Abstract
In Kenya, cassava (Manihot esculenta) is one of the strategic crops with the ability to withstand adverse climatic conditions. It thrives well in areas with little rainfall such as Kuria west sub-county. It is an important food security crop for resource poor households and has a high potential for value addition. With limited range of crop and livestock farm enterprises that can be raised, cassava production engages all gender and age groups within the household. However, the level of men and women involvement in cassava production and on-farm processes and whether this constitutes decent work as defined by International Labour Organization (ILO) has not been evaluated. Data was collected from 224 systematically selected farmers drawn from four wards where cassava farming and processing activities are evenly distributed. A sampling frame was established from the sub-county farmers’ list. The first farmer was selected using lottery method and then the subsequent respondent was selected using a calculated sampling interval until the sample size was reached. Descriptive statistics and ordinary least square (OLS) econometric analysis were used to analyze the data. Likert results showed that women were more involved than men in the production and on-farm processing with means of 2.6 and 1.4 respectively on a 4 point scale. OLS results showed that age, extension contacts, credit access and experience significantly affected the level of involvement of both women and men at 95% confidence level. Some 68 and 92% were not aware of National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) respectively. About 65% used protective gear during work and the hourly wage earned was 44% higher than the minimum set by the government of Kenya. More civic education needs to be done to improve the participation by men and the decent work status in the Kuria west sub county. Key words: Cassava, involvement, decent work, processing, production, men, women.
Highlights
Commercialization of agricultural activities among smallholder households has been touted as a crucial means of achieving food security
The larger house hold sizes of men headed over women headed are explained by the polygamous nature of the Kuria community emanating from early marriages of teenage girls (Magangi, 2013)
0.989 of involvement in cassava production and on-farm processing was significantly different with women almost twice (2.6) involved than men (1.38)
Summary
Commercialization of agricultural activities among smallholder households has been touted as a crucial means of achieving food security It increases income for households, and promotes efficient use of scarce resources in rural areas leading to faster development (Dannson et al, 2004). In Kuria west sub-county, since the crop is labour intensive, the gender roles in the different activities along the production and on-farm processing have not been established. Gainful employment can enhance enterprise production improving food security in the household These were achieved through the following objectives: To analyze the socioeconomic characteristics of farmers involved in cassava production and on-farm processing; to determine the level of involvement by men and women in cassava production and on-farm processing activities; to determine the factors that affect involvement in cassava production and on-farm processing; to compare the working conditions of cassava farmers with the ILO standards of decent work
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