Colonial policy, gendered technology, and women’s food production in Homa Bay District, Kenya, 1902–1963

Abstract

Women were central to household food production in Homa Bay District, yet the introduction of British colonial rule transformed the institutional conditions under which they accessed land, agricultural knowledge and technology. This study examined how British colonial policies shaped women’s access to agricultural technologies and influenced food production in Homa Bay District, Kenya, between 1902 and 1963. The study was guided by the Articulation of Modes of Production Theory,, and Techno-Feminism Theory .The study adopted a historical research design and drew on archival records, oral interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and secondary sources. Purposive and snowball sampling were used in the broader study to select 80 participants, comprising 56 individually interviewed respondents and 24 participants in three FGDs. Archival materials were obtained from the Kenya National Archives and regional archives, while oral evidence was corroborated with documentary and secondary sources. Data were analysed thematically and through content analysis, guided by the Articulation of Modes of Production and Techno-Feminist perspectives. The findings show that taxation and labour policies increased male labour migration and transferred greater responsibility for household food production to women. Colonial education and extension systems privileged men’s access to formal agricultural knowledge, while commercial agriculture channelled technologies such as ox-ploughs, improved seeds, fertilizers and credit mainly towards male-controlled production. Land policies, the Africa Land Development schemes and the Swynnerton Plan further intensified women’s labour and weakened their access to productive resources. Nevertheless, women demonstrated technological agency through intercropping, seed preservation, composting, manure application, drought-resistant crops, food preservation and the selective adaptation of introduced technologies. The study concludes that colonial agricultural modernization created a gendered technological system in which women became increasingly responsible for food security while remaining comparatively disadvantaged in access to formal technologies and institutional support. It recommends gender-responsive agricultural policies that strengthen women’s access to land, credit, extension services and labour-saving technologies while recognizing and integrating women’s indigenous agricultural knowledge into contemporary food-security strategies.