Green Roots in the Grassroots: Conceptualizing Eco-Conservation and Eco-Funding for Women in Vihiga, Kenya

Women’s grassroots ecological activism significantly influences environmental conservation in Vihiga County, Kenya. These women’s labor, expertise, and organizational skills are essential for addressing environmental degradation and resource scarcity. This study examines how rural women, through community-based organizations (CBOs), address the intersection of environmental issues and gendered socioeconomic hierarchies to promote ecological balance and community well-being. Recognizing that environmental crises disproportionately affect rural women due to their greater involvement in water collection, food production, and caregiving, the research situates women’s activism within a broader context of environmental justice, community ecology, and equitable development. This study examines the various goals, adaptive approaches, and everyday acts of resistance carried out by women-led community-based organizations, employing a qualitative method that includes in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. It notably focuses on how women tackle structural obstacles, including deforestation, inadequate waste management systems, fluctuating rainfall patterns, and the depletion of essential water supplies. Additionally, the study explores various international frameworks that contradict ongoing local efforts toward environmental justice. Lastly, the study examines how enduring gender stereotypes and the unequal distribution of labor influence, limit, and occasionally enhance women’s involvement in conservation. Despite constrained access to resources, little institutional support, and existing patriarchal institutions, these women demonstrate autonomy through creative, locally based environmental initiatives. The study highlights the value of indigenous ecological knowledge, intergenerational education, and traditional stewardship practices that women use to promote biodiversity and sustainability. Their efforts are ecologically beneficial and economically uplifting because they promote income-generating enterprises and foster social solidarity. Lastly, this research project examines the significance of local institutions and community mobilization as instruments for women to influence environmental programs and voice their ecological rights. By shedding light on these often-overlooked contributions, the study challenges mainstream narratives that sideline rural women in environmental discourse, advocating for their full participation in decision-making processes. Ultimately, this thesis argues that women’s grassroots environmental engagement in Vihiga County contributes to ecological justice, socioeconomic justice, and gender equality, which fundamentally challenge conventional local and international environmental governance paradigms.