Cite as Otundo M. (2017).

Provisional Findings on Linking Climate Information to Livelihood Strategies

through ICTs among Rural Women in Marginalized Kenya. Academia.edu

Provisional Findings on Linking Climate Information to Livelihood Strategies

through ICTs among Rural Women in Marginalized Kenya

1 Introduction
The degree to which ICTs can be utilized in tending to difficulties of jobs keeps on being a
rich research zone the world over. In creating nations like Kenya, particularly, the
difficulties of defenseless occupations from one viewpoint, and the spread of ICTs access
and utilization on the other, make for an intriguing blend that guarantees possibly
remunerating exploration and results. This is especially so when we think about that the
Kenyan populace is to a great extent poor and country based, depending on subsistence
cultivating for their sustenance and different needs. Simultaneously, cruel climatic
conditions imply that lone 30% [1]of the land in Kenya is arable, in this way applying
undue weight on a more prominent larger part of occupants in the Arid and Semi-Arid
Lands (ASALs) [2] like Kwale, to discover imaginative methods for getting the best out of
their generally fruitless terrains. Utilization of advances to get to data applicable for basic
leadership, or activating around ladies' gatherings to pick up proficiency that thusly is useful
in contacting the external, all the more encouraging, spaces are instances of the scope of
developments that are available to the individuals in such territories. When one considers
socio-social and monetary elements like man controlled society and joblessness,
individually, that influence a bigger number of ladies than men [3] [4], they start to value an
enormous existential and scholarly look into issue that requirements critical intercession.

Thus, the reason for this examination was to decide the degree to which ladies in provincial
Kwale County in Kenya get to atmosphere data to upgrade their adjustment and flexibility
to atmosphere incited emergencies like fluctuation and outrageous occasions.
2. Objectives
The fundamental target was to decide the degree to which provincial ladies in Kwale
County in Kenya suitable innovation to access and utilize atmosphere data so as to alleviate
against atmosphere vulnerabilities. Explicit goals for the checking study illuminating this
paper were to:
1. Establish whether there are convergences of proficiency levels, wellsprings of salary
and access to ICTs and to atmosphere data for ladies in rustic Kwale County
2. Determine the job of ICTs on improved wages and upgraded jobs among ladies in rustic
Kwale County, in Kenya:

3. Methodology
3.1 Study Area

The scoping study was conducted in Lungalunga Sub-county Kwale County, Kenya.

3.2 Data Collection Methodology

The scoping study employed exploratory mixed methods to collect qualitative and
quantitative data, followed by analysis. Qualitative data was collected using desk top and
library research, while Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with agricultural extension officers
from the Ministry of Agriculture and the meteorological department officials provided
quantitative data. This approach was influenced by our choice of the Sustainable
Livelihoods Framework as the guiding principle.

3.3 Sampling Method

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The study deployed purposive and simple random sampling in identifying the respondents
for the scoping study. The purposive approach was employed in identifying the key
informants from the meteorological department and extension officers from the Ministry of
Agriculture. Random sampling was used to identify the individuals among the women’s
self-help groups.

3.4 Sample Size

Study settled on a sample size of 20 (twenty) respondents, of whom 16 (sixteen) were

women while 4 (four) were men. This was done in November 2014. In all, the scoping
study was carried so as to understand the appropriate channels of communication (ICTs) in
providing climate information and how rural women can adapt through the application of
ICTs so as to access climate information. Research conducted a study on a small cross-
section of sixteen rural women and four rural men in Lungalunga sub-county in Kwale
County and Township to assess the parameters of the study and the situation in Kwale
County. These regions have a strong women’s self-help groups that were targeted for
sampling and data collection purposes. Because our key focus was on women’s self help
groups, our sample was predominantly women, at 80% (16) compared to the 20% (4) men.
3.5 Data Collection Instruments

In the scoping study, researcher employed a survey instrument with both open and closed
ended questions. The instrument was meat to collect information on the respondents’ access
to climate information; awareness, access to and utilization of ICTs among women in rural
Kwale County. The tool was also designed to determine the role of ICTs in improving
incomes and enhancing livelihoods.

