NGPU December 1, 2023

Nakuru ATC to become a centre of excellence: To offer units of competencies in Agriculture value chains

Written by Mercy Kihugu

The County Government of Nakuru is participating in the Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) AgriFI Agriculture Technical Vocational Education Training (ATVET) commercialization meeting that is aimed to make the centres become centres of excellence, accredited to offer various units of competencies in Agriculture related value chains.

Nakuru Agricultural Training Center (ATC) supports farmers through training to bridge the gap in the lack of coherence in skills and knowledge dissemination on various agricultural value chains. It also offers training on relevant skill-based agricultural technologies farming, and value addition, among others.

Agriculture Executive Member, Leonard Bor said that the commercialization of the institution is critical in fostering independence and financial sustainability in the institution.

Among the notable partnership projects by the Trust and the County Government of Nakuru at the Nakuru Agricultural Training Center (ATC) include supporting the institution and the department to upscale farmers training in the institution through infrastructure development.

This includes the construction of a modern conference facility, ablution block, aquaculture unit, Horticulture greenhouses, and modern dairy unit.

AGRIFI also supported the Nakuru Farmers Call Centre with computers for use in the Call Centre and farmers’ computer training in the institution. This support has strengthened the use of ICT in Agriculture in the county.

The Programme focuses on building the capacities of County Governments and the private sector to implement and enforce food safety and animal and plant health standards.

Additionally, it focuses on strengthening the capacities of value chain actors along selected agricultural value chains, using the Agricultural Technical Vocational Education Training (ATVET) model.

The AgriFI Food Safety is a European Union (EU) funded Programme whose focus is on Food Safety with Micro Enterprise Support Programme Trust (MESPT) as an implementing partner in support of ATVET.

The meeting has brought together 12 other counties implementing the project

Also present was Agriculture Chief Officer Newton Mwaura.