Book(s) 93 of 208

In rural Africa and the Middle East, many ecosystems are on the verge of collapse. The interplay of social, ecological, and political-economic forces has compromised the ability of farmers to sustain their precious soil. As a result, farmers, and especially women farmers, face a constant daily struggle to survive.

This book illustrates in rich detail the complexity and diversity of women’s lives in Maragoli, western Kenya, as they work to sustain their soils and negotiate a plethora of competing demands and constraints in an increasingly stressful economic environment. With extensive use of personal narratives and photographs from the farmers of Maragoli, this book demonstrates that soil degradation is not simply a function of population pressure and ignorance; rather, it is embedded in gender relations and complex struggles at the local level.

Interested readers will include researchers, academics, practitioners, and professionals in research organizations, development organizations, grass-roots organizations, and government working on issues of gender, soil management, land tenure, agricultural labour, income generation, and off-farm livelihood strategies in Africa and the Middle East.

THE AUTHOR

Ritu Verma is a postgraduate in anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, UK. She is a graduate of Carleton University’s Norman Patterson School of International Affairs, where she obtained her MA in International Development, and is a professional engineer who has worked on international development projects in both Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. From 1997 to 1999, she worked as a researcher and intern for the International Development Research Centre, in cooperation with the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Programme (UNESCO) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Book(s) 93 of 208

by Fiona Mackenzie

by Luis Navarro and Don Peden

Conventional approaches to soil management and farming
An alternative approach
The organization of this book

An appropriate cross-cultural research methodology
The research journey
Reflections on research as a dynamic political process
Conclusions

History
Political-economy
Culture and society
Conclusions

Historical struggles over land
"Without land you are nobody": contemporary meanings of land
The contemporary micropolitics of land
Contemporary struggles over land and meaning
Conclusions

"The Avalogoli Way": ordering gender roles and responsibilities
Marital status
Class and social differentiation
Age and changing life-cycle positioning
Conclusions

"Foolishness has got no medicine": changing priorities in economically precarious times
The exacerbation of cash requirements and the consequent intensification of women's labour
"Providing" through multiple income-generating activities and occupations
"Kugurana": the strategy of barter and exchange
Conclusions

Kinship relations: investing in reciprocal rights and obligations
Social organizations
Non-sanctioned social relations
Conclusions

Enriching our understanding of the complexity of farmers' lives
Enriching the interface between researchers and farmers through policy, research, and action