Diploma in Horticulture

Introduction

The horticultural in Kenya is a major contributor to agricultural production and has evolved to be among the top four sectors that earn significant foreign exchange. The sector is rapidly growing and possesses great potential that needs to be fully exploited for increased output and quality of horticultural produce. The realization of this potential requires highly trained technical manpower with practical knowledge and skills in horticulture.

Justification

The three-year course leading to the Diploma in Horticulture is designed to produce graduates having broad practical knowledge and skills for the rapidly growing horticultural industry in Kenya. The practical-oriented training equips students for technical positions in research, extension, and commercial farms, associated service industries and self-employment. Egerton University is suitable for horticultural training, because it is centrally located between Eldoret and Nairobi airports, and in the Rift Valley province that is suitable for production of horticultural crops.

Aims and Objectives

At the end of the Diploma programme, students should be able to:

3.1 Perceive the importance of horticulture in the national economy with particular reference to the roles of vegetables, fruits, flowers and other ornamental plants in meeting the nutritional needs of the family, aesthetic gratification and foreign exchange earnings;

3.2 Use the acquired knowledge and practical skills to improve the production and post-harvest technology of horticultural crops and marketing of the produce;

3.3 Effectively communicate the acquired knowledge and skills to various individuals and groups interested in improving horticultural crop production;

3.4 Set up and manage a commercial horticultural enterprise involving the production and marketing of fruits, vegetables, cut-flowers and nursery stock plants in both outdoor and greenhouse environments;

3.5 Carryout meaningful scientific research on various facets of horticultural and other crop enterprises;

3.6 Promote environmental and food safety awareness by safe use of pesticides and employing production practices that minimize chemical residues, as well as soil erosion;

3.7 Utilize the acquired knowledge and skills in gainful self-employment.

4.0 Admission Requirements

4.1 Applicants must satisfy the University minimum entry requirements for a University Diploma of Grade C in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), or equivalent examinations and, in addition, offer passes with at least a:

(i) C in English/Kiswahili

(ii) C in Maths/Physics or in Agriculture

(iii) C+ in Biology or B- in Biological Sciences

(iv) C+ in Chemistry or B- in Physical Sciences

4.2 Admission may be granted to outstanding holders of a Certificate in agriculture, or fields related to agriculture from recognized Colleges, who will have passed with at least a credit or its equivalent.

5.0 Loading and Duration of Study

5.1 The Diploma in horticulture shall normally take three academic years, each with two semesters.

5.2 To graduate with the Diploma in horticulture, a student will be required to take and pass all courses scheduled in (8), which include the University common core courses approved by the Senate.

6.0 Course Coding

The courses are coded as follows:

6.1 The abbreviation HORT refers to Horticulture,

6.2 The first digit (i.e. zero) in all the courses indicates the level of training (i.e. Diploma),

6.3 The second digit (i.e. 1, 2, 3) represents the year of study,

6.4 The third digit (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) refers to the subject discipline/matter as follows:

0 = Introductory Courses

1 = General and Principle Courses

2 = Basic Horticultural Courses

3 = Vegetable Crops

4 = Fruit Crops

5 = Post-harvest Management

6 = Ornamental Horticulture

7 = Experimentation and Research Projects.

6.5 The fourth digit shows the series of courses in a particular field.

7.0 Examination

All examinations for this programme will be conducted in accordance with the examination regulations as stipulated in Statute of Egerton University.

8.0 Schedule of Courses

YEAR 1 SEMESTER 1

 

CODE	TITLE	L.	P	C.F.
BOTA 0211	Agricultural Botany	30	30	3.0
BOTA 0212	Plant Taxonomy	30	30	3.0
CHEM0111	Basic Inorganic and Physical Chemistry	30	30	3.0
HORT 0111	Principles and Practices of Horticulture	30	30	3.0
MATH0121	General Mathematics	45	0	3.0
ZOOL 0100	Entomology	30	30	3.0
SOIL 0100	Introduction to Soil Science	30	30	3.0
HORT0170	Horticultural Practical Experience I	0	45	1.5
TOTAL		225	225	22.5

 

YEAR 1 SEMESTER 2

 

AGED 0111	Agricultural Communication Skills	30	0	2.0
CHEM0112	Basic Organic Chemistry	30	30	3.0
MATH0122	Basic Statistics	45	0	3.0
ENSC 100	Environmental Science	30	30	3.0
BOTA0222	Genetics	30	30	3.0
HORT0170	Horticultural Practical Experience II	0	60	2.0
AGEC0112	Introduction to Agricultural Economics	45	0	3.0
TOTAL		210	150	19.0

 

YEAR 2 SEMESTER 1

 

AGEN 0231	Introduction to Mechanized Agriculture	30	30	3.0
AGRO 0221	Principles of Crop Improvement	30	15	2.5
HORT 0212	Horticultural Plant Identification	0	45	1.5
HORT0222	Plant Propagation	30	30	3.0
AGRO0232	Annual crops	30	30	3.0
AGEC0241	Production Economics	45	0	3.0
HORT0232	Vegetable Production	45	30	4.0
AGED0251	Rural Sociology	30	0	2.0
TOTAL		240	180	22.0

 

YEAR 2 SEMESTER 2

 

BOTA 0226	Plant Pathology	30	30	3.0
SOIL 0220	Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition	30	30	3.0
HORT0242	Fruit Production	45	30	4.0
HORT0261	Floriculture	30	30	3.0
HORT0271	Principles of Agricultural Experimentation	15	45	2.5
AGEC0243	Farm Management and Accounts	45	0	3.0
AGED 0252	Extension Education	45	0	3.0
TOTAL		240	165	21.5
HORT 0373	Field Attachment (8 wks)	0	120	4.0

 

YEAR 3 SEMESTER 1

 

HORT 0313	Horticultural Crop Protection	30	30	3.0
COMP 0190	Information Technology and National Development	30	30	3.0
HORT 0321	Horticultural Seed Production	30	30	3.0
HORT 0324	Nursery Stock Production and Management	30	30	3.0
HORT 0351	Post-harvest Technology and Marketing of Horticulture Produce	30	30	3.0
HORT 0362	Ornamental Horticulture	30	30	3.0
HORT0372	Field Visits	0	45	1.5
HORT0374	Research Projects I	0	45	1.5
TOTAL		195	255	21.5

 

YEAR 3 SEMESTER 2

 

AGEN 0252	Soil and Water Management	45	45	4.5
AGEC 0348	Financial and Human Resources Management	45	0	3.0
HORT 0323	Introduction to Greenhouse Management	30	30	3.0
HORT 0343	Beverages, Medicinal and Nut Crops	30	30	3.0
HORT 0363	Landscape Design, Construction and Maintenance	30	30	3.0
HORT0372	Field Visits	0	45	1.5
HORT0375	Research Projects II	0	45	1.5
TOTAL		180	225	19.5