Browsing by Person "Kariuki, Juliet"

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The farming question: Intergenerational linkages, gender and youth aspirations in rural Zambia
(2022) Ogunjimi, Oluwafemi; Daum, Thomas; Kariuki, Juliet
With agriculture considered key to generating jobs for Africa's growing population, several studies have explored youth aspirations toward farming. While many factors explaining aspirations have been well studied, little is known about the actors' shaping aspirations. We developed a novel framework that focuses on the factors and actors shaping the formation and actual aspirations of rural youth and applied a unique “whole‐family” approach based on mixed‐methods data collection from adolescents (boys and girls) and corresponding adults. We applied this approach in rural Zambia, collecting data from 348 adolescents and adults in 87 households. The study finds that parents strongly shape youth aspirations—they are much more influential than siblings, peers, church, and media. Male youth are more likely to envision farming (full or part‐time) than female youth. The male preference for farming reflects their parent's aspirations and is reinforced by the patriarchal system of land inheritance. Parents' farm characteristics, such as degree of mechanization, are also associated with aspirations. We recommend a “whole‐family” approach, which acknowledges the influential role of parents, for policies and programs for rural youth and a stronger focus on gender aspects.
Gender and equity in market-based environmental programs
case studies from Kenya
(2016) Kariuki, Juliet; Birner, Regina
Reconciling global environmental goals with local community needs has been the focus of conservation approaches for several decades now; however scant attention has been paid to the role of gendered – men’s and women’s - dynamics within these environmental contexts. Although well-intentioned, the tendency has been to direct practical attention to only women, which offers an inadequate account of the gender-differentiated access to, and control over natural resources. Against this background, the objective of this thesis is to analyse how formal and informal institutions interact with the design of market-based environmental programs to influence gender and equity outcomes. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), a new addition to the suite of environmental conservation approaches, are market-based instruments that include “Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation - plus - sustainable management of forests, conservation of forest carbon stocks and enhancement of forest carbon stocks” (REDD+). PES/REDD+ are considered promising tools that reward resource users financially or in-kind, on the condition that conservation of natural resources and/or a reduction in carbon emissions is achieved through the adoption of stipulated resource-use regulations. PES/REDD+ programs are therefore heralded for their ‘win-win’ potential to overcome the flaws of previous coercive state-led and community-based approaches. The case studies analyse four PES/REDD+ programs in Kenya, namely the Kitengela Wildlife Lease Program, the Mara North Conservancy, the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project and Imbirikani Group Ranch. The study sites host mainly pastoral and agro-pastoral communities and are adjacent to some of the most prominent protected areas in the country. The thesis concludes that more attention to the historical processes leading up to PES/REDD+ establishment is required if more equitable outcomes are to be achieved. Deliberate efforts by implementing agencies that consider the multi-dimensional nature of equity can play a crucial role in addressing distributional and procedural equity, especially in contexts where land is unevenly distributed. However, as secure land tenure is not the only determinant of equity outcomes, the study advocates for a nuanced understanding of gendered norms in an effort to contribute to selecting suitable gender strategies for PES/REDD+ programs. Ultimately, greater effort is also required to challenge prevailing—yet flawed—gender discourses if participation in, and benefits from PES/REDD+ are to become more gender balanced.