WOMEN'S ACCESS TO FOOD PRODUCTION RESOURCES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO FOOD SYSTEMS

EVIDENCE FROM NYATIKE SUB-COUNTY, MIGORI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Women play a crucial role in ensuring sustainable food security and nutrition for many rural livelihoods in Kenya, but continue to face entrenched disparities in resource access and decision-making, which hinder their potential in food systems. Despite the persistent high rates of food insecurity and chronic food poverty, women in Nyatike Sub-County, Migori County, attempt to contribute to food systems despite limited access to land, credit, farm inputs, technology, and extension. To address the localized gap in gendered limitations on women’s agency, this study examined the relationship between women’s access to food production resources and their contributions to the region’s food systems. Based on social role theory, supported by feminist political economy and empowerment theory for additional analytical contextualization frameworks, the study used a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design incorporating a multi-stage sampling design where Nyatike was purposively selected based on its food insecurity index, with four out of five divisions stratified across agroecological zones, with questionnaires administered to 391 farmers. Eleven in-depth interviews with agricultural officers and eight focus groups with farmers were conducted for contextual interpretation. Descriptive results showed widespread marginalization with 93% reporting women's insecure land access (M = 1.99, SD = 0.575), 96% reporting limited access to credit (M = 1.58, SD = 0.643), 66.3% reporting inadequate access to farm inputs (M = 2.60, SD = 1.038), 79.5% reporting limited access to training and extension (M = 2.33, SD = 0.850), and 71% reporting inadequate access to technologies (M = 2.49, SD = 0.928). Hierarchical regression revealed that women’s agency, sociocultural norms, and access to resources explained 72.2% of the variance in women’s contribution, with extension services (β = .335) and technology access (β = .317) being the strongest predictors. The study concludes that the structural and systemic inequalities that exist in Nyatike hamper women's contribution by severely suppressing local food production efficiency and restricting broader community-wide food system development. To turn women's labour into food production and increase household food security, this study recommends gender-responsive land tenure, customized credit facilities, improved farm input access, and exclusive training and extension.