Gender dynamics in urban agriculture in Eldoret, Kenya

Many studies document that urban agriculture is an increasingly important livelihood activity in developing countries, and that women contribute significantly to both household livelihood systems and the urban informal economy. A growing body of researchers have attempted to explain the socio-economic significance of urban agriculture in different geographical contexts. However, existing studies have not examined urban agriculture within the broader context of how individuals and households combine and organize their various assets, capabilities and activities to construct specific livelihood systems. Livelihood systems are not only dynamic and multidimensional, but are also mediated and reconstructed by complex gender dynamics and intra-household relations that create differential opportunities, constraints, motivations and outcomes for men and women as social categories. Gender mediates access and control of resources, entitlement to benefits of production, labour division, and decision-making patterns that are critical both for the functioning of urban agriculture and for the organisation of household livelihoods in general. Urban agriculture is an increasingly important livelihood activity; yet, the implications of gender dynamics and intra-household relations have not been clearly examined, nor has the practice been linked to the broader concept of sustainable livelihood systems. Hence, the central question of the study is: What are the distinct roles, motivations and constraints pertaining to female and male urban farmers, and how do gender dynamics shape the functioning of urban agriculture and the construction of livelihoods across urban space? A stratified sample of 400 households in Kisumu, Kenya, will be examined using (semi-)structured questionnaires, as well as in-depth interviews, case studies, and focus group discussions. Two major conceptual approaches are applied. The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach provides tools, methodologies and concepts for examining the multiple dimensions of livelihood strategies and intra-household relations that construct the way individuals and households organise their means of living. This approach creates an entry point for analysing the complexity of urban agriculture as a livelihood strategy. The second approach is the Gender Analysis Framework that will provide complementary tools and methodologies specifically for analysing the gender dynamics within both urban agriculture and household livelihoods. This makes it possible to locate urban agriculture within the broader terrain of sustainable livelihood systems and gender dynamics. This study aims to deliver outcomes that will enhance scientific understanding of how gender concerns and multi-sectoral interests can be integrated into design and implementation of urban development programmes to achieve more sustainable and equitable urban livelihoods and poverty alleviation.