Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya

The gender productivity gap in the agricultural sector is a major contributor to low productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Literature suggests that women’s lower productivity is deeply rooted in structural disadvantages, whose policy solutions include the potential use of information and communication...

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Autores principales: Wayagi, E.O., Otieno, D.J., Nyikal, R.A., Okello, J.J., Kawarazuka, Nozomi
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Informa UK Limited 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176054
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author Wayagi, E.O.
Otieno, D.J.
Nyikal, R.A.
Okello, J.J.
Kawarazuka, Nozomi
author_browse Kawarazuka, Nozomi
Nyikal, R.A.
Okello, J.J.
Otieno, D.J.
Wayagi, E.O.
author_facet Wayagi, E.O.
Otieno, D.J.
Nyikal, R.A.
Okello, J.J.
Kawarazuka, Nozomi
author_sort Wayagi, E.O.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The gender productivity gap in the agricultural sector is a major contributor to low productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Literature suggests that women’s lower productivity is deeply rooted in structural disadvantages, whose policy solutions include the potential use of information and communication technology (ICT) to incrementally narrow gender productivity gaps. This study assessed the contribution of ICT platforms to the gender gap in potato productivity using 264 sampled farmers in Nakuru County, Kenya. Men farmers had higher productivity (2.98 tons/acre) than women (2.01 tons/acre), with an observed mean gender gap of 6.7 per cent due to men’s structural advantage (65 per cent), women’s structural disadvantage (19 per cent), and endowment factors (17 per cent). The use of ICT platforms significantly lessens men’s structural advantage. These findings demonstrate the need for gender-responsive provision of technical knowledge on the use of ICT platform services through institutional support services that provide timely and relevant production and marketing information to women farmers.
format Journal Article
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institution CGIAR Consortium
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publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
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spelling CGSpace1760542025-10-26T13:02:12Z Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya Wayagi, E.O. Otieno, D.J. Nyikal, R.A. Okello, J.J. Kawarazuka, Nozomi potatoes agricultural productivity gender Information and Communication Technologies smallholders The gender productivity gap in the agricultural sector is a major contributor to low productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Literature suggests that women’s lower productivity is deeply rooted in structural disadvantages, whose policy solutions include the potential use of information and communication technology (ICT) to incrementally narrow gender productivity gaps. This study assessed the contribution of ICT platforms to the gender gap in potato productivity using 264 sampled farmers in Nakuru County, Kenya. Men farmers had higher productivity (2.98 tons/acre) than women (2.01 tons/acre), with an observed mean gender gap of 6.7 per cent due to men’s structural advantage (65 per cent), women’s structural disadvantage (19 per cent), and endowment factors (17 per cent). The use of ICT platforms significantly lessens men’s structural advantage. These findings demonstrate the need for gender-responsive provision of technical knowledge on the use of ICT platform services through institutional support services that provide timely and relevant production and marketing information to women farmers. 2025-07-30 2025-08-08T20:19:30Z 2025-08-08T20:19:30Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176054 en Limited Access Informa UK Limited Wayagi, E.O.; Otieno, D.J.; Nyikal, R.A.; Okello, J.J.; Kawarazuka, N. 2025. Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya. Development in Practice, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2025.2534151
spellingShingle potatoes
agricultural productivity
gender
Information and Communication Technologies
smallholders
Wayagi, E.O.
Otieno, D.J.
Nyikal, R.A.
Okello, J.J.
Kawarazuka, Nozomi
Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya
title Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya
title_full Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya
title_fullStr Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya
title_short Gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in Kenya
title_sort gender gaps in potato productivity and the role of information and communication platforms in kenya
topic potatoes
agricultural productivity
gender
Information and Communication Technologies
smallholders
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176054
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