Agriculture Teachers' Perceptions on the Inclusion of Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Secondary School Agriculture Curriculum, Nakuru County, Kenya

Purpose: This paper explores agriculture teachers’ perceptions of the inclusion of indigenous technical knowledge in secondary school curriculum. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a cross-sectional research design to determine the perceptions of agriculture teachers on the inclusion of indigenous technical knowledge in secondary school agriculture curriculum. Findings: The findings of the study indicate that more than 50% of the agriculture teachers were aware of the different indigenous practices that are carried out in both crop and livestock production, also more than 50% of the teachers agreed that ITK is; cheap, reliable, enriches students with a wide range of knowledge, is friendly and easy to use. 82% of the teachers agreed that ITK should be included in secondary school agriculture curriculum because of its values, 18% were of the opinion that agriculture curriculum is already bulky and the knowledge is outdated hence it should not be included in the curriculum. Practical implications: This study highlights the essence of including indigenous technical knowledge in secondary school curriculum, little of the said knowledge has been taken into consideration by the curriculum developers yet the knowledge can equip the learners with diversified agricultural knowledge which is crucial in crop and livestock production, the knowledge is cheap and readily available. Theoretical implications: The results of the study reveal that most of the teachers were positive about taking ITK into consideration while teaching agriculture. Based on the values of ITK the researcher suggests to curriculum developers to research on ideas and practices related to ITK that could be beneficial to learners and develop learning materials to suit their needs. Originality/value: There are limited studies that highlight the value of indigenous knowledge and its inclusion in secondary school agriculture curriculum