Exploring changing dynamics in subsistence farming: narratives of women farmers in Western Kenya

Despite the great potential that small-scale farming holds, there remain widespread impediments to the adoption of economically and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. Of particular interest to this discourse are poor women who live off ecologically fragile lands. In addition, while these women hold the primary responsibility for household food production, their ability to fully leverage the land on which they subsist remains attenuated. Using an institutional framework, this qualitative study explored the experiences of women engaged in subsistence farming in western Kenya by interviewing women engaged in subsistence farming (n=41), community gatekeepers and local government officials (n=15). The study’s central emergent theme indicated that farming decision-making was informed by women’s agricultural knowledge, socio-cultural obligations, their kinship ties, and services provided by both government and non-governmental agencies. As society has changed, the socio-cultural rules which were once designed to secure generational wealth have become untenable for women, youth, and other minoritized groups. This, coupled by weak interventions in the public and private sector and the changing ecology has increased the fragility of subsistence farming. Social work practitioners working with small-scale farmers in the region should consider the implications these factors have on clients’ ability to engage in viable agricultural activities. Current and previous volumes are available at: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net How to reference using ASWNet style: Kagotho, N., Akura, G. O. and Otieno, M. O. (2024). Exploring changing dynamics in subsistence farming: Narratives of women farmers in Western Kenya. African Journal of Social Work, 14(6), 407-416. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v14i6.12