Continuity and change in women’s agricultural technology adoption in Homa Bay District, Kenya, 1985–2022

1Moses Matunga Mireri; Omondi Bernard Ouma

doi:10.51867/AQSSR.3.4.2

Auteurs-es

1Moses Matunga Mireri Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya Auteur-e https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8908-0316
Omondi Bernard Ouma Maseno University, Kenya Auteur-e https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7766-0029

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.51867/AQSSR.3.4.2

Mots-clés :

Agricultural Technology, Food Production, Gender, Homa-Bay, Post-Colonial Feminism, Technology Adoption, Techno-Feminism, Women

Résumé

Women play a central role in food production, yet their adoption and use of agricultural technologies have continued to be shaped by unequal access to land, credit, extension services and other productive resources. This study evaluated the continuities and changes in technology adoption by women in food production in Homa-Bay District between 1985 and 2022. The study was guided by Post-colonial Feminism and Techno-feminism and adopted a historical research design. Data were obtained from archival records, oral interviews, key informant interviews, Focus Group Discussions and secondary sources. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select 80 participants, comprising 56 individual respondents and 24 participants in three Focus Group Discussions. Qualitative data were analysed thematically and through content analysis. The findings show that women’s access to agricultural technologies expanded during the period through the adoption of improved seeds, fertilizers, machinery, soil conservation practices, small-scale irrigation and information and communication technologies. However, important continuities remained. Male dominance in land ownership and control, limited access to credit, extension services and agricultural inputs, and unequal household decision-making continued to constrain women’s ability to adopt and benefit from technologies. Agricultural liberalization and privatization also shifted access to inputs and services towards market-based systems, creating additional financial barriers. At the same time, women responded to these constraints through collective organization, adaptive use of technologies and the combination of new technologies with existing agricultural knowledge and practices. The study concludes that technological change expanded women’s opportunities in food production but did not eliminate the historical gender inequalities shaping access to and control of agricultural resources and technologies. The study recommends secure land rights for women, gender-responsive extension and training, improved access to affordable credit and inputs, and support for women’s collective initiatives and agricultural knowledge.

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