Intrahousehold decision making and implications on food security among smallholder farmers in Chepalungu constituency, Bomet County, Kenya

Abstract

Food insecurity is still prevalent in many parts of the world. Despite several research attempts to alleviate food insecurity in Kenya, estimates indicate that approximately 50% of Kenyans are food insecure with 10% in constant need of food relief. One of the causes of food insecurity as it has been reported by other scholars is gender inequality. Women, especially in developing countries have been reported to significantly contribute to food production compared to men while in decision making they are often subordinate to men. However, the role of intra-household decision making in influencing food security remains unclear. This study therefore sought to examine the implication of intra-household decision making on household food security among the smallholder farmers in Chepalungu constituency, Bomet County Kenya. Multistage sampling method was used to obtain a sample of 150 smallholder farmer households. Structured questionnaires and interviews were used to obtain the information. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics, Logit and Poisson models with the use of SPSS and STATA computer programs. The results indicated that majority (52.7%) of the households were food insecure signifying high level of food shortages in the area. Male headed households were found to be food insecure as compared to their female counterparts. The logistic regression results revealed that age, gender, land size, household size, years of education and income significantly influenced household food security. The results also revealed the probability of household being food secure is high when consumption decisions are made by women than when they are made by men. The study proves that intra-household decision making has an important role to play in influencing household food security. Therefore, gender based resource allocation and women empowerment policies should be encouraged in order to ensure that households are food secure.