Methodology

Overview & Entry Criteria

The TAO Tertiary Institution Productive Agriculture Ranking features Nigeria's top full-time agriculture programmes that host TAO investments or partnership. A total of 14 schools took part in the ranking process for the current edition. All participating schools meet the TAO's entry criteria and are accredited by NUC and NABTEB.

Alumni are not ranked in the current edition, however starting in 2026, proportion of alumni practicing agriculture will be considered in ranking. For schools to enter the ranking calculation process, TAO requires that they complete surveys and submit to independent 3rd party audits.

We surveyed schools that hosted TAO projects in 2025. A total of 14 schools, students and faculty typically complete our survey. The TAO ranking is derived from 21 criteria.

Ranking Weighting

The TAO ranking is derived from 21 criteria distributed across three major categories:

60%

Productivity Categories (10 criteria)

30%

School Data Criteria (12 criteria)

10%

Diversity & Research Rank (1 criterion)

Detailed Criteria Breakdown

1. Alumni-Informed Criteria (50% of the 60% Productivity Weight)

These criteria are based on data collected over three years of participation in agriculture. Responses from the ranking survey carry 50 per cent of the total weight and are determined by elements such as:

Employment in the agriculture industry.
Entrepreneurship in agriculture.
Engagement in agriculture-base education and community development efforts.

Salary, enterprise revenue and other income from agricultural endeavors of alumni carry the balance 50 percent of total weight in this category.

2. School Data Criteria (30% Weight)

TAO collects information on current faculty, newly enrolled students and the latest graduating class. School criteria include:

Diversity: Staff, board members, and students by gender and state of origin (schools with a 50:50 gender composition score highest).
Community Engagement Effectiveness: Measured by student and faculty ratings on help received (e.g., finding agricultural advice, career advice, SIWES, job opportunities).

3. Research and ESG Rank (10% Weight)

Research Rank: Based on articles by full-time faculty in recognised journals (publications over 2 years, weighted relative to faculty size).
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Rank: Based on the proportion of teaching and practice hours dedicated to ESG topics and instructing students on how to imbibe these.

The Calculation Method

The TAO ranking is a relative listing. Schools are ranked against each other by calculating a Z-score for each criterion. The Z-score is a statistic that shows where a score lies in relation to the mean.

These scores are then weighted as outlined in the ranking key and added together for a final score.

Schools that did not meet the response rate automatically feature at the bottom of the table and are categorized as Did Not Finish (DNF).

Key Definitions

Institution Data

Institution Data indicates the aggregate of school research and knowledge assets that are engaged in the ranking year. These include operational laboratories, faculty members, farms, processing units, published work, publications and outlets that support these to be used for student, community and national development especially as they address topical issues in agriculture and agribusiness..

Productivity

Productivity indicates the value of school owned, 3rd party investments and partnerships deployed and managed within the tertiary institution for productivity outcomes, while underlying institutional core objectives. The productivity criteria measures investment value, growth, returns and sustainability, ultimately gauging how well the institution accepts investments, produce with it and turns it to value.