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PROTA handbooks have been an important resource for training at Baraka Agricultural College (BAC) in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya since they were introduced in 2006. They cater mainly for the students of Diploma in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (DSARD).
The enthusiasm, the demand and impact of PROTA resources is still very high among the lecturers and students, according to an impact assessment a mission to the College in October 2009. For instance, copies of the PROTA 2: ‘Vegetables' had been moved to the short loan section of the library, due to high demand according to Ms. Esther Obadiah, BAC Librarian.
Ernest Ndung’u, BAC short course coordinator, inspecting a student demonstration plot.
Students have relied on PROTA handbooks for their projects that includes growing of certain crops
Mr. John Muchiri, former trainer for crops enterprise module at the college explains why PROTA books are particularly popular with the teachers and diploma students: “Apart from the relevance of content to their syllabus, the PROTA handbooks have good organization of information, consistency in the presentation of species making it is easier for teaching and have information that is uniform for all crops. The books are very useful in putting theory into practice, in creating awareness of the unknown uses of plants and understanding the ecological areas where certain crops could grow well.”
Ms. Rose Kamau, a former student used PROTA 1 ‘Cereals and pulses' handbook as her main reference book for her research project that focused on green grams, beans and maize. According to her, the most useful category of information was ‘Growth and propagation' because it gave her information on how to grow the crops. Now engaged at the College as a trainer, Kamau states that PROTA books have become her main teaching materials.
What is more encouraging is the revelation that PROTA information is used beyond teaching at the College. During his missions to evaluate how the former students were applying the knowledge gained during training, Muchiri found out that the former students had widely introduced and promoted pulses and vegetables in their home areas. In Sudan for instance, former students introduced crops that were previously not grown in the area such as groundnuts.
Tot Pot, a DSARD student preparing his demonstration plot
A key recommendation from the mission is that PROTA, in collaboration with the trainers, selects and produces smaller and simplified information documents on certain plant species to directly benefit non-diploma students. In order to enrich the quality of students' research, the mission further recommends that students be encouraged to consult the PROTA recommends…series for their research topic.
The college was founded in 1974 to educate and train the newly settled farmers in Rift Valley Province on conventional agricultural practices. It has since grown into an international institution with training shifting focus to sustainable agriculture and rural development. The College attracts participants from across the eastern Africa region - Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan – who are moulded into efficient sustainable agriculture practitioners, trainers of other farmers and facilitators of development in their communities.
Impressed by the quality of the PROTA books, Brother Tony Dolan, former Principal and founder of the College, who is currently establishing a similar college in Uganda intends to use of PROTA resources for teaching in the new college.
PROTA handbooks on the BAC Library shelves
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