Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to mainstream and revitalise women groups in small
scale agriculture and business in Kenya. In terms of gender, this paper assumes
that in Kenya, women are the majority involved in rural market economy at
every shopping centre. Some of the women in the rural areas are widows, single
mothers, separated and sole bread earners, yet disempowered economically.
The objective of the study was to establish how women groups can be given focus
as the main players in agribusiness in rural Kenya. This focus was embedded
in the mitigation products of microfinance, which has proved worldwide to
break shackles of poverty, and gender based cultural barriers that demean
women. The aim was to empower rural women financially by sensitising them
to access microfinance services; to expand their economic base in business and
improve agricultural productivity. Data collection involved both primary and
secondary sources. Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were
used. Questionnaires, focus group discussions (FDG), and in-depth interviews
were used for data collection. Qualitative method of data analysis was used and
data was synthesised thematically according to the study objectives. The use
of quantitative analysis was mainly for illustrative purposes because the study
was purely qualitative and descriptive in nature. The study found out that most
women groups operate under financial and cultural constrains and needed more
economic empowerment through micro finance to be effective.