Access to water and sanitation as a basic human right is still limited within resource-poor rural settings of Africa, including Kitui, Kenya. This is exacerbated by prevailing gender inequalities which can be mediated when communities leverage on social capital. Qualitative methods were used to examine how values embedded in social capital enable women and vulnerable groups to cope with household water insecurity. How communities exploit the bonding and bridging dimensions of social capital to cope with water insecurities has gendered implications. Understanding the role of social capital is important in advancing public policy to reduce gender inequalities in water access.

Increased access to a variety of foods in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) has led to greater autonomy in food choice decision-making. Autonomy allows individuals to make decisions through negotiation of considerations in ways that are consistent with basic values. The aim of this study was to identify and describe how basic human values drive food choice in two diverse populations with transitioning food environments living in the neighboring East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania. Secondary data analysis was carried out on focus group discussions conducted with men and women in Kenya (n = 28) and Tanzania (n = 28) as part of prior studies on food choice. A priori coding based on Schwartz's theory of basic human values was conducted, followed by a narrative comparative analysis, which included review by original principal investigators. Values of conservation (security, conformity, tradition), openness to change (self-directed thought and action, stimulation, indulgence), self-enhancement (achievement, power, face), and self-transcendence (benevolence-dependability and -caring) were prominent drivers of food choice in both settings. Participants described how values were negotiated and highlighted existing tensions. For example, the value of tradition was cited as important in both settings but changing food contexts (e.g., new foods, diverse neighborhoods) increased prioritization of values like stimulation, indulgence, and self-directed thought and action. The application of a basic values framework was useful for understanding food choice in both settings. A focused understanding of how values drive food choice decision-making in the context of changing food availability in LMICs is essential for the promotion of sustainable healthy diets.

Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy, supporting up to 80% of rural livelihoods. Kenya’s export horticulture is currently the leading agriculture subsector in Kenya and is regarded as an agro-industrial food system based on the economies of scale, producing for mass markets outside of the production area. Much of the food consumed from Kenya’s export horticulture sector has undergone multiple transformations and been subject to a host of formal and informal institutions (rules, regulations, standards, norms and values). Kenya’s export horticulture production, driven by rising global demands, has expanded beyond the ‘traditional’ mountainous high yielding areas into arid and semi-arid (ASALs) zones such as Laikipia County, Northwest of Mount Kenya. An anthropological study of export horticulture viewed as an agro-industrial food system in Laikipia County was carried out utilizing the new institutionalism theory in anthropology to explore the actors, rules and regulations linked to export horticulture production and access to common pool resources. The study employed qualitative data collection methods to collect data over an extended field work period of eight months. The data from 40 in-depth interviews complemented by unstructured observations, four focus group discussions and five key informant interviews was transcribed, coded and analyzed thematically based on the grounded theory approach. This paper, therefore, presents findings from the qualitative case study on the actors as well as the rules and regulations (the institutional settings) of export horticulture production and access to common pool resources from an emic perspective of the involved actors. The formal and informal rules and regulations which form the institutional setting in this food system are viewed as changing and defining the operations of the food system’s access and management of common pool resources, namely water and land. With the agro-industrial food system competing with local food systems such as agro-pastoralism and small holder agriculture for these scarce resources in a semi-arid zone, there is potential for conflict and reduced production, as well as overall benefits to the different actors in the study area.

This Special Issue contributes to the debate that land grabbing should be discussed as commons grabbing

Understanding the gender-linked dynamics in the small holder poultry value chain is necessary for enabling sustainable agriculture and food systems. Small holder livestock production, including poultry keeping in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), plays important socio-economic and food security roles in rural communities. Poultry production contributes to sustainable food systems as it supports nutrient cycling through feed, manure, and soils. A qualitative study utilized data from 18 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 22 in-depth interviews (IDIs) to interrogate the gender-linked dynamics in the value chain and inform interventions for sustainable food systems. The data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded into themes responding to the study question. The results highlight the gender-linked drivers, namely, the social and economic value placed on poultry, ownership, power positions, and decision making dynamics in production and management among small holder poultry value chain actors in Makueni County, Kenya. The study findings demonstrate the increasing economic and social value placed on poultry in households and communities. The study further discusses gender-disaggregated ownership and decision making in the poultry value chain, highlighting the need to engage all involved actors to develop sustainable food systems. In addition to the social and economic value of poultry to small holder farmers, it is necessary to factor in potential nutrition and environmental benefits. While small holder poultry production has the potential to contribute to sustainable food systems economically, nutritionally, and environmentally, this study found that more emphasis is placed on socio-economic value dimensions. Noteworthy is that in ownership and decision making, gender dynamics inform the role and position of the different actors in a sustainable small holder poultry value chain that is socio-economically, nutritionally, and environmentally sound.