Gendered Technology Adoption and Household Food Security in Semi-Arid Eastern Kenya

Njuguna, E M and Brownhill, H and Kihoro, E and Muhammad, L and Hickey, G M (2016) Gendered Technology Adoption and Household Food Security in Semi-Arid Eastern Kenya. In: Transforming Gender and Food Security in the Global South. Routledge studies in food, society and the environment . Routledge, New York, pp. 260-282. ISBN 9781315564111

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Abstract

Hunger and malnutrition are scientific and moral problems that lie at the root of most other global development challenges, since malnutrition effectively blocks development and achievement across generations (Kavishe 1995). In Kenya, agriculture is the cornerstone of the economy. It employs millions, feeds more, and has a multiplier effect in that farming supplies raw materials to, and supports, many other industries. Small-scale farming (on plots averaging 0.2–0.3 hectares) dominates food production in Kenya, pointing to the importance of directing research and development efforts towards smallholder and subsistence farming systems (Hickey et al. 2012). Because most agricultural production takes place at the household level, gender relations are central to understanding both how the farming system works and the extent to which initiatives to build resilience in the farming system (e.g., in relation to project research activities) support equity and improve food and nutrition security. Men and women in various types of households may make separate and autonomous decisions, as well as joint decisions, on important matters such as adoption of new agricultural technologies and practices. These decisions have implications for who provides the labour and who reaps what rewards of that adoption. For example, it has been shown that when women control income, they generally allocate a higher percentage to food, health, clothing, and education for their children than men do (FAO n.d.). As a result, a better understanding of the gendered division of household labour is an essential component of enabling household food provisioning and the marketing of agricultural products through agricultural innovation systems capable of supporting resilience...

Item Type:	Book Section
Divisions:	Research Program : East & Southern Africa
CRP:	CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes
Series Name:	Routledge studies in food, society and the environment
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Food security, Gender survey, Gender in agriculture, Gender, Technology Adoption, Semi-Arid region, Eastern Kenya, Household food security
Subjects:	Others > Food Security Others > Gender Research Others > Kenya
Depositing User:	Mr Ramesh K
Date Deposited:	18 Nov 2016 10:03
Last Modified:	07 Sep 2017 07:23
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/9788
Acknowledgement:	The authors acknowledge Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), as well as the Government of Kenya, for their support of the partnership project “Innovating for Resilient Farming Systems in Semi-Arid Kenya”. We further acknowledge McGill University and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) for hosting the project’s management and research teams. An earlier version of this chapter was presented at the International Food Security Dialogue 2014, “Enhancing Food Production, Gender Equity and Nutritional Security in a Changing World”, presented by the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) with funding from IDRC/DFATD and hosted by the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada), 20 April–2 May.
Links:	Google Scholar

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