Gender and the Banana Value Gender and the Banana Value

Chain in Imenti South District Chain in Imenti South District

Lydia Miriti, Maureen Miruka & Immaculate Maina

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute

Advancing Agri-practice: Adding Value for Women

KARI HQTS 23-24 May 2011

Background Background

� Banana (Musa spp) traditionally widely grown in Kenya

� Major food and cash crop- 90% farmers in HP areas

� All year food and income security

� Holdings of 0.5 acres =83.5% production

� Declining yields

� Constraints: marketing, pests and diseases, orchard management, planting material

Challenges in Banana ProductionChallenges in Banana Production

Gross margin of banana (1 acre of land)

Variable + Establishment costs Unit cost (KShs.) Total cost (KShs.)

Land preparations

Holing 444 holes 10.00 4,440.00

2 bags DAP × 50 Kg bags 2,500.00 5,000.00

Tissue Culture suckers 444 80.00 35,520.00

Manure 1.5 tons 1,500.00 2,250.00

Planting 444 suckers 5.00 2,220.00

Mocap 17 Kgs 1,000.00 17,000.00

Irrigation 12 man days 150.00 1,800.00

Weeding 15 Man days 150.00 2,250.00

Desuckering 24 man days 150.00 3,600.00

Harvesting 888 bunches 10.00 8,880.00

Transportation 888 bunches 20.00 17,760.00

Total variable Cost + Establishment cost 102,720.00

Total output=444 stools each producing 2 bunches per year = 888 bunches @ Ksh.250 = Total Output Ksh. 222,000.00

Total Variable & Establishment Costs = KSh.102,720.00Gross Margin = Ksh. 161,460.00 per year Tissue Culture = Ksh. 305,600.00 per year (Africa Harvest, 2007)

Objectives of the study Objectives of the study

� To determine the gender roles and constraints in Banana production and marketing in Imenti South District

� Pro-Poor Agro-Enterprise Project:

� Develop strategies for addressing gaps and integrating gender in the banana value chain

Methodology Methodology

� Sites

◦ Abogeta, Nkuene and Igoji Divisions

�Quantitative data collection

◦ Formal survey with structured questionnaire

◦ Male and female farmers

�Qualitative data collection

◦ FGDs-male, female, mixed

◦ Key informant interviews

◦ Case studies

Findings Findings

� Banana No 1 cash crop (45%) followed by coffee (13%) and maize (11%)

� Men & women have similar primary & secondary level education, 1% men have college education

� 70% women and 30% men, have no contact with extension

� 65% men compared to 35% women have received banana production and marketing training

Finding sFinding s

� Traditionally a woman’s crop

� Shift to cash crop and decline in coffee industry=men involvement

Banana marketing 1Banana marketing 1

Banana marketing 2Banana marketing 2

�Women not in organised groups as men

� Lack of time, resources & information

� Payment systems not suitable for women

� Has led separation of roles & responsibilities

�Women leasing own land and have bank accounts

� Empowerment of women, disempowerment of men, and increased the burden for women and household conflict

Production What

prevent

small scale

farmers

from;

Banana Value Chain and Gender

Production

inputs

Selling

more

Getting

higher

prices

Having

lower

costs

Limited

physical input

use: -Varieties

-Fertilizers

-Irrigation

-Planting

material

Subscale

volumes:

-Expensive

inputs

Deficient Enablers;

-Including transport, storage, financial services and resources

Small farm

sizes

Poor on- farm

practices:

-Crop

management

-Storage

Margin

Leakage:

-Low farmer

selling

power

-Whosaler

search costs

1

2

3

4 5

6

Fresh banana sales

Value addition & processing

Processed sales

Nonexistent, slow growing or

inaccessible markets

-Slow growth domestic markets-Uncompetitive in export markets-Limited processing industry

Raising

standard

of living

What are the gender roles in production, processing, and marketing and how to take advantage of these to improve women’s access to higher-value markets and to secure a greater role for farmers in value chains

Gender QuestionGender Question

How has the How has the

commercialisation of commercialisation of

banana value chain banana value chain

affected the gender affected the gender

division of labour and in division of labour and in

turn influenced turn influenced

household dynamics:household dynamics:--

a) resource management?a) resource management?

b) income flows?b) income flows?

c) expenditure patterns?c) expenditure patterns?

d) food and nutrition d) food and nutrition

security?security?

e) gender relations?e) gender relations?

f) hh decision making?f) hh decision making?

Banana marketing in Ntarene, Meru South Dstrict12

Strategies for interveningStrategies for intervening

� Approaches

◦ Farmer Field Schools

◦ Participatory Market Systems Development

� Partnerships- traditional and non-traditional

� Policy- at local and national level

� Business Development Services-(e.g. micro-finance)

Thank you Thank you