{"id":134119,"date":"2026-03-13T07:02:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T07:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/womens-empowerment-in-agriculture-key-to-kenyas-economic-growth-experts-say\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T07:02:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T07:02:56","slug":"womens-empowerment-in-agriculture-key-to-kenyas-economic-growth-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/womens-empowerment-in-agriculture-key-to-kenyas-economic-growth-experts-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s empowerment in agriculture key to Kenya\u2019s economic growth, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stakeholders from academia, research institutions, media, and civil society convened to mark International Women\u2019s Week 2026 with a high level forum highlighting the critical role women play in Kenya\u2019s agricultural economy and the urgent need to address systemic barriers limiting their participation and productivity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Held under the theme \u201cWomen Cultivating Opportunity\u201d, the event brought together leading experts and practitioners to examine the challenges faced by women farmers and explore policy and investment solutions to strengthen their economic empowerment.<\/p>\n

Opening the forum, Zubeida Kananu, President of the Kenya Editors Guild, reflected on the often overlooked contribution of women in agriculture. She shared a personal story about her mother, whose daily labor supported both family and community despite facing barriers to land ownership, credit, and modern agricultural technologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy late mother loved feeding people. Through her small kibanda she supported farmers, educated her children, and nourished a community. Her story reminds us that behind every thriving food system are women quietly feeding a nation.\u201d \u2014 Zubeidah Kananu.<\/p>\n

\u201d\u00a0Across Kenya, women farmers and agripreneurs give so much every single day. They cultivate the land, feed families, sustain local markets, and support entire value chains. Through their work, they are not only providing food \u2014 they are creating opportunity, supporting livelihoods, and strengthening communities.\u201d She added.<\/p>\n

She noted that too often, the stories of women farmers and agripreneurs remain underreported.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s event challenges us to strengthen evidence-based, gender-responsive journalism \u2014 journalism that highlights both the challenges women face and the innovative solutions emerging across the country.\u00a0We must ensure that the stories of women cultivating opportunity \u2014 in farms, markets, cooperatives, and agri-tech spaces \u2014 are told with the depth, accuracy, and visibility they deserve.\u201d She urged.<\/p>\n

Women Drive Agriculture but Face Structural Barriers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Delivering a keynote presentation, Prof. Mary Mbithi \u2013 Team Leader at the University of Nairobi WEE Hub and a Professor of Economics at the University, highlighted the disproportionate role women play in Kenya\u2019s agricultural sector. Women account for 70\u201380 percent of the agricultural labor force yet represent only 33 percent of formal wage employment in the sector. Even more striking, women receive less than 10 percent of agricultural credit, despite working longer hours on farms and in households.<\/p>\n

Professor Mbiti emphasized that structural barriers, including limited land ownership rights, restrictive cultural norms, and limited access to finance, continue to hinder women\u2019s full economic participation. \u201cAddressing these barriers is not just a gender issue; it is an economic imperative,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cClosing the gender gap in agriculture can significantly improve productivity, food security, and household incomes.\u201d She called for policies that strengthen women\u2019s land and inheritance rights, expand access to affordable finance, and support women-led enterprises across agricultural value chains.<\/p>\n

Education and Policy Reform Critical to Women\u2019s Participation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also speaking at the forum, Dr. Lucy Wakiaga \u2013 Associate Research Scientist at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC<\/a>), underscored the role of education and policy reform in addressing gender inequality in agriculture.<\/p>\n

Dr. Wakiaga pointed to persistent disparities in education \u2014 particularly in STEM fields \u2014 that limit women\u2019s opportunities to adopt new agricultural technologies and participate in higher-value segments of the agricultural economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cEducational inequality directly affects women\u2019s productivity and leadership in agriculture,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we want inclusive economic growth, we must invest in gender-responsive education systems and remove the cultural stereotypes that discourage girls from pursuing science and technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

She further highlighted the development cost of gender inequality, noting that closing gender gaps could significantly boost agricultural productivity and strengthen national food security.<\/p>\n

Recognizing the Invisible Burden of Unpaid Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

Panel discussions also examined the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work carried by women, which limits their ability to participate fully in economic activities. Participants emphasized the need for investments in social infrastructure, including childcare services and labour-saving technologies, to reduce the time women spend on unpaid domestic work and enable them to engage more actively in income-generating activities.<\/p>\n

Partnerships and Inclusive Approaches<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speakers called for stronger partnerships among governments, research institutions, development partners, and the private sector to scale technologies and innovations that respond to the needs of women farmers.<\/p>\n

The forum also highlighted the importance of including men and youth in women\u2019s empowerment initiatives to ensure sustainable progress within households and communities.<\/p>\n

Innovative approaches discussed included youth- and women-led quality centers that connect farmers to markets, strengthen quality standards, and create opportunities along agricultural value chains.<\/p>\n

A Call to Action<\/strong><\/p>\n

The event concluded with a call for policy reforms, increased investment in women farmers, and stronger data collection to guide evidence-based decision-making.<\/p>\n

Participants agreed that placing women at the center of agricultural development is essential to achieving inclusive economic growth, strengthening food systems, and building resilient rural economies.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmpowering women farmers is one of the most powerful investments we can make in Kenya\u2019s future,\u201d speakers emphasized.<\/p>\n

The post Women\u2019s empowerment in agriculture key to Kenya\u2019s economic growth, experts say<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stakeholders from academia, research institutions, media, and civil society convened to mark International Women\u2019s Week 2026 with a high level forum highlighting the critical role women play in Kenya\u2019s agricultural economy and the urgent need to address systemic barriers limiting their participation and productivity. Held under the theme \u201cWomen Cultivating Opportunity\u201d, the event brought together […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134119\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}