students, on the other hand, stated that environmental concern has driven the industry to implement and establish more sustainable practices. Likewise, the MA students noted a difference between sustainable agriculture and organic practices (P<0.01) in their pre-course responses. MA students were also more likely to label sustainable agriculture as a global movement (P<0.01); whereas, MS students were more likely to consider these concepts to be more regional (P<0.01) in their pre-course responses. All other questions that were different in the pre-course survey had no significant difference in the post-course survey across cohorts other than the MA students believed that sustainable practices should be mandated by the government (P<0.01). These results suggest that MS or traditional agriculture students exposed to sustainable content and curriculum are likely to displace their preconceived notions of sustainable agriculture and its practices for more favorable and accurate definitions and ideals of the concepts and practices. This considered, further research examining the opinions of students exposed to these courses with sustainable agriculture topics could help further explain the need for future course development in this area of study.