PARTICIPATION OF IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL YOUTH IN DECISION-MAKING ON SHOWCASING SUCCESS STORIES BY YOUNG AGRI-PRENEURS FOR MOTIVATION TO IMPLEMENT AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMMES

The study was carried out to evaluate influence of participation of in and out of school youth in decision-making on showcasing success stories by young agri-preneurs for motivation of adolescents in rural areas to implement agricultural programmes for self-reliance.  The first objective evaluated influence of the level of exposure to showcasing success stories on the level of implementation using a likert scale coded 1 to 10. The second objective determined how youth in and out of school rated strategies proposed to increase their participation in decision making on showcasing success stories using a 5 point rating scale. The study was carried out in Kisii and Nyamira counties region, Kenya in 2019-2021. Survey research design was used. Stratified, purposive and simple random procedures were applied in sampling of respondents. The in-school youth comprised of fourth forms enrolled in school agriculture for the Kenya certificate of secondary education examination (KCSE).  There were 361 youth sampled from 36 secondary schools of 3 different categories. The out of school youth consisted of 161 young people out of 280, that had similarly studied agriculture in their schooling days and are registered with 75 youth groups promoting agricultural activities for livelihood. The schools and youth groups are spread in 5 differrent farm types typical of Kenyan farming systems. The farm types were used as sampling points to provide varied segments of youth in exposure to farming activities, opportunities for livelihood and challenges in the application of vocational skills acquired in school agriculture for self-reliance. Results show that gender of youth in and out of school does not have a significant difference in the level of participation in decision making on showcasing success stories in agripreneurship. School youth were significantly more exposed to success stories than out of school. Youth in and out of school were in concurrence that strategies 5, 6, 4 and 3 were more significantly very important than the rest in increasing their participation in decision making in showcasing events. Strategy 5 on decision making is rated as outstanding by both in-and-out of school youth. The strategy 5 prioritizes formation of agribusiness clubs at community level in rural areas where successful agri-preneurs could mentor the out of school youth, share ideas, and experiences to motivate them and acquire more and specialized agricultural vocational skills for livelihood. There is  a positive significant and linear correlation between the level of participation in decision making on showcasing success stories in agripreneurship and the level of implementation of agricultural  programmes by youth in (R = 0.30, p < 0.01) and out (R = 0.438762, p < 0.01) of school. So, showcasing success stories could considerably contribute to learning experiences, acquisition of more and specialized skills, and motivate implementation of the programmes for self-reliance. Keywords: youth participation, decision-making, showcasing agripreneur

OUT OF SCHOOL YOUTH REFLECTION ON PARTICIPATION IN DECISION MAKING ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHOOL AGRICULTURE PROGRAMME

Secondary school agriculture is meant among other benefits to prepare the out of school youth in attaining self-reliance using vocational skills gained, in the post-schooling period as they transition to adulthood. A study was done to determine the reflection of out of school youth on participation in decision-making on the implementation of the programme in an effort to establish measures to improve its outcomes. In the feedback, the out-of-school youth rated their level of participation in decision making on implementation at a mean score of 6 out of 10 indicating that there is still room for improvement. There was a non-significant difference between male and female out-of-school youth (t = 1.970, p > 0.05) in decision making on implementation. There were significant differences (F = 6.486, p < 0.01) amongst out-of-school youth on the level of participation in decision making on implementation as a result of the diversity of school category attended and background of parents’ land size (F = 7.527, p < 0.01). Youth participation in decision-making on implementation increased with parents’ land size in the range 0 to 4 acres, with those from 10 acres and more not conforming to the trend. The out-of-school youth rated as very important the five strategies proposed to enhance their engagement in decision making on implementation. The strategies 4 and 6 were ranked more significantly very important thereby standing out from the rest. Strategy 4, states that if school administration could listen to the voices of youth it will build confidence for free discussions on the challenges faced in implementation. Strategy 6 advocates for the inclusion of youth in decision-making on the use of the school farm to enable them air their views on its proper utilization as a training facility rather than being used to administer punishment to errant students. There was a strong positive correlation between the level of participation in decision-making and the level of implementation of the school agriculture curriculum. The high rating of strategies proposed suggests the need to address the pertinent issues in them so as to enhance the participation of youth in decision-making on implementation for improved outcomes. Thus, the inclusion of feedback from the out-of-school youth and elements of the strategies developed in the review and implementation of the school agriculture programme would improve its effectiveness in attaining intended objectives