Initiatives For Rural Development Through Collective Action : The Case of Household Participation in Group Activities in the Highlands of Central Kenya
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Dimensions of the nature, scope, and complexity of collective action in Kenya
have evolved over many years. In studying collective action, the aim is to understand
why and how people participate in networks of trust. The purpose of this study was to
investigate the different objectives that farmers pursue through collective action with the
aim of understanding the patterns of people’s participation in collective action, identify
factors that influence people to join groups, and identify the costs and benefits of
participating in activities of groups.
The study was carried out in four sites spread across the highlands of central
Kenya. Data was collected from a total of 442 households, focusing on whether members
of those households belonged to groups and if so, what type of groups these were and
their activities. In addition we looked at how these groups functioned and identified some
of the contributions members make to these groups and the benefits from the same.
The analysis shows that collective action is used to accomplish a range of
activities for different socioeconomic categories and that the majority of households in
central Kenya engage in some form of group activity. There are numerous active groups
in central Kenya, most starting on their own initiative. They are very dynamic and take
on many new activities often involving income generation. Gender has an influence on
the nature of collective action. Findings suggest that men and women are engaged in
similar group activities but the motivation for joining groups and extent of participation
may be different. Men and women have different priorities which influence their decision
to join groups. Access to markets and social insurance coping mechanisms are the main
reason why men join groups while for women, social insurance and building household
assets are the primary reasons why they join groups. Women are likely to engage
significantly in subsistence agriculture while men are traditionally inclined towards the
production of commercial enterprises through which they obtain their major source of
income. Men will therefore be more interested in joining groups that have an element of
commercialization and marketing.
The study suggests that where institutions and policies that promote individual or
private sector growth are weak, collective action can help to overcome these weaknesses
and connect individuals in these institutions and policies.