ISSN 2360-7963
Abstract
This research project looks at how adding agricultural education to secondary schools in rural Kenya affects youth empowerment, the economic progress of rural communities, and the long-term health of these communities. Led by the urgency to redesign agriculture as a platform of teaching and change, the study poses questions spurring the consequent impact of ocalized and context-related agriculture curricula on the attitude, aspirations, and voice among the students in traditionally under-represented rural communities. Usually, due to the guided approach to cultural reproduction of Bourdieu and the framework of social capital of Putnam, the investigation is based on a mixed-methods design, which helps to grasp the quantitative patterns and qualitative nuances. The data comprised 400 students in Bomet and Nyeri counties (through surveys), teachers and school leaders (through interviews), and classroom observations (to detect the pedagogical styles and gender disparities). Empirical rigour and contextual depth in the analysis of the four empowerment constructs, such as self-efficacy, leader’s confidence, community involvement, and future planning skills, were ensured by descriptive statistics analysis, t-tests, and thematic coding. Evidence shows that agricultural education can powerfully enhance the self-confidence and the capacity of students to solve realistic problems in their own way and develop in them social and leadership skills. The level of participation differs depending on gender, as male students are much closer to school-based farming and school leadership activities, and female students are more inclined to external agribusiness forums; despite the overall positive progress, the aspects of gender are still present in the form of gendered expectations. The study further reiterates the significance of the fact that agriculture education is the most effective when ocalized and participatory, as well as related to real-life opportunities, and thus instills a higher level of social capital and career orientation in the students. The paper comes to the conclusion that agricultural education is not a marginal and peripheral subject but rather a significant sociological intervention, which helps to reposition farming as a respectable and viable occupation. When used sensitively, it has the potential to be transformative not just in the context of giving one-on-one empowerment to young people but also in rebuilding the social structure of rural Kenyan communities by giving each person more agency and vision to increase innovation and long-term sustainability for development.
Keywords: Agricultural Education, Empowerment, Rural Youth,