Women’s empowerment and household welfare in the Kenyan African Indigenous Vegetable supply chain

verfasst von

Luzia Deißler, Henning Krause, Ulrike Grote

Abstract

Over the last decade, African Indigenous Vegetables (AIV) value chains have emerged, and production has become increasingly commercialized. Male participation in previously female-dominated AIV production is expected to increase, with serious implications for women’s empowerment. This paper analyzes the current status of smallholder AIV production and income control in Kenya, using ANOVA and descriptive statistics. Furthermore, the research aims to explore the determinants of women’s intra-household empowerment and assess their impact on household welfare and female income control by performing generalized structural equation modeling. The analyses are based on primary data from 706 smallholder households in rural and peri-urban Kenya. Our results show that the status quo of AIV production and marketing remains but as income increases, control over income shifts in favor of men. Women’s empowerment is positively correlated with land ownership and education and negatively correlated with off-farm work. Moreover, we find that female empowerment leads to improved dietary diversity, increased education spending, and increased female-controlled income. We conclude that advances in land rights, as well as improvements in women’s education, have the potential to strengthen female empowerment, improving their chances of maintaining control of AIV revenues even during commercialization. Furthermore, empowering women through these means not only enhances their control over income but also contributes to broader household welfare and supports sustainable development goals, such as gender equality and food security, within the agricultural sector.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Umweltökonomik und Welthandel

Externe Organisation(en)

Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen

Typ

Artikel

Journal

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Band

12

Anzahl der Seiten

11

Publikationsdatum

02.05.2025

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Allgemeine Unternehmensführung und Buchhaltung, Allgemeine Kunst und Geisteswissenschaften, Allgemeine Sozialwissenschaften, Allgemeine Psychologie, Allgemeine Ökonomie, Ökonometrik und Finanzen

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 2 – Kein Hunger, SDG 5 – Gleichberechtigung der Geschlechter

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04832-w (Zugang: Offen)