Abstract:
This research investigated the gender related constraints impeding women farmers’
participation in soil conservation in the semi-arid areas of the Masinga dam catchment area in
Kenya. Data was collected mainly through a questionnaire administered to 150 farmers and
analyzed by use of descriptive statistics. Findings of the research revealed that a significantly
high number of women farmers as opposed to that of male farmers did not participate
effectively in soil conservation activities. Why? Because women farmers especially those in
female managed (de jure) and female managed (de facto) farms operated in a system
characterized by unfair and unjustifiable distribution and allocation of resources. First, most of
them unlike the male farmers experienced serious financial difficulties and as a result could not
afford too hire labor or to buy farm inputs that are essential for soil conservation work.
Secondly, women farmers did not enjoy security of land tenure and were thus skeptical about
investing their meager resources and energy in conserving land that did not fully belong to them.
Thirdly, these farmers faced a serious labor shortage constraint, a problem made worse by the
unequal and unfair gender biased distribution of household duties which left women
overburdened with the heavy and very demanding duties and no time to attend to soil
conservation matters. Lastly, majority of women farmers never received extension advice
because the extension agents preferred to advise men farmers. In addition, extension agents
used some gender unfriendly approaches, which discouraged many women farmers from
consulting with them. These four problems hampered the effective participation of the women
farmers, who form the majority of the farming community, in soil conservation; hence the poor
status of soil conservation in the study area. To remedy the situation, the government should
devise gender friendly policies that empower women farmers to deal with soil conservation and
other environmental problems effectively.
