Nairobi — Women remain the backbone of Kenya’s agricultural sector but continue to face systemic barriers that limit their productivity and economic participation, experts said during a high-level forum held in Nairobi to mark International Women’s Day week.
The event, convened by the Kenya Editors Guild at the Sarova Stanley Hotel, brought together stakeholders from academia, research institutions, media and civil society to examine the challenges confronting women farmers and explore policy and investment solutions to strengthen their economic empowerment.
Held under the theme “Women Cultivating Opportunity,” the forum focused on advancing rights, justice and action for women farmers and agripreneurs across Kenya’s agricultural value chains.
Opening the forum, Zubeidah Kananu said women’s contributions to food production and local economies are often overlooked despite their central role in sustaining households and markets.
“Across Kenya, women farmers and agripreneurs cultivate the land, feed families, sustain local markets and support entire value chains,” she said. “Yet many still face barriers in land ownership, access to credit, modern farming technologies and markets.”
Kananu illustrated the point through a personal reflection about her late mother, a small-scale produce trader who bought farm produce from farmers and sold it at a local market stall.
“My late mother loved feeding people. Through her small kibanda she supported farmers, educated her children and nourished a community,” she said. “Her story reminds us that behind every thriving food system are women quietly feeding a nation.”
Women dominate farm labour but lack resources
Delivering the keynote address, Mary Mbithi, a professor of economics and team leader at the University of Nairobi Women’s Economic Empowerment Hub, said women account for between 70 and 80 percent of Kenya’s agricultural labour force.
However, they represent only about 33 percent of formal wage employment in the sector and receive less than 10 percent of agricultural credit, she said.
Mbithi noted that structural barriers such as limited land ownership rights, restrictive cultural norms and limited access to financial services continue to constrain women’s participation in higher-value agricultural activities.
“Addressing these barriers is not just a gender issue; it is an economic imperative,” she said. “Closing the gender gap in agriculture can significantly improve productivity, food security and household incomes.”
She called for reforms to strengthen women’s land and inheritance rights, expand access to affordable credit and support women-led enterprises across agricultural value chains.
Education gaps hinder technological adoption
Also speaking at the forum, Lucy Wakiaga, an associate research scientist at the African Population and Health Research Center, said disparities in education—particularly in science and technology fields—continue to limit women’s participation in modern agricultural systems.
Kenya Editors Guild CEO, Linda Bach, addressing the audience at the Press Club meeting
“Educational inequality directly affects women’s productivity and leadership in agriculture,” she said. “If we want inclusive economic growth, we must invest in gender-responsive education systems and remove stereotypes that discourage girls from pursuing science and technology.”
Wakiaga noted that closing gender gaps in education and access to technology could significantly improve agricultural productivity while strengthening national food security.
Unpaid work remains a major constraint
Panel discussions during the forum also highlighted the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work carried by women, which limits their ability to participate fully in economic activities.
Participants called for investments in social infrastructure—including childcare services and labour-saving technologies—to reduce the time women spend on unpaid domestic work and enable greater participation in income-generating activities.
Speakers also emphasized the importance of partnerships among government agencies, research institutions, development partners and the private sector to expand access to technologies and market opportunities for women farmers.
Innovative approaches discussed included youth- and women-led quality centres designed to connect farmers to markets, strengthen quality standards and create new opportunities along agricultural value chains.
Call for policy reform and investment
The forum concluded with calls for stronger policy reforms, increased investment in women farmers and improved data collection to guide evidence-based decision-making.
Participants agreed that placing women at the centre of agricultural development would be critical to strengthening Kenya’s food systems and building more resilient rural economies.
“Empowering women farmers is one of the most powerful investments we can make in Kenya’s future,” speakers said.
