| dc.description.abstract | This study examined household labour characteristics in smallholder farms in Arid and Semi-Arid areas (ASAL) in Laikipia district. The focus was on the assessment of' the
extent to which labour availability is a constraint in farm operations. The study sought to establish the size, sources and types of labour used, the factors that influence its
availability, or its withdrawal as well as its use patterns.It investigated and documented traditional labour exchange or reciprocal institutions, i.e., ngwatio and gutukania ruuru.
The units for investigation to which a standard questionnaire was administered comprised 135 female and male headed households. Informal discussions, case studies and observations were conducted with some selected informants from
this pool.The findings of this study show that household labour availabili ty is influenced by three factors. One, rural to urban migration of some of the household members who at sometime in the past were part of the household labour supply,namely, husbands and school-leaving youths. Two, available onfarm labour is sometimes withdrawn because of off-farm social or economic pursuits. Three, when children are enrolled in
schools, their contribution to household labour is reduced.Labour shortage is a common problem for both livestock and crop husbandry. There is therefore need to hire labour from both within and outside the settlements studied. However,
the need for hired labour is occasionally hampered by the inability of some farmers to pay for it. Reciprocal labour between farmers is still an important element in household
labour supply. In traditionally settled areas, reciprocal labour is usually kin and neighbourhood based. The observation in this study is that women, mainly through religious group affiliations, are at the core of the practice.The study indicates that gender and family division of labour are highly variable and changing just as are the
factors that influence them. Therefore, inability by some households to meet their labour needs during the agricultural cycle, is a major constraint on food and animal production in these settlements.Hence, the study recommends for informal sector
improvement because of its cushioning effects against farming risks. Secondly, farmers need to be sensitised so that they appreciate changes in gender roles in both crop and animal husbandry. Thirdly, informal labour institutions should bestrengthened and appropriately modified so that they can be used as entry points for new innovations and labour supply pools. Forthly, farmers shouldr be trained on the use and management of draught animals. It is also important for more research to be conducted on sustainable land use and labour relations in polyethnic settlements.Finally, it is observed that migration to these farms exhibits a rare phenomenon in Kenya and East Africa. This is,
a considerable number of people have moved in from rural and urban areas as opposed to the a,ge long tradition of rural to urban migration. | en |
