Learning all about agriculture and promoting self-sustainability

Agriculture is part of the compulsory syllabus in Kenyan lower secondary school. It encourages the children to learn how to plants seeds, grow on crops and then harvest them. They can then use their own produce to learn domestic science and self-sustainability.

The land beside the school is now being fully utilised to grow crops using the agriculture lessons and their own hard work. They also grow crops in pots on the school roof. The children gain enormous pride in producing their own food. They are also learning how to prepare and cook what they grow as part of their domestic science lessons.

The school rents a plot of farmland on which to grow most of the crops. But this costs around £1,000 per year to rent which is a great deal for a small school to pay for. We do need a sponsor for this rent if you know of anyone? As agriculture is a compulsory subject where the children have to actually work on the land, not just learn the theory, we have to rent the land.

Throughout secondary education there is a big emphasis on agriculture so that the children learn:

• The importance of agriculture to the development of Kenya
• A key skill that may help them to find employment
• How to grow food to feed themselves
• How to grow food to sell

It’s a very wide-ranging syllabus that covers all the practical elements of farming, from understanding soil types and maintenance, pests, climactic factors, farm machinery and tools, crop types and production, to name just a few.

And we have also been able to provide the school with chickens to help the children have direct experience of animal husbandry.