4 Technology Description
For quite a while, ICT was a nonexclusive reference to the 'advances' that move old and
new data [5] [6]. Greenberg [7] additionally shares in this view ICTs are regularly classified
dependent on to what extent they share been for all intents and purpose use and somewhat,
the innovation utilized for the transmission and capacity of data. However, Greenberg
further distinguishes three kinds of ICTs, in light of to what extent they have been near:
New ICTs (PCs, satellites, remote one-on-one interchanges, cell phones, the Internet, email
and sight and sound); Old ICTs (radio, TV, landline phones and transmit), and Really Old
ICTs (papers, books and libraries).

For our motivation, I concentrated only on New Technology, explicitly the cell phone. The
fast development of access to and utilization of cell phones and cell administration in Kenya
of later has given another passage point into networks and another road for scattering of
data. Aker and Mbiti [8] report that mobile phone administration in Kenya significantly
increased in size somewhere in the range of 2006 and 2009 with more than 17 million
individuals currently associated with the cell arrange. Moreover, the quantity of cell phone
proprietors inside Kenya expanded by 74% in this equivalent period, with 47% of the
populace proprietors [8]. From various perspectives, this ongoing blast in cell phone use has
been because of the general quick development of the business, which perceived the
requirement for phone correspondence in provincial regions of creating nations and another
chance to extend remote systems. Where obstructions of foundation and geology have
averted sweeping landline telephone systems from arriving at rustic regions, cell towers
have given a remote chance to arrive at clients in provincial networks [9]. With this new
organize, the rustic towns and urban focuses are associated in new ways that have given

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Cite as Otundo M. (2017). Provisional Findings on Linking Climate Information to Livelihood Strategies
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new chances to improvement. In reality cell phones appear to be at the cutting edge of
improvement outreach procedures. What's more, in spite of the fact that the broadcast
communications segment is liable to free advertise elements in Kenya, a couple of private
players keep on commanding the playing field. Safaricom, Airtel , Orange and, all the more
as of late, Equitel, command the portable communication landscape. The more brilliant side
to this reality, nonetheless, is that these specialist organization organizations connect with
up to this point underestimated territories like country Kwale County, where the checking
study was attempted to find out the allotment of portable communication in tending to
common and individual issues.

5 Results
From the study, literacy levels were captured as summarized in Table 1.
Table 1: Literacy Levels
Attribute Frequency Percent Cumulative Percentage
Can read and write 9 45.0 45.0
Can neither read nor write 11 55.0 100.00
Total 20 100.0 100.0
Source: Researcher
On education, only 45% of the respondents, a majority of whom were women, could read
and write. Presumably, this percentage has a bearing on their access to and use of ICT
mediated climate information. The rest could only access such information on second hand
basis.

a. Climate Change Awareness

At the point when gotten some information about environmental change, 100% asserted that
they comprehended the importance of environmental change and that the impacts of
environmental change had happened. Regarding its belongings, 95% expressed that
environmental change had added to expanded temperatures, 85% expressed that it had
added to floods and dry seasons, 75% guaranteed that it had added to flighty precipitation
examples, and 30% asserted that it had added to an expansion in the breeze's speed.
Regarding the impacts of environmental change on horticulture, 95% of the ladies
concurred that it had added to diminished harvest yields, 95% again expressed that it had
occasioned a flood in vermin and infections; 65% contended that it had brought down the

nature of produce, and 40% contended that added to arrive debasement.

Figure 1: Climate Change Awareness

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Gotten some information about how they got to this data, the respondents reacted in manners
that underscored the incredible job that ICTs play in transferring environmental change data.
They were likewise asked how much of the time they utilized similar sources. Subtleties of
their reactions are individually caught in Figure 3 and Figure 4, beneath.

