Women, Sugarcane Contract Farming and Food crop production

Food insecurity within the sugarcane growing zones in Kenya has been of ultimate concern over the years, especially with the expansion of area under cane. Sugarcane growing in Mumias Division,is by contract and an insignificant number of farmers within the division are not contracted. The majority of sugarcane farmers in the division are small-scale farmers, who cannot adequately fund their own sugarcane development, and have to depend on miller and other sources of funding to deliver adequate cane to the factory. Traditionally, women have been responsible to ensure household food security by growing food crops while contract cane growing has been a preserve for men. However, women have become more involved in small-scale sugarcane production mainly as labourers at the expense of food production. This book gives an insight on how women's involvement as labourers in Sugarcane contract farming has influenced household food crop production.These findings are critical to possible reforms in sugarcane growing contractual terms and food security policy formulation, and should be useful to policy makers, professionals in the sugar industry and the farming community