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Knowledge4Policy
Knowledge for policy
Supporting policy with scientific evidence

We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe.

  • Publication | 2022
Securing land access for smallholders
Global Food and Nutrition Security

Most rural households in Kakamega County, western Kenya depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, growing demand for food and housing driven by rapid population growth has put great pressure on land. The average land holding per family is approximately 0.6 ha. Even where land is available, access is unequally distributed between family members due to customary inheritance laws that favour male heads of household. Consequently, women and youth are disadvantaged and their ability to invest in soil protection compromised, leading to a low adoption rate of sustainable land management (SLM) practices. Shibuye Community Health Workers (CHW), TMG Research and other stakeholders developed community-based solutions to the problem of insecure land access and low adoption of SLM in Kakamega County