Figure 2: Sources of Information

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Cite as Otundo M. (2017). Provisional Findings on Linking Climate Information to Livelihood Strategies
through ICTs among Rural Women in Marginalized Kenya. Academia.edu

Figure 3: Frequency of Access

b. Interpretation and Discussion of Findings

While the example size was very little thinking about that our own was a perusing study, I
find that the outcomes can fittingly adaptable upwards. One might say, access to helpful
data was considered on account of those that had radio and cell phones as their source.
Those that approached valuable data on environmental change were 2.16 occasions bound
to gather a superior yield as far as amount than those that did not approach the data; keep
more beneficial domesticated animals and access cleaner water. Table 2 beneath catches the
scientific subtleties identifying with radio and cell phones:
Table 2: Access to Radio and Mobile Phones
Signif.codes: 0 ‘***’ 0.001 ‘**’ 0.01 ‘*’ 0.05 ‘.’ 0.1 ‘ ’ 1
(Dispersion parameter for binomial family taken to be 1)
Coefficients:
USEFUL INFORMATION ON CC
Estimate Std. Error z value Pr(>|z|)
(Intercept) 1.233 1.766 1.261 0.0758 .
Access.radio 1.504 3.023 1.444 0.0132 *
Access.mobile 0.833 5.284 1.001 0.0422 *
Source: Researcher
Those that approached helpful data on environmental change are 7.12 occasions bound to
claim domesticated animals than those that don't approach the data, every single other factor
held consistent. Further, those that approach helpful data on CC are 1.08 occasions bound to
have aptitudes that incorporate current cultivating strategies and keeping reserve funds than
those that don't approach the data, every single other factor held consistent. Those that
approach helpful data on environmental change are 1.21 occasions bound to approach water
than those that don't approach the data, every single other factor held consistent. Table 3
demonstrates this:

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 Cite as Otundo M. (2017). Provisional Findings on Linking Climate Information to Livelihood Strategies
through ICTs among Rural Women in Marginalized Kenya. Academia.edu

Table 3
Coefficients:
YIELD
Estimate Std. Error z value Pr(>|z|)
(Intercept) 1.792 1.080 1.659 0.0971 .
Access.info.on.cc 0.774 17.520 1.004 0.0970 .

LIVESTOCK
Estimate Std. Error z value Pr(>|z|)
(Intercept) 16.653 672.003 1.736 0.9971
Access.info.on.cc 1.974 49.340 1.654 0.0532 .

SKILLS
Estimate Std. Error z value Pr(>|z|)
(Intercept) 0.363 1.381 1.659 0.0198.
Access.info.on.cc 0.074 32.927 1.078 0.0623.

WATER ACCESS
Estimate Std.Error z value Pr(>|z|)
(Intercept) 11.637 1.199 1.835 0.0458 *
Access.info.on.cc 0.193 11.923 1.172 0.0817.

6 Business Benefits
From the prior discoveries, we set up that it might be conceivable to fabricate nearer organizations
between ICTs makers and specialist organizations to bundle data in arrangements and dialects that
resound with the requirements of provincial networks. For example, plan of applications that can
hand-off atmosphere data on continuous premise will go far in improving country vocations,
particularly if such data from various partners is digitized and made accessible on shared stages.
Besides, our discoveries may frame a reason for broadened support for provincial availability in the
territories of remote broadband associations or sunlight based power frameworks. At the point when
this is done, improved employments will be figured it out.

7 Conclusion
The specialist in this manner reasons that since owning a radio or cell phone altogether improves the
probability of an individual approaching valuable data on environmental change and having the data,
one is essentially bound to enhance their vocation resources, ICTs helps in progress of country ladies'
business base. The lower importance levels can be ascribed to the little example size taken for the
perusing study. This tests the analyst to proceed with the examination as it is realized that expansion in
test size expands exactness.

