Rural-urban Migration Aggravating Rural Women’s Poverty

Friday, October 23, 2020

A woman prepares for rice planting at Ahero Irrigation Scheme in Kisumu County. Women’s potential in agriculture is limited by the hours they spend in domestic work unlike the men, leaving them poorer.

Tonny Omondi | Nation Media Group

By Moraa Obiria Gender Reporter

Men moving to the urban areas in search of better economic activities leave behind women with multiple roles.

With the increased workload, women end up spending more time in unpaid labour than paid work.

Women, unlike men, are limited in access to information and market resources as they devote their time in completing household chores.

Adult education programs targeting women crucial in equipping them with basic skills.

Rural-urban migration is aggravating poverty among women in the rural areas. Institute for Motivating Self Employment (IMSE) Executive Director Ms Ujjaini Halim says men moving to the urban areas in search of better economic activities leave behind women with multiple roles.

With the increased workload, she says women end up spending more time in unpaid labour than paid work. Ms Halim spoke during a Spotlight Rural Women webinar.

“They work at home and outside home. For women to thrive, their workload has to be reduced,” she said during the October 15 webinar jointly hosted by Devex and International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad)

Ordinarily, women’s potential in agriculture is limited by the hours they spend in domestic work unlike the men, affirms a 2018 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) study on burden of unpaid work on women’s participation in paid work.

Household chores

The study found that women, unlike men, are limited in access to information and market resources as they devote their time in completing their household chores.

Ms Halim said adult education programs targeting women are crucial in equipping them with basic skills, which they can apply in negotiating for market linkages and better prices.

Ifad Gender and Social Inclusion Lead Technical Specialist Ms Ndaya Beltchika, said 1.7 billion women, living in the rural areas globally, lack right opportunities to break free from poverty.

Food security

She noted the importance of investing in rural agriculture to help the women sustain the nutrition and food security of their households.

“Promoting economic growth through agriculture is two to three times effective in reducing poverty,” she said.

Ms Pamela Kimkung from Kenya Cereal Enhancement Programme - Climate Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods (KCEP-CRAL), said mechanised farming can help reduce women’s workload and increase their farm yields.

 “We need to move women beyond nutrition and food security, and take them towards market commercialisation and income generation,” she said.

E-voucher

She noted of the e-voucher initiative, which has enabled women to access farm inputs and training as one way of unlocking their potential in agricultural productivity.

E-voucher, is an Ifad and European Union-funded initiative under KCEP-CRAL.

Under the initiative, farmers contribute10 per cent of the credit while the government tops up the remaining share, she said.

 “E-voucher scheme has helped even the uneducated women. They can access input by swiping the card in agro-dealer shops,” she said

“There is need for a level playing ground for women to fully participate in agriculture,” she added.