Gender, Land, and Livelihoods in East Africa: Through Farmers' Eyes

In rural Africa and the Middle East, many ecosystems are on the verge of collapse. The interplay of social, ecological, and political-economic forces has compromised the ability of farmers to sustain their precious soil. As a result, farmers, and especially women farmers, face a constant daily struggle to survive.

This book illustrates in rich detail the complexity and diversity of women’s lives in Maragoli, western Kenya, as they work to sustain their soils and negotiate a plethora of competing demands and constraints in an increasingly stressful economic environment. With extensive use of personal narratives and photographs from the farmers of Maragoli, this book demonstrates that soil degradation is not simply a function of population pressure and ignorance; rather, it is embedded in gender relations and complex struggles at the local level.

Interested readers will include researchers, academics, practitioners, and professionals in research organizations, development organizations, grass-roots organizations, and government working on issues of gender, soil management, land tenure, agricultural labour, income generation, and off-farm livelihood strategies in Africa and the Middle East.

The author

Ritu Verma holds a PhD in anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, UK. She is a graduate of Carleton University’s Norman Patterson School of International Affairs, where she obtained her MA in International Development, and is a professional engineer who has worked on international development projects in both Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. From 1997 to 1999, she worked as a researcher and intern for the International Development Research Centre, in cooperation with the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Programme (UNESCO) in Nairobi, Kenya.