The aftereffects of this perusing study exhibits that the situation of the ladies in the rustic networks
that occupy Kwale County are uneducated and most need access to ICTs and, all things considered,
they participate in old fashioned cultivating procedures that lone serve to compound the impacts of
environmental change. The people group have chopped down trees and utilized them as kindling and
the outcome has been the disintegration of the top ripe soil. Nonstop disintegration of the top soil has
prompted the loss of supplements, yet additionally prompted a huge drop in the limit of the dirt to
hold water. In that capacity, ladies in the network are reeling from the impacts of starvation related
sustenance uncertainty in light of the fact that the low water maintenance limit has altogether
decreased the yield developing season.

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 Cite as Otundo M. (2017). Provisional Findings on Linking Climate Information to Livelihood Strategies
through ICTs among Rural Women in Marginalized Kenya. Academia.edu

Absence of assets being the real reason for suspending with training shows that the region is
significantly influenced by destitution.

Radio and cell phones being the fundamental wellsprings of data, country ladies will profit more by
approaching radio's and cell phones in order to access trustworthy data on environmental change, and
henceforth improve their nourishment, water security circumstance and increment their pay

The provincial networks in Kwale County have been depending on these customary and unsustainable
cultivating rehearses on the grounds that they don't approach data on practical cultivating methods. Over
80% of the ladies in the rustic regions have cell phones, however they can't get to data on supportable
cultivating rehearses due to low education levels. Their solitary access to data on manageable cultivating
is through farming expansion officials. Notwithstanding, the majority of them can't get to the
horticultural augmentation officials at whatever point they are needing counsel since they don't have the
fortitude to visit their workplaces all the time. Further, a large portion of the ladies are not associated
with the national power network and, in that capacity, they don't have TVs, web, and PCs. In that
capacity, they have been left to their very own gadgets and are at present depending on antiquated and
unsustainable cultivating procedures. The present investigation, in this manner, will evaluate the job that
ICT can play to counter the antagonistic impacts of environmental change on provincial ladies in Kwale
County concentrating on cell phones and radio innovation.

The specialist trusts that the aftereffects of a top to bottom investigation will be instrumental in denoting
a change in outlook in the manner in which country ranchers in different pieces of Kenya handle the
issue of environmental change. This paper, consequently, ought to add to acknowledging upgraded
profitability of atmosphere touchy vocations and intensity among provincial ladies in Kenya towards
enablement of maintainable access to occupations resources which to a huge degree is compelled by the
successive repeat of emergencies connected with atmosphere fluctuation.

References
[1] Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2009 National Demographics. Nairobi: Government of Kenya
Publication, 2010.
[2] Arid Land Information Network, Connecting communities with knowledge. Kenya: ALIN Publications,
2010.
[3] T. Aguilar, Women and climate change vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities. Climate Connection,
2009, pp. 59-69.
[4] F. Denton, Climate change vulnerability, impacts and adaptation: why does gender matter? Gender and
Development, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2002, pp. 10-20.
[5] R. Curtain, Information and Communications Technologies and Development: Help or Hindrance?
Curtain Consulting, The Australian Agency for International Development, Melbourne, Australia, 2003.
[6] C. Hefferman, Y. Lin & K. Thomson, Drawing from Development: Towards unifying theory and practice
of ICT4D. In Journal of International Development (October, 2012). DoI: 10.1002/jid
[7] A. Greenberg, ICTs for Poverty Alleviation: Basic Tool and Enabling Sector, Montreal, Quebec,
Development for Infrastructure and Economic Cooperation, SIDA, 2005.
[8] J. Aker & I. Mbiti. Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa – Working Paper 211, Center
for Global Development ( www.cgdev.org), (2010).
[9] A. Rashid, L. Elder, Mobile Phones and Development: An Analysis of IDRC Supported Projects. in The
Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 36(2), 2009, pp. 1-16.

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