The Relationship between gender-inclusive access to agricultural credit and household food security: evidence from Kirinyaga County
Date
2025
Authors
Muchira, B. M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
Numerous households in developing nations, notably in Africa, grapple with insufficient and nutritious food despite food insecurity interventions. Exclusionary agricultural financing, especially impacting women smallholder farmers, hampers food security by limiting credit, resources, and inputs, reducing crop yields, and hindering food production and household well-being. Addressing gender disparities in agricultural credit access is crucial to unlocking the potential of the agriculture industry, fostering sustainable food production, and improving livelihoods. This research investigates the relationship between household food security in Kirinyaga County, Kenya, and gender-inclusive access to agricultural credit. Objectives include exploring gender dynamics' influence on credit accessibility and its effect on household food security. The study delved into women's empowerment effects, scrutinized gender disparities in credit access, and assessed implications for food security. Cooperative membership's relationship with household food security is also examined. The exploration is guided by theoretical frameworks such as feminist theory, intra-household dynamics theory, and the Social Capital Food Theory (SCT). The study targeted approximately 50,782 farmers actively engaged in farming in Kirinyaga County, comprising 43,113 coffee cooperative farmers, 6,430 dairy farmers, and 1,239 irrigation cooperative farmers. Using the Yamane formula, a sample size of 397 farmers was determined for data collection. The research employed a stratified probability sampling methodology to ensure an impartial opportunity for every individual within the population to be chosen for inclusion in the sample. A Multivariate Probit analysis revealed that the ease of securing funds for farming by women and equal chances for men and women to get money for farming had a positive and highly significant influence on Food Availability, Food Utilization, and Food Accessibility. Women's involvement in farming and decision-making also had a positive and significant impact on household food security dimensions. However, challenges in accessing money for farming needs negatively affected Food Availability and Food Accessibility. Cooperative membership had a positive and highly significant effect on all three dimensions of food security. The study concludes that gender-inclusive access to agricultural credit, women's empowerment, addressing gender disparities, and strengthening cooperative membership are crucial for enhancing household food security. Recommendations include implementing gender-sensitive policies and initiatives, prioritizing women's empowerment in agriculture and decision-making, promoting inclusive lending practices, and strengthening cooperative membership. Stakeholders should adopt gender-inclusive practices such as targeted interventions, capacity-building programs for women farmers, and awareness campaigns promoting cooperative membership.
Key words: Gender-Inclusive, Access to Agricultural Credit & Household Food Security
Description
Full - text thesis
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Citation
Muchira, B. M. (2025). The Relationship between gender-inclusive access to agricultural credit and household food security: Evidence from Kirinyaga County [Strathmore University]. http://hdl.handle.net/11071/16009