Capacity Building Practices and Performance of Youth Agribusiness Projects in Busia County, Kenya

Abstract

Capacity building strengthen stakeholders’ knowledge, skills, resources, and competencies. This improve their ability to participate effectively in project planning. However, there has been a performance problem in youth agribusiness projects in Kenya, reflected in challenges such as limited sustainability, low productivity, inadequate market access, and low project completion rates. The current research examined the effect of capacity building practices on performance of youth agribusiness projects in Busia County Kenya. The study was guided by human capital theory. The target population was 1560 stakeholders in the youth agribusiness. A sample size of 318 respondents was drawn from the target population using Yamane’s formula. A questionnaire was used in data collection. Data was analyzed using descriptive as well as inferential statistical techniques with aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study established a significant relationship between capacity building practices and performance of youth agribusiness projects (r = 0.533, p = 0.000). The coefficient of determination (R² = 0.284) indicated that the capacity building practices explained 28.4% of the variation in the performance of youth agribusiness projects. The study concludes that effective capacity building practices within multistakeholder partnerships significantly enhance the performance of youth agribusiness projects by strengthening stakeholder collaboration, improving coordination, and facilitating access to critical resources. The study recommends that youth agribusinesses should institutionalize capacity building frameworks that promote coordinated engagement, shared responsibility, resource mobilization, knowledge enhancement, and continuous stakeholder development to improve project performance.