Women farmers are responsible for much of the work that puts food on Kenyan tables, yet how much say do they have in the research and innovations intended to make their work easier, more productive and profitable?

It is a question that came into focus during Kenya's national celebrations of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 in Nyeri, where discussions went beyond the familiar challenges of land ownership, agricultural finance and market access to examine women's influence over the decisions shaping the future of agriculture.

Held on October 29–30 at the Kenya School of Agriculture, Wambugu Farm, the celebrations brought together approximately 5,000 farmers from counties across Kenya, alongside researchers, policymakers and development partners.

Convened by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and other partners, the gathering was held under the theme “Empowered Women Transforming Agrifood Systems.”

The conversations highlighted a question for agricultural institutions: Are the technologies being developed responding to what women farmers actually need?

Consider the beans served in Kenyan homes, for example. Researchers may spend years developing a variety that produces higher yields or withstands disease, but the farmer growing those beans may also want something that matures quickly, requires less labour, cooks faster or attracts a better price at the market.

A variety can perform exceptionally well in research trials and still struggle to find a place in farmers' fields if it fails to meet their everyday needs.

Women participate across the agricultural value chain, from seed selection and crop production to aggregation, processing and marketing. Their experiences can reveal needs that may not be immediately apparent when research focuses primarily on productivity.

A technology that saves time, for example, may be particularly valuable to someone balancing farming with household responsibilities, while a crop variety that meets local cooking preferences may have a better chance of being adopted than one selected for yield alone.

Involving women in agricultural research means not only inviting them to field demonstrations or seeking their opinions after a technology has been developed, but also giving them a say in research priorities from the outset, including what scientists work on, how innovations are designed and how their success is measured.

Speaking during the celebrations, Dr Eileen Nchanji of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT emphasised the importance of developing agricultural innovations around women's needs, including those of young women and women with disabilities.

“We should make sure that when we design our technologies or innovations that we're taking to the field, this should be what women are asking for,” she said.

What makes an innovation useful to farmers?

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), in collaboration with the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), a programme of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, develops improved bean varieties that respond to farmers' and consumers' needs.

