Gender Control of Resources and Intra-Household Food Production in Chepalungu Sub-County, Bomet County, Kenya

Abstract

Access to and control over productive resources constitutes important determinants of socio-cultural dynamics and how household members participate in agricultural activities and contribute to food production within smallholder farming systems. This paper examines gender control of resources and intra-household food production in Chepalungu Sub-County, Bomet County, Kenya. The study adopted a qualitative research design based on 45 in-depth interviews with 23 women and 22 men plus three Key Informant Interviews. Participants were purposively selected, and the interview data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's six-phase approach. The analysis focused on participants' accounts of ownership, access, use, management, decision-making, control, and benefits associated with productive resource. The findings indicate that participants commonly described land ownership and major agricultural financial decisions as male-dominated, while women's access to inputs and credit was often mediated by male household members. Participants also described situations in which women contributed substantial labour but had limited authority over the use of agricultural income. Some participants associated more shared control of resources with greater participation in decisions concerning food crops, household expenditures, and small-scale agricultural activities. These findings are attributed to socio-cultural norms such as patriarchal system among the Kipsigis. However, these accounts represent participants' perceptions and experiences and do not provide direct measures of agricultural yields, dietary diversity, household food security scores, expenditure, or causal effects. The article therefore interprets the findings as context-specific qualitative evidence of gendered resource-control practices rather than as estimates of prevalence or causal impacts.