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.
Important topics covered in this agriculture book are
- Gender-based Research Methodology
- The Gendered Terrain of the Farm
- Gender and the Politics of Labour: Between Toil and Soil
- The Diversity of Farmers' Gendered Experiences
- Expanding the Terrain of Soils and Farming Analysis
- Social Institutions: Invoking Elements of Custom, Creating Space to Maneuver
- Conclusion: Rethinking the 'Problem' of Soil Degradation and Sustainable Farming
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Gender, Land, and Livelihoods in East Africa
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