The relationship between seasonal fuelwood availability, household food consumption, and women's time allocation

A study was conducted in 1993/94 on a group of 45 women clustered into the Hill, Lake, and Town regions of Kasgunga West sub-location in Homa Bay district, Kenya to assess women’s perceptions of problems and solutions related to fuelwood availability, household food consumption, and women’s time allocation for daily activities, and the relationships between time allocation, fuelwood availability, and household food consumption. Results obtained from the qualitative part of the study showed that 35, 23, and 22% of the respondents perceived that fuelwood collection, child care, and farming activities, respectively, were the most strenuous and time consuming activities of women in the Homa Bay district. The most obvious fuelwood availability problem was inadequate supplies. This caused a shift in the size of collected fuelwood (from large to small and increased usage of agricultural residue for fuel). According to the study, inadequate food is produced in the area and this results in approximately 91% of the staple consumed being bought from the market. The total time spent by respondents for collecting fuelwood was positively correlated with the amount of fuelwood collected (r=0.69) and earnings derived from sale of charcoal (r=0.61).