Mapping the Value Chain for Farmed Fish and Gender Analysis ... 99the family (Rutaisire et al., 2010). Unlike in capture value chain where women
are mostly involved in post-harvest activities, conversely in AVC, a higher
number of women (83%) are involved in production level, suggesting that
women are the key players in aquaculture sector in Kenya. The results of the
current study contradicts the findings of Ikiara (1999) who found out that
women dominate the fish marketing system of Lake Victoria while men
dominate its production. The difference could be due to the nature of the two
value chains as AVC is shorter as compared to capture value chain (herein,
CVC) which is well established. It could also be because women’s aquaculture
tasks, is often based near the home, and this is especially convenient as they fit
closely with their existing roles in supporting the household. However, since
they are undertaken by women, they are often viewed as requiring little skill
(Williams et al., 2005; FAO, 2006, Choo et al., 2008). This is a major gender
issue in aquaculture and leads to women’s work being undervalued and poorly
rewarded.
House chores are predominantly the work of females in Nyanza region.
Despite the fact that children are the sole responsibility of women, and given
their dual role in domestic chores and reproduction, more women actively
participated in aquaculture activity along the value chain. This is because
given the cost of feeding, clothing and sending children to school, the
necessity for an income is considerable (Medard et al., 2002).
Majority of land/pond is owned by men in Nyanza region. Most fish pond
owners in Africa are men because they have better access to resources
(Harrison, 1995). Evidence of land ownership is regarded as a problem for
women wishing to engage on their own in aquaculture. In patrileneal
communities, men have always owned productive assets such as land, while
women may have access rights to, but not control over family resources.
Another factor that may contribute to this difference in farm ownership is
women’s limited access to capital, which is essential for engaging in
aquaculture due to the need for expensive imported inputs such as feed, fish
farming chemicals, and improved technology. Ownership of land is significant
as a means of increasing the income and food production in households and
provides some security (Lwenya et al., 2009).
Women’s access to credit, important in varying degrees in all systems, is
also limited, because credit from formal systems often demands land as
collateral. Aquaculture farming is a capital-intensive activity compared to
other forms of agricultural and livestock production, involving both a large
investment outlay, particularly for the more sophisticated methods, and high
operating costs for energy, and feed. These conditions tend to inflate the unit