Objectives

The main mandate of the department is to respond to the needs of the country in the fields of Agriculture with the hope that it translates to increased business opportunities in Agriculture and related activities, and economic empowerment of the stakeholders. What gives our graduates a competitive advantage with their future employers is a hands-on knowledge in their particular professions. To adequately prepare students for the dynamic labor market, the department has established meaningful links with leading organizations and industrial partners like GIZ-agri-jobs for youth and soil and water conservation projects and Delphy –greenhouse management , who guide the department and our students on practical, professional requirements needed hence our graduates are equipped with leading edge skills for the workplace. The relevance of our programmes is maintained through our ongoing relationships with research organizations, industrial partners, local and foreign institutions. I invite you to join this special community of dedicated people, working together to achieve our mission of improving Agriculture, Horticulture, Agribusiness and environmental sciences worldwide.

Departmental Background Information

Agriculture Department enjoys the status which was accorded in 2009 as the National Centre of excellence. The department enjoyed the support of the Government of Kenya and other partners like ADB and KESSP. The Institute enjoyed the support and benefitted from the equipment, machinery and development of training resources.
The department has over 1000 students undertaking the three courses that include; diploma in agriculture, diploma in entrepreneurial agriculture and certificate in general agriculture. The department has a long history since the inception of the institute in 1977. The department started by training students who graduated with certificates in general agriculture. The students who graduated took up positions and various roles in the National Economy as teachers, extension officers, private and public companies.

In 2002 the department launched diploma in agriculture which attracted many students and has since become the most popular course in the institute. The course is a three-year modular course examined by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). In 2010 the department launched diploma in entrepreneurial agriculture which is a three-year course examined by KNEC.
Mr. Moses Sirengo (Head of Department)

Email: agriculture@sist.ac.ke

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Staff Members

  • DIPLOMA IN AGRICULTURE- 3 YEAR MODULAR COURSE (MODULE I, II. III)
  • DIPLOMA IN ENTREPRENEURIAL AGRICULTURE- 3 YEAR MODULAR COURSE (MODULE I, II, III)
  • CERTIFICATE IN GENERAL AGRICULTURE – 2 YEAR NON MODULAR COURSE
  • IN-SERVICE PROGRAMME- HOLIDAY PROGRAMME FOR DIPLOMA IN AGRICULTURE (MODULE I, II, III)
  • ARTISAN CERTIFICATE IN AGRICULTURE-2 YEAR COURSE
  • SHORT COURSES IN HORTICULTURE, DAIRY POULTRY AND DEVELOPMENT OF ENTERPRISES -2 WEEKS- 6 MONTHS
  • COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION TRAINING IN HORTICULTURE, DAIRY AND POULTRY
    • There are immense opportunities for students taking agriculture to rise up the TVET ladder and develop by growing starting from artisan to certificate, diploma, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and even to doctorate level.
  • Boost the enrolment from the current population of 1000 students
  • Introduce new courses in Diploma in sustainable agriculture and competency-based training education courses
  • Improve the various training resources on the institute farm by establishing more projects to add on what we have established.
  • Improve the training skills of the trainers by engaging more collaborator’s.
  • Introduce outreach programs in collaboration with county governments within our catchment where we want to train farmers especially the marginalized groups.