Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages

Agriculture is vital to Kenya's economy, accounting for 20% of the country’s GDP in 2020. Yet the growth of the sector has slowed in recent years due to unfavorable weather conditions, leading to a reduction in crop and livestock performance (Central Bank of Kenya, 2023). While employment in agricul...

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Autores principales: Mawia, Harriet, Ferguson, Nathaniel, Bryan, Elizabeth, Thomas, Timothy S.
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175631
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author Mawia, Harriet
Ferguson, Nathaniel
Bryan, Elizabeth
Thomas, Timothy S.
author_browse Bryan, Elizabeth
Ferguson, Nathaniel
Mawia, Harriet
Thomas, Timothy S.
author_facet Mawia, Harriet
Ferguson, Nathaniel
Bryan, Elizabeth
Thomas, Timothy S.
author_sort Mawia, Harriet
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Agriculture is vital to Kenya's economy, accounting for 20% of the country’s GDP in 2020. Yet the growth of the sector has slowed in recent years due to unfavorable weather conditions, leading to a reduction in crop and livestock performance (Central Bank of Kenya, 2023). While employment in agriculture has been steadily declining (to 32% in 2023), the sector still employs a large share of the rural population and is the main source of informal employment, rural income, and livelihoods (D’Alessandro et al., 2015; ILO 2025). A majority of Kenyan farmers operate on a small scale and are solely dependent on rainfall (D’Alessandro et al., 2015). However, since the 1970s, the country has experienced significant changes in rainfall pat terns--average rainfall during the long season has decreased while rainfall during other times of the year has increased and the country has experienced more frequent climate extreme events (Kogo et al. 2021). Increased climate variability has negative effects on agriculture and may exacerbate inequalities within the sector. Due to gender inequalities and gender-differentiated roles in agrifood systems, men and women do not experience climate change and variability in the same ways (Balikoowa et al., 2019; Lecoutere et al. 2023). According to the World Economic Forum, women are more vulnerable than men to climate change due to lower education and exclusion from the political and domestic decision-making processes that affect their lives (Gunawardena, 2020).
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spelling CGSpace1756312025-11-06T07:02:23Z Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages Mawia, Harriet Ferguson, Nathaniel Bryan, Elizabeth Thomas, Timothy S. agriculture employment climate change extreme weather events gender agrifood systems Agriculture is vital to Kenya's economy, accounting for 20% of the country’s GDP in 2020. Yet the growth of the sector has slowed in recent years due to unfavorable weather conditions, leading to a reduction in crop and livestock performance (Central Bank of Kenya, 2023). While employment in agriculture has been steadily declining (to 32% in 2023), the sector still employs a large share of the rural population and is the main source of informal employment, rural income, and livelihoods (D’Alessandro et al., 2015; ILO 2025). A majority of Kenyan farmers operate on a small scale and are solely dependent on rainfall (D’Alessandro et al., 2015). However, since the 1970s, the country has experienced significant changes in rainfall pat terns--average rainfall during the long season has decreased while rainfall during other times of the year has increased and the country has experienced more frequent climate extreme events (Kogo et al. 2021). Increased climate variability has negative effects on agriculture and may exacerbate inequalities within the sector. Due to gender inequalities and gender-differentiated roles in agrifood systems, men and women do not experience climate change and variability in the same ways (Balikoowa et al., 2019; Lecoutere et al. 2023). According to the World Economic Forum, women are more vulnerable than men to climate change due to lower education and exclusion from the political and domestic decision-making processes that affect their lives (Gunawardena, 2020). 2025-07-14 2025-07-14T18:43:45Z 2025-07-14T18:43:45Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175631 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174904 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174789 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173369 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Mawia, Harriet; Ferguson, Nathaniel; Bryan, Elizabeth; and Thomas, Timothy S. 2025. Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages. Gender, Climate Change, and Nutrition Integration Initiative Project Note July 2025. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175631
spellingShingle agriculture
employment
climate change
extreme weather events
gender
agrifood systems
Mawia, Harriet
Ferguson, Nathaniel
Bryan, Elizabeth
Thomas, Timothy S.
Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages
title Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages
title_full Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages
title_fullStr Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages
title_full_unstemmed Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages
title_short Country profile – Kenya: Gender, climate change, and nutrition linkages
title_sort country profile kenya gender climate change and nutrition linkages
topic agriculture
employment
climate change
extreme weather events
gender
agrifood systems
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175631
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