Women’s empowerment and household welfare in the Kenyan African Indigenous Vegetable supply chain

Over the last decade, African Indigenous Vegetables (AIV) value chains have emerged, and production has become increasingly commercialized. Male participation in previously female-dominated AIV production is expected to increase, with serious implications for women’s empowerment. This paper analyzes the current status of smallholder AIV production and income control in Kenya, using ANOVA and descriptive statistics. Furthermore, the research aims to explore the determinants of women’s intra-household empowerment and assess their impact on household welfare and female income control by performing generalized structural equation modeling. The analyses are based on primary data from 706 smallholder households in rural and peri-urban Kenya. Our results show that the status quo of AIV production and marketing remains but as income increases, control over income shifts in favor of men. Women’s empowerment is positively correlated with land ownership and education and negatively correlated with off-farm work. Moreover, we find that female empowerment leads to improved dietary diversity, increased education spending, and increased female-controlled income. We conclude that advances in land rights, as well as improvements in women’s education, have the potential to strengthen female empowerment, improving their chances of maintaining control of AIV revenues even during commercialization. Furthermore, empowering women through these means not only enhances their control over income but also contributes to broader household welfare and supports sustainable development goals, such as gender equality and food security, within the agricultural sector.