Abstract
A total of 8,699 female and 12,928 male farmers visited plant clinics in Kenya between 2012 and 2016. The lower clinic attendance by women farmers indicates they may lack information on plant health problems. This study aimed to understand the environment plant clinics operate in, identify the reasons for low clinic attendance by women, and possible strategies to reach more female farmers. Stratified random sampling was used to select 118 female and 119 male plant clinic users and, 138 male and 156 female farmers who had not used plant clinics. The study established there were significant differences (p<0.01) in use of different plant health information sources depending on region, gender and whether a farmer was a clinic user or not. Lack of awareness about plant clinics, services offered and who was supposed to attend were the main reasons for failure to attend plant clinics. Thus more awareness creation should be done. Limited access to plant clinics was reported by some farmers, suggesting that more plant clinics are needed. There were significant differences (p<0.05) in regional and gender access to plant clinics, highlighting the need for stratified plant health information dissemination methods. To extend the reach of plant clinics, training of plant nurses/lead farmers who are easily accessible to all farmers is warranted. Key words: Clinic attendance, gender, plant clinic, plant doctor, plant health advice.  
Highlights
The Plantwise programme launched its first pilot plant clinics in Kenya in 2010
Data entered in the Plantwise Online Management System (POMS) between January 2012 and June 2016 were analysed for the 122 plant clinics and the ratio of male to female farmers calculated
The difference between men and women was not statistically significant (χ2=2.57, p>0.05) for all the plant clinic areas. These results suggest that one of the factors stopping the use of plant health advice from the plant clinics is lack of awareness
Summary
The Plantwise programme launched its first pilot plant clinics in Kenya in 2010. The Plantwise programme works with national partners to strengthen countries’ plant health systems, through establishing a network of plant clinics as well as supporting plant health system stakeholder linkages. There are currently 122 plant clinics in 14 counties distributed in 5 regions; Central, Eastern, Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza. The clinics are run by 222 plant doctors; 141 male and 81 female. Plant doctors are extension staff mainly from the ministry of agriculture, livestock and fisheries (MoALF) who have received training on how to diagnose plant health problems and run a plant clinic (Danielsen et al, 2013; Scheidegger and Graf, 2013). Most plant clinics are situated in market
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