The hidden roots of problems in Kenya's agriculture: gender and differential access to resources in Nandi North district, 1963-2000

bibliographic database
Line

Periodical article

Title:	The hidden roots of problems in Kenya's agriculture: gender and differential access to resources in Nandi North district, 1963-2000
Author:	Tanui-Too, Prisca
Year:	2007
Periodical:	Mila: a Journal of the Institute of African Studies
Volume:	8
Pages:	36-46
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Kenya
Subjects:	agricultural policy gender inequality
Abstract:	The majority of studies on the negative growth rate of Kenya's agricultural sector attribute this decline to high population growth, drought and increases in petroleum prices. However, there has been a shift towards the realization that there are deep-seated socioeconomic factors that contribute to Kenya's agricultural crisis. This paper employs a feminist political economy approach to examine agricultural development in Nandi district, Kenya, since 1963. In particular, it analyses government policies and cultural constraints that curtail women's full potential in agricultural production. It argues that an effective solution to Kenya's agricultural problems must be based on an adequate understanding of gender relations in agriculture. The majority of farmers are women, but they are marginalized in policy formulation and operate within ideological environments defined by male-dominated political, social and cultural structures. The exploitation of women's labour, their lack of access to resources such as land, credit, technology and extension services, negatively affects the agricultural sector. Bibliogr., sum. [ASC Leiden abstract]