Influence of Gender Roles On Crop Production and Food Security in North West Kisumu Location, Kisumu County Kenya

Abstract

Gender disparity is a general global and regional concern. Locally, nearly 80% of Kenya's population depends on agriculture for its livelihood. However, agricultural production has been declining due to constraints such as gender participation in crop production leading to poverty and food insecurity in the country. Generally gender mainstreaming is essential for increased food production. Most studies have attributed food insecurity to physical, economic, technological and administrative factors forgetting gender participation as a problem. In principle, existing laws provide for equal rights and privileges for both men and women. However, it is difficult to interpret existing laws ultimately compromising the equality enshrined in them. The main purpose of this study was to establish the influence of gender roles in crop production on household food security. Specific objectives are to establish the existing gender roles in the study area, assess the influence of socio-cultural practices on crop production., determine the influence of access, control and ownership of production resources on crop production and food security, and established the hunger gap in the study area guided by the functionalist perspective, which views a part of society as functional if it maintains and contributes to the survival of the society. The study area was North West Kiswnu Location consisting of four sub-locations which were considered as the basic sampling unit. The total IDeational population is 6,075 households; the study population was 4075 farming households. The unit of analysis was the household heads. The sample population was 364 calculated using Taro Yamaneis (1967) formula (of n=N/l+N (el Simple random sampling was to reach households and purposive sampling was to get respondents for Focal Group Discussions and Key Informants. Intensive interviews, household questionnaires and observation were used to collect quantitative data, while Focus Group Discussions and key informant" interviews were used to collect qualitative data. Quantitative data analysis was through descriptive statistics, while qualitative data was analyzed by categorizing relevant responses to answer research questions. Research results indicate . that education plays a role in women's engagement in crop production and that females generally engage in reproductive, productive and community activities, giving females less time to work on the farms effectively, unlike their male counterparts who mostly engaged in productive and community activities. Study results indicate division of labour by crop and by task between the males and females and heavier work-loads on females than males. The study revealed discriminatory practices and norms against women characterized by differences in power which determine access, control, and ownership of property, crop production resources, decision-making and a hunger gap in the community. Findings of this study will be of relevance to gender and food security policy and decision-makers, individuals and also improve the existing body of literature on gender roles and food security in the Location as the existing literature have their focus at the national level.