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Determinants of Food Security in Kenya, a Gender Perspective

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  • Kassie, Menale
  • Ndiritu, Simon Wagura
  • Shiferaw, Bekele A.

Abstract

The paper contributes to an understanding of the determinants of food security with a bias on the link between gender of household head and food security using detailed farm household and plot level survey data from 30 divisions in rural Kenya. Both parametric and non-parametric econometric techniques are used to ensure robustness of the results from the econometric analyses. Since the assumption of pooled regression is rejected, we run separate food security regressions at plot level both for Male Headed Households (MHHs) and Female Headed Households (FHHs). Both descriptive and econometrics results shows that FHHs in general are more likely to be food insecure compared to their male counterparts. The analysis further reveals that Female Headed Households‘ food security increases with quality of extension workers; land quality, farm size while distance to the market reduces the probability of food security. For the quality of extension staff, policy makers should focus on improving the skill of extension staff for efficient and effective dissemination of technologies and other important information that has impact on food security. Since area expansion is infeasible due to land scarcity in Kenya, policy makers focusing on land augmenting practices can help farm households to escape food insecurity.

Suggested Citation

  • Kassie, Menale & Ndiritu, Simon Wagura & Shiferaw, Bekele A., 2012. "Determinants of Food Security in Kenya, a Gender Perspective," 86th Annual Conference, April 16-18, 2012, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 135124, Agricultural Economics Society.
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:aesc12:135124
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.135124
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Tesfaye C. Cholo & Luuk Fleskens & Diana Sietz & Jack Peerlings, 2019. "Land fragmentation, climate change adaptation, and food security in the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 50(1), pages 39-49, January.
    2. Md Kamrul Hasan & Sam Desiere & Marijke D’Haese & Lalit Kumar, 2018. "Impact of climate-smart agriculture adoption on the food security of coastal farmers in Bangladesh," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(4), pages 1073-1088, August.
    3. Stephen P. D’Alessandro & Jorge Caballero & John Lichte & Simon Simpkin, 2015. "Kenya," World Bank Publications - Reports 23350, The World Bank Group.
    4. Oludele Akinloye Akinboade & Segun Adeyemi Adeyefa, 2018. "An Analysis of Variance of Food Security by its Main Determinants Among the Urban Poor in the City of Tshwane, South Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 61-82, May.

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    Keywords

    Food Security and Poverty;

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