Inequality and Rural Poverty: Innovative Agricultural Practices for Sustainable and Social Development in Kenya

Introduction

Inequality and poverty are recurring issues of discussion in both developing and developed countries. Kenya as a developing country is not exceptional with studies highlighting inequality and rural poverty as a rampant cause of low economic growth (The World Bank, 2008; Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2013). Inequality and poverty are interlinked and have an adverse effect on the economic growth of a country. In a nutshell, inequality produces poverty and affects growth and, in turn, growth counters poverty (Naschold, 2015). According to the United Nations (2015) report, inequality is defined as the state of being unequal economically based either on income, rights, status, and opportunities. On the other hand, poverty is the state of human being denied choice and opportunities for human development such as fulfilling life, education, reasonable standard of living, freedom, dignity, health, and participation in the community (Gordon, 2006).

While inequality can be linked to income earned, poverty is associated with lack of access to usage of preventive services. In Nyanza, HIV/AIDS coupled with malaria and other water-borne related diseases have and continue to pose a major challenge to both infected and affected population, thus increasing the rate of poverty (The World Bank, 2008). Poor and unevenly distributed development in Kenya has been cited to contribute to the high inequality. Inequality is prevalent on those without land, employable skills and capital (Wambugu & Munga, 2009). The death of the young and active generation as a result of HIV/AIDS, leaving behind orphans who rely on old and weak grandparents also contributes to poverty. In many situations the old and weak grandparents seek assistance from the able extended families and thus the poverty cycle becomes prevalent among such families.

The significant rise in economic growth in Kenya between 2003-2006 was expected to reduce poverty although this was not the case as the inequality levels still remained high (Wambugu & Munga, 2009). Approximately 80% of the total population in Kenya lives in the rural area with recent statistics showing that the rural population has migrated to urban centres to search for white collar jobs. The majority of population living in the rural area are said to be living in poverty with most unemployed as a result of reduced production from the climate changes (The World Bank, 2008). Over 80% of Kenyan land is classified as arid and semi-arid with only 20% classified as land for productive agriculture on the basis of rainfall received. Majority of the rural population work on the family owned agricultural land without pay (Naschold, 2002). The land in Kenya is unevenly distributed in terms of size, productivity and population. Land fragmentation is becoming a common phenomenon as a result of the ever increasing population leaving less and less land for cultivation. On the other hand, in arid and semi-arid areas, production is either moderate or low and sparsely populated.

In Vision 2030, the government of Kenya intends to raise the income earned from agriculture through the use of innovative and modern agriculture. The smallholder farmers will have improved yields from the less acreage cultivated. In addition, the farm products will be commercially oriented and improved access to better marketing raising the income earned from Kes 80 billion to 90 billion of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This chapter provides an overview of household inequality from international to national perspective. It also highlights on various issues, controversies and problems related to sorghum farming as it draws conclusion based on the analysis on the effect of innovative agricultural practices on reduction of inequality in Homabay County, Kenya.