From the Field The Silent Struggle: Women in Agriculture Bearing the Weight of Every Task

In Sub-Saharan Africa, women have a triple role – community, reproductive and household chores. With new technologies being proposed that involve capacity-building programs and training, many women are left to handle every task on the farm and their mandatory household responsibilities; they are overworked and exhausted and have little time left for them. As a result, the intended outcomes of capacity-building programs, which include economic independence, leadership opportunities, and empowerment, remain out of reach for most women farmers, especially in Makueni.  

As men increasingly remain absent from farming, the dream of women's empowerment risks becoming a mirage, more so in countries grappling with chronic food insecurity like Makueni County in Kenya. Men have shifted focus from agriculture to other employment and are increasingly pursuing non-farm activities. The problem is not about unequal representation or gender discrimination but rather the over-reliance on women to help sustain farming. Though efforts to empower women through decision-making and access to resources, the massive absence of men in agriculture results in an overwhelming workload for women farmers, hindering their ability to benefit from empowerment programs effectively.  

Redistributing responsibilities and workloads in agriculture can ensure that the workload is fairly and equitably shared among men and women. This requires addressing situations that disproportionately burden women with agricultural labour. Possible solutions proposed by women were; 

Work with communities through village barazas 

Village barazas are traditional community gatherings that are remarkable platforms for collective action. They are places where communities assemble to solve pressing issues. Village barazas offer inclusive platforms where men and women can discuss the burden placed on women in agriculture. Led by respected local leaders, area chiefs, extension officers, and opinion leaders, these platforms can help create awareness and get the views of all community members to address the problem. Communities can devise culturally acceptable solutions that can restore balance in agricultural labour.  

Couple training like the Gender Action Learning System (GALS) 

Farming benefits every household and can be promoted as a shared passion between couples. Couple training can help restore balance in agricultural labour and foster collaboration and mutual understanding. Teaching couples how to plan farming activities, manage finances and divide responsibilities fairly can promote harmonious working relationships. Encouraging open discussion during couple training can help break down traditional barriers and allow couples to work together on farms. The result? Women's burden will decrease, households will increase productivity and earn more from surplus production, and food security will be guaranteed. Using this approach, families can also identify imbalances and work together to address them. Encouraging open dialogue about existing challenges helps men and women set actionable steps that can help create fair labour distribution, foster behaviour change, and strengthen accountability in farmers’ households.   

Income Sharing  

What are the tangible rewards of one's labour? Income sharing can be a game changer in this context. It can ensure that everyone who contributes reap the benefits. Training households to create fair budgeting plans can attract men back to the farm and stabilize farming households financially while fostering mutual respect. When men can earn directly from their involvement in farming, they can naturally be drawn back to the farms. So, we are enforcing our training on decision-making on the farm and household.