Against the backdrop of global efforts to achieve food security and gender equality, understanding how women perceive their roles within the food value chain is vital. This paper examines women's perceptions of gender roles along the food value chain and its impact on household food security. Focusing on women Chama members in Kakamega County, the study aims to shed light on complex dynamics influencing household food security. The study employed semi-structured interviews with 50 respondents selected through purposive and snowball sampling. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis method. The findings revealed that gender role perception influences women's participation in the food value chain. Most respondents perceived gender roles as contributing to women's dominance in low-capital activities with limited returns. Moreover, respondents perceived that gender role division would increase gendered gaps in productive resource ownership, access to finances and labour, and technology adoption, hindering women's participation in food security. To address these challenges, women turn to Chama to enhance their access to collateral-free loans for business ventures, land acquisition, technology investment, and health and nutrition knowledge acquisition. Notably, women in entrepreneurial Chama perceive more balanced gender roles across the food value chain than their welfare-focused counterparts. However, all respondents perceive consumption-level roles as predominantly female. The study indicates that women's empowerment through Chama influences their gender role perception along the food value chain leading to improved household food security. The study offers recommendations urging policymakers and organizations to formulate inclusive policies supporting women's roles in food security initiatives.

Authors:
Franciscah Anyona Omukiti, University of Tsukuba, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Franciscah Anyona Omukiti is a doctoral student at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. Her research embraces gender, land tenure and rural development with a special focus on the land tenure security of rural women.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anyonafranciscah/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

Bookmark