Agriculture, through provision of food, shelter, employment and cash income is the mainstay of Kenya's economy. Moreover, approximately 80% of Kenya's population lives in rural areas. It is for these reasons that the government of Kenya has taken a decisive measure to accelerate rural development through enhancement of agricultural production. Some of these measures include the "District Focus for Rural Development" strategy and increased Agricultural Education and Extension.
The Bachelor of Science in Agriculture programme at Egerton University is intended to help achieve some of these goals by providing highly trained manpower equipped with a broad range of both conceptual and practical skills geared towards promoting crop and animal production.
The B.Sc. in Agriculture is a broad spectrum degree that would complement in terms of manpower requirements, other specialized degree programmes offered at Egerton University, particularly in view of the fact that extension service, public agricultural institutions and the private sector often require technical personnel that can assist in the development of a variety of enterprises both in animal and crop production.