Gendered Implications of Food Trade Regulations in Kisumu City, Kenya

Loice Loo^1, , George Wagah¹ and Noora-Lisa Aberman²

¹Urban and Regional Planning, Maseno University, Kisumu, Kenya

²Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington DC

Cite this paper

Loice Loo, George Wagah and Noora-Lisa Aberman. Gendered Implications of Food Trade Regulations in Kisumu City, Kenya. Journal of Food Security. 2021; 9(1):19-24. doi: 10.12691/JFS-9-1-3

Abstract

The aim of this study is to link governance and gender in the informal food markets which have been overlooked by research and global policy agendas. Specifically, the study sets out to establish the effect of regulations on men and women trading food in the main informal markets of Kisumu City Kenya. Cross-sectional study was employed in Kibuye and Jubilee Markets from June - September 2019. A total of 366 traders were interviewed. Data was collected electronically using Kobo-Collect then analysed using Microsoft Excel to generate chi square analysis. The study found a skewed distribution of men and women in management with men dominating at 61%. In addition to male dominance, men in authority enforce regulations differently for women through intimidation and negative attitudes. A chi square analysis where P = .001 confirms that women significantly spend more time than men when meeting regulations. The study concludes that women bear the brunt of regulations that are not gender sensitive necessitating sensitization efforts towards the same. Informal food markets are critical for urban food security and female livelihoods therefore revitalization of the regulations governing them is key to urban food security.

Keywords

food corridor, informal markets, time, food security

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References

[1]	United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2019). Making Trade Policies Gender-Responsive. Retrieved from https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ditc2019d1_en.pdf.
[2]	Unnevehr, L. J. (2014). Food Safety and Quality: Regulations, Trade, and the WTO Food Safety and Quality: Regulations, Trade, and the WTO Laurian Unnevehr (University of Illinois, USA) and Donna Roberts. (January 2003).
[3]	Battersby, J., & Watson, V. (2018). Urban Food Systems Governance and Poverty in African Cities. Retrieved from https://www.mistraurbanfutures.org/sites/mistraurbanfutures.org/files/cup-policy-brief-no2.pdf.
[4]	Reddy, G. P., Murthy, M. R. K., & Meena, P. C. (2010). Value Chains and Retailing of Fresh Vegetables and Fruits, Andhra Pradesh. Agricultural Economics Research Review, 23, 455-460.
[5]	International Trade Centre. (2017). CHAPTER 8 CLOSING THE SMALL-BUSINESS AND GENDER GAP TO MAKE TRADE MORE INCLUSIVE. 219-242.
[6]	Oudia, R. (2016). Kibuye market traders exempted from tax: Daily Nation. Retrieved from https://standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000194066/kibuye-market-traders-exempted-from-tax.
[7]	Raynolds, L., & Keahey, J. (2008). Fair Trade, Gender, and the Environment in Africa. In K.
[8]	Maertens, M., & Swinnen, J. (2010). Are African High-Value Horticulture Supply Chains Bearers of Gender Inequality? Gender Dimensions of Agricultural and Rural Employment: Differentiated Pathways out of Poverty, (April), 155-170.
[9]	Urban Forum. (2019). Africa’s urban informal food sector in comparative perspective - Knowledge Portal. Retrieved November 19, 2020, from https://knowledge4food.net/knowledge-portal- item/africas-urban-informal-food-sector-in-comparative-perspective/.
[10]	Zarrilli, S., & Linoci, M. (2020). What future for women small-scale and informal cross-border traders when borders close? Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=2362.
[11]	Government of Kenya. (2013). The National Food Safety Policy (pp. 1-18). pp. 1-18. Retrieved from http://www.kilimo.go.ke/wp- content/uploads/2019/09/The-National-Food-Safety-Policy.pdf.
[12]	Watson, D. D. (2017). The political economy of food price policy during the global food price crisis of 2006-2008. Food Security, 9(3), 497-509.
[13]	Gilbert, N. (2008). Researching Social Life. 3rd edn (London, Sage).
[14]	Alal, M. (2018). Kisumu to upgrade markets at Sh1bn: Daily Nation.
[15]	Lipinski, B., Hanson, C., Lomax, J., Kitinoja, L., Waite, R., & Searchinger, T. (2016). Toward a sustainable food system Reducing food loss and waste. World Resource Institute, (June), 1-40.
[16]	Sharman, L. (2018). Local government still male dominated. Retrieved from https://www.localgov.co.uk/Local-government- still-male-dominated-analysis-reveals/45974.
[17]	Kenya Government of. (2017). County Licenses _ Kenya Trade Portal. Retrieved July 7, 2020, from https://www.kenyatradeportal.go.ke/counties/licenses/p/field_county_value/All.
[18]	Osoro, C. (2020). A Case for Tax Overhaul in Eastern Africa. Retrieved November 19, 2020, from https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report-international/a- case-for-tax-overhaul-in-eastern-africa.
[19]	Kenya Government of. (2020). eRegulations Kenya. Retrieved November 19, 2020, from https://eregulations.invest.go.ke/procedure/213/146?l=en.
[20]	Government of Kenya. (2015). The Kisumu County Trade Licensing Act (Vol. 19).
[21]	United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). Women Farmers. 2012 Census of Agriculture Highlights, ACH12-12(September), 1-2. Retrieved from https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2014/Highligh ts_Women_Farmers.pdf.
[22]	Murumba, S., & Mungai, N. (2018). GENDER PAY GAP: Why do Kenyan women get paid less than men for equal work? | The Elephant. The Elephant. Retrieved from https://www.theelephant.info/specials/2018/03/08/gender-pay- gap-why-do-kenyan-women-get-paid-less-than-men-for-equal-work/.
[23]	Ellis, A., Cutura, J., Dione, N., Gillson, I., Manuel, C., & Thongori, J. (2007). Gender and Economic Growth in Kenya. - Google 検索. Retrieved from https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=Agriculture+for+Development %3A+The+Gender+Dimensions.&ie=utf-8&oe=utf- 8&hl=ja#hl=ja&q=Gender+and+Economic+Growth+in+Kenya.
[24]	Gitogo, W. (2020). Census 2019 Data Shows Kenya Has a Youthful Rural Population. Retrieved from https://kenyanwallstreet.com/census-2019-datashows-kenya-has-a- youthful-rural-population/#:~:text=KNBS data shows that the while 24.014 million are females.