Influence of Access to Land on Women Participation in One Acre Fund Maize Project in Awendo Sub-County, Migori County, Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the influence of access to land on women’s participation in the One Acre Fund (OAF) maize project in Awendo Sub-County, Migori County, Kenya. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The target population comprised 13,200 women maize farmers, of whom 3,780 constituted the accessible population in South Sakwa and West Sakwa wards. A sample of 150 women farmers was selected using proportionate stratified random sampling and simple random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire and interviews with OAF officers. The instruments were validated by experts from Egerton University, while questionnaire reliability was assessed through a pilot study involving 30 OAF farmers in Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Homa Bay County. Research clearance was obtained from Egerton University and NACOSTI. Data were cleaned, coded and analysed using SPSS, with descriptive statistics used to summarise the findings. The results showed that 73% of respondents accessed land through inheritance, 16% through purchase and 11% through leasing. Regarding frequency of land use, 88.7% used land every season, whereas 11.3% used it once annually. Access to land had a statistically significant effect on women’s participation in the OAF maize project. The study concludes that access to land is an important factor associated with women’s participation and recommends strengthening policies that facilitate women’s ability to purchase and lease land.