Deconstructing leisure time and workload: Case of women bean producers in Kenya

Presented by Eileen Nchanji (International Center for Tropical Agriculture), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the University of Canberra and co-sponsored by the University of Canberra, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research, Canberra, Australia, April 2-4, 2019

Gendered youth transitions to adulthood in the Drylands: Implications for targeting

Presented on 19 December 2019 by Esther Njuguna-Mungai (CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals), Ms. Katindi Sivi-Njonjo (GLDC Affiliated PhD student) and Dr. Eileen Bogweh Nchanji (International Center for Tropical Agriculture / CIAT) as part of the webinar 'Gendered youth transitions to adulthood in the Drylands: Implications for targeting'. The webinar was co-organized by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research and the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals

Enhancing sustainable agri-food systems using multi-nutrient fertilizers in Kenyan smallholder farming systems

Persistent food insecurity in the global south has triggered calls for sustainable development worldwide. Moreover, more than a quarter of the world's population suffers from micronutrient deficiencies or hidden hunger. The population bulge, declining soil fertility and inadequate/inappropriate use of farm inputs in Sub-Saharan Africa place it in a precarious position. Multi-nutrient fertilizer blends have been mooted as a key innovation in closing yield gaps and boosting food and nutrition security. This study assessed the extent of multi-nutrient fertilizer blends utilization and yield response across agroecological zones and their on-farm profitability under Kenyan smallholder farmer conditions. We collected data through a detailed household survey conducted in eight counties in Kenya representative of high, medium, and low productivity zones using a sample of 1094 smallholder farmers. Multi-nutrient fertilizers increased maize yields significantly (P < 0.05), eliciting a 400% yield increase compared to the control and 108% greater maize yield than conventional fertilizers in the high potential zone. Conversely, at 3.7 t/ha conventional fertilizers elicited a significant (P < 0.05) yield response in Irish potatoes in the high potential areas. Multi-nutrient fertilizers increased on-farm profitability of crops, specifically for potato production systems where a benefit: cost ratio (BCR) of more than 2 was observed. Farmers may break even when they use multi-nutrient fertilizers on maize particularly in the low potential areas. Therefore, there is considerable potential for multi-nutrient fertilizers to increase crop productivity while being economically viable across agroecological zones and cropping systems. However, the uptake of multi-nutrient fertilizers among farmers is quite low across the country, except for small pockets where limited interventions have been carried out. This calls for sustained efforts to scale multi-nutrient fertilizers with a focus on clear messaging that stresses the need to apply appropriate rates of various nutrients including the secondary nutrients and micro-nutrients

Perception of the International Women’s Day Celebration in Cameroon: The Case of Biyem-Assi neighborhood, Yaoundé

The International Women’s Day Celebration started as a socialist political movement, which fought for women’s right to vote and better working conditions. Over the years this movement has fought for education, health, poverty, political integration, violence, armed conflict and the aspirations of the girl child. In Cameroon presently, the perception of women about the International Women’s Day Celebrations is not fully appraised. A survey was carried out for a week in Biyem-Assi neighborhood after the International Women’s Day Celebration (IWDC). The aim of this study was to generate knowledge on a gendered perception of the International Women’s day celebration and the practices attached to it. The survey revealed that 50% of women were perceived to celebrate this day for no reason, as most of them did not know the theme for the day. Also, 88.9% of women indulged in a lot of alcohol with most drunk and other malpractices. The findings speculate that the IWDC is about to lose its political flavour if no action is taken. Women and men both accepted that there was a need for women to be educated more on the importance and relevance of the International Women’s day and its celebrations