Soil nutrient content in relation to women's agricultural knowledge in the urban gardens of Kisumu, Kenya
Abstract. Agricultural production in Kenya has been declining since the 1980s, either because soils are mismanaged or because they lack nutrients. In Kisumu, just under 50 % of the workers in the urban gardens are female. On average, women spend more hours a day in the gardens than men. To increase yields, women’s knowledge has to be considered in agricultural management. However, women face greater obstacles in land ownership, investment, and farm inputs due to social and cultural constraints as consequence of their gender. This case study aimed to determine the nutrient content in soils of the urban gardens of Kisumu, the agricultural knowledge of the women farmers and how their knowledge influences soil nutrient content through their management. Soils were sampled in Nyalenda, one of Kisumu's informal settlements where urban gardening is practised, to determine soil nutrient content. To determine how agricultural management practices influences total C and N, available N and P, and exchangeable K, Mg and Ca in the soil, two prevailing practices were compared: (1) applying manure only, and: (2) applying manure while intercropping with cowpeas. Interviews and focus group discussions were organised to determine what knowledge the female vegetable farmers possess, and where they acquired their knowledge. Soil analysis showed that agricultural management had significant effects on nutrient presence and availability. Intercropping led to significantly lower total soil nutrient contents than when only manure was applied. However, due to socio-economic factors, such as poverty, intercropping was applied in a way that did not increase soil nutrients but diversified revenue. The knowledge of the female vegetable growers was found to be limited to practical and sensory knowledge. This shows that in addition to socio-economic and cultural context, gendered knowledge differentiation has to be acknowledged and used in agricultural training when aiming to improve soil nutrient status and agricultural yields.