Abstract
Welfare impacts of an intensive dairy technology package on women and their families are investigated on 32 smallholder crop-livestock farms in the sub-humid zone off Kilifi District, Coast Province, Kenya. Farms were stratified according to male or female extension contact. A female enumerator interviewed the wife or female head of household on each farm regarding her present and past household responsibilities and the affects of the intensive dairy enterprise on these duties and upon the welfare of the household. On three-quarters of the male contact farms, dairy operators were women. Across all farms, women performed half of all dairy-related activities, but only on female contact farms did income from the dairy enterprise accrue to women in proportion to their labor input. The equitable return of benefits to labor corresponded with better dairy unit performance on female contact farms, where women also indicated greater access to and autonomy over household resources and decision-making. Irrespective of extension contact, there was broad consensus among the women interviewed that intensive dairying has led to improved household welfare, primarily through increased household income and milk consumption. There was also wide agreement, however, that these gains have been achieved at the expense of more work for women. Women on female contact farms were observed spending dairy income on food for the household and childrens' schooling more often than their counterparts on male contact farms. Based on these and other findings, the study concludes that gender of the extension contact, dairy operator and farm owner were determinants of the intra-household impacts of intensive dairying on the smallholder farms in this study. Recommendations for design and delivery of livestock technologies for crop-based farming systems, with special emphasis on how to minimize negative impact on vulnerable household members, are inferred from study findings.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bekure, S., de Leeuw, P. N., Grandin, B. E., and Neate, J. H. (1991).Maasai Herding: An Analysis of the Livestock Production System of Maasai Pastoralists in Eastern Kajiado District, Kenya. ILCA Systems Study No. 4, International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 154 pp.
Chavangi, N. A., and Hanssen, A. (1983). Women in Livestock Production with Particular Reference to Dairying.FAO Expert Consultation on Women in Food Production and Marketing, Rome, December 7–14, 1983.
Coppock, D. L. (1992). Ethiopian pastoral development.National Geographic Research and Exploration 8(3): 296–307.
Dieckmann, N. (1994). The integration of social and gender issues in smallholder dairy production.World Animal Review 79(2): 23–33.
Gittinger, J. P., Chernick, S., Horensein, N., and Saito, K. (1990). Household Food Security and the Role of Women.Report of the Symposium on Household Food Security and the Role of Women, Kadoma, Zimbabwe, January 21–24, 1990.
Gladwin, C. H. (1992). Gendered impacts of fertilizer subsidy removal programs in Malawi and Cameroon.Agricultural Economics 7: 141–153.
Gladwin, C. H., and McMillan, D. (1989). Is a turnaround in Africa possible without helping African women to farm?Economic Development and Cultural Change 37(2): 345–369.
Hassan, R., and Salasya, B. (1994). The Gender Factor in Maize Farming and Technology Transfer in Kenya. Paper presented at the Fourth Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Scientific Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, October 24–26, 1994.
Huss-Ashmore, R. (1992).Nutritional Impacts of Intensified Dairy Production: An Assessment in Coast Province, Kenya. International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases Technical Report No. 1, ILRAD, Nairobi, 35 pp.
Leegwater, P., Ngolo, J., and Hoorweg, J. (1991).Dairy Development and Nutrition in Kilifi District, Kenya. Food and Nutrition Studies Programme Report No. 35/1991, Food and Nutrition Planning Unit, Ministry of Planning and National Development, Nairobi, Kenya.
Martins, C. (1990). the Role of Women in the Production of Livestock in Third World Countries. Report on the GTZ project: “ThePromotion of Women in the Production of Livestock,” German Technical Assistance Agency, Berlin, Germany, 70 pp.
Mukhebi, A., Mussukuya, E., Perry, B., Thorpe, W., Baya, M., Kruska, R., Rugema, E., and Maloo, S. (1992).Farm Household Economy in Kaloleni Division, Kilifi District, Kenya (in press). International Labouratory for Research on Animal Diseases Occasional Paper Series, ILRAD, Nairobi.
Mullins, G. (1992). Dairy production, marketing and consumption in coastal Kenya. InProceedings of the All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture. Nairobi, Kenya, November 23–27, 1992.
Oxby, C. (1983). Women's contribution to animal production and husbandry.World Animal Review September–October: 2–11.
Parkin, D. (1991).Sacred Void: Spatial Images of Work and Ritual Among the Giriama of Kenya. The University Press, Cambridge, 259 pp.
Ramaswamy, S., and Sanders, J. H. (1992). Technological Change in Agriculture and the Welfare of Sahelian Women: A Case Study in Burkina Faso. Sorghum/Millet Collaborative Research Support Program, Office of Agriculture, Bureau for Science and Technology, U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C., 28 pp.
Rangnekar, S., Vasiani, P., and Rangnekar, D. V. (1994). A study on women in dairy production.World Animal Review 79(2): 51–54.
Smale, M., and Heisey, P. W. (1994). Comment: Gendered impacts of fertilizer subsidy removal programs in Malawi and Cameroon.Agricultural Economics 10(1): 94–99.
Spiro, H. M. (1984). Women in Agriculture in West Africa—the Research Gaps.Workshop on Women in West Africa, International Livestock Centre for Africa/Ford Foundation, Ibadan, Nigeria, May 7–9, 1984.
Spring, A. (1986). Men and women smallholder participants in a stall feeder livestock program in Malawi.Human Organisation 45: 154–162.
Thorpe, W., Mullins, G., Chabari, F., Maloo, S., Muinga, R., Mukhebi, A., Mureithi, J., Mussukuya, E., Nyambaka, R., ole Maki, M., Otieno, L., Perry, B., Rugema, E., and Wekesa, E. (1991). Smallholder dairy cattle production in coastal Kenya: Resource base assessment and constraint identification. InAnimal Production in Developing Countries. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production, Ashford, Penicuik, Scotland, September 2–4, 1991.
von Braun, J., and Webb, P. J. R. (1989). The impact of new crop technology on the agricultural division of labor in a West African setting.Economic Development and Cultural Change April: 513–534.
Waters-Bayer, A. (1986). Modernizing milk production in Nigeria: Who benefits?Ceres 113(19): 34–39.
Whelan, I. (1984). ILCA's Ethiopian highlands programme: Problems and prospectives in expanding participation of women. InWorkshop on Women in Agriculture in West Africa. FF/ILCA. Ibadan, Nigeria, May 7–9, 1984.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Formerly International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mullins, G., Wahome, L., Tsangari, P. et al. Impacts of intensive dairy production on smallholder farm women in coastal Kenya. Hum Ecol 24, 231–253 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02169128
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02169128