Programme de bourses "Echanges Universitaires"

Small-scale farming in two different ecozones West of Mount Kenya: Analysis of livelihood strategies with a focus on food security differentiated by gendered coping mechanisms

Abstract
The concrete setting of this study is the analysis of livelihoods of small-scale farmers West of Mount Kenya in two different ecozones. The geographical focus of this study is the north-western, semi-arid zone of Mount Kenya (Laikipia district). Generally speaking, the whole region west of Mount Kenya is characterized by rapidly decreasing rainfall with increasing distance from the mountain. This area has undergone rapid and profound transformation in the past 50 years. The main driving forces behind these processes have been political and economic in nature with the addition of an environmental factor in recent years- climate change. (Kiteme et al., 2008: 18)

Within the analysis of livelihood strategies a special focus will be on food security. These two issues shall be analysed with a gender perspective. The aim of this study is to highlight these differences in livelihoods and vulnerabilities in space and time.
The following specific objectives have been formulated:

• Analysis of the respective livelihoods in the two ecozones.
• Within the analysis of the livelihood situation special attention shall be given on food security issues.
• The two issues livelihood strategies and food security shall be analysed with a gender perspective.
• A comparison of small-scale farmers’ response to their specific challenges and vulnerabilities and identification of coping mechanisms between the two respective areas shall be made, pointing out the changes in the past twenty years.
  

This study will contribute towards the development research of small scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Development problems shall be identified in a concrete social and spatial context, with a special focus on food security and gender biased constraints and opportunities. The research will fit in with Centre for training and integrated Research in ASAL Development (CETRAD) mandate to assess and evaluate the interaction and relations between arid and semi-arid lands and the high potential area (in particular mountain regions and highlands)(CETRAD, 25.3.10).

The structural model of an actor-oriented perspective on regional development by Wiesmann (1992) will serve as the theoretical framework for this study and it will be complemented by the ‘Sustainable Livelihood Model’ of the Development for International Development (DfID) (1999).

To study the livelihood strategies both qualitative and quantitative data are used. The methodology used consists of field surveys, i.e. interviews with small-scale farmers and experts in the Mount Kenya region, field observations, analysis of statistics and literature concerning the topic of livelihoods and food security in East Africa.

The comparison of the two settlements Mwichuiri and Kihato has lead to some interesting results which shall be pointed out briefly. They are to be seen as preliminary results since the analysis of the study is still on-going. As might have been expected interview respondents in Kihato are more affected by lack in rainfall than farmers in Mwichuiri. This results in more frequent harvest failures and dependency on food aid in Kihato, the drier region of the two. Peasants cannot depend on their farm activities for a living and look for alternative incomes such as casual labour and business more often than farmers in Mwichuiri. Irrigation is a luxury which can only be done by a few comparatively well-off farmers. On the contrary in Mwichuiri, farm activities provide a sound income for the
respondent households and surprisingly, 90% irrigate their fields, despite it being less necessary compared to climatic conditions in Kihato. Water is regarded as the main problem in Kihato,. However, in Mwichuiri issues related to the successful marketing of their products is the biggest worry of the farmers.

Another interesting result of the conducted study is that in both areas the average acres under crop are 1.9 acres even though the average size of the plot is 3.8 acres in Kihato and 2.3 acres in Mwichuiri. The first results tend to confirm the hypothesis that in the drier area the remaining land is used as grazing land whereas in the wetter area the animals are taken to the forest for grazing or fed on zero-grazing methods since their average plot size is too small to graze the animals. It is also possible that the smaller plot size in Mwichuiri is compensated by more additional plots but this remains to be analysed.

Figure 1: Maize field in Kihato (Photo: Christine Bigler)

Figure 2: Farmer in Kihato (Photo: Stephanie Stotz)

Figure 3: Farm in Mwichuiri (Photo: Stephanie Stotz)


Figure 4: Farm with banana trees and chicken stall in Mwichuiri (Photo: Stephanie Stotz)

Contact Persons:
Stephanie Stotz
Landoltstr. 83
3007 Bern
Tel: +41 (0) 31 371 36 06
e-mail: stephanie_stotz@students.unibe.ch

Christine Bigler Militärstr. 12 3014 Bern Tel: +41 (0) 31 331 30 86 e-mail: christinebigler@students.unibe.ch

Supervisor in Kenya:
Supervising tutor partner organization CETRAD: Dr. Boniface P. Kiteme
Regional Coordinator, East Africa NCCR North-South
P.O. Box: 144,
NANYUKI- Kenya
Telephone: +254 62 31328
Fax: +254 62 31323
E-mail: b.kiteme@africaonline.co.ke

Supervisors in Switzerland:
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Urs Wiesmann
Member of the CDE Board,
Director NCCR North-South
Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) Institute of Geography
University of Bern
Hallerstrasse 10
CH-3012 Berne
Tel. +41 31 631 88 69 (direct); +41 31 631 88 22 (Secretariat)
E-mail: urs.wiesmann@cde.unibe.ch
http://www.cde.unibe.ch
http://www.north.south.unibe.ch

Supervising tutor University of Berne: Dr. Thomas Kohler
Associate Director CDE (Centre for Development and Environment)
Institute of Geography
Hallerstrasse 10
CH-3012 Bern
Tel.:+41 (0)31 631 88 22 (direct: +41 (0)31 631 88 60)
Fax.: +41 (0)31 631 85 44
E-Mail: thomas.kohler@cde.unibe.ch