| dc.description.abstract | Agricultural Training Centers (ATC) play a critical function in revealing knowledge to farmers planning to upgrade their agricultural methods and enhance their livelihoods. This study explored the educational influence of Kaguru Agricultural
Training Center (KATC) in the enhancement of knowledge of smallholder farmers in Imenti South Sub-County, Meru County, Kenya. Despite the presence of Kaguru ATC in Imenti South Sub-County, there still existed a gap of limited adoption of
modern farming techniques by smallholder farmers (SHFs) in this area. Three objectives based the study namely, to determine the influence of physical infrastructure in Kaguru ATC, influence of Kaguru ATC curriculum in modern
farming practices, and to analyse the implications of challenges faced by Kaguru ATC in delivering effective training programs on enhancement of knowledge among smallholder farmers in Imenti South Sub-County ,Meru County Kenya.Theoretical
framework was based on The Kirkpatrick and Input-Process-Output (IPO) Models which provided structured approaches to evaluate the influence of Kaguru ATC and address the challenges in delivery of effective training programme. Conceptual
framework outlined the variables adequate physical infrastructures, curriculum alignment with modern techniques, the knowledge acquired through training, improved skills, social capital, and community networks. Study location was The Sub-County of Imenti South in Meru County. Piloting of the study questionnaires and interview schedule took place at Imenti North Sub-County, Meru County, Kenya. A reliability coefficient of α = 0.78 was established. Design used for research was descriptive in nature. The target population was 500 smallholder farmers trained at Kaguru ATC in The Sub-County of Imenti South. The technique used for sampling was stratified random. The sample size consisted of 217 smallholder farmers selected using the Kathuri and Pals sample determination table. The research instruments included a structured questionnaire and an interview schedule which gathered quantitative and qualitative data. Data analysis involved both quantitative and qualitative techniques using SPSS v25 software. The study found out that the adoption of contemporary farming techniques is greatly affected by factors such as education level, years of farming experience, and training attendance. Gains in knowledge were greatest in crop management training, then in livestock farming. Training in agribusiness was the least effective. Although Kaguru ATC is vital for
expanding people's knowledge, challenges like lack of funding, restricted curricula, and outdated infrastructure prevent it from being widely used. Government should boost its expenditure, realign its curricula, and implement financial support mechanisms in order to improve training outcomes in ATCs according to the suggestions made. The study findings will be beneficial to policymakers in coming up with policies that guide conservation of natural resources, the County government in
allocating funds to ATCs, and farmers and give support in favor of additionalexploration | en_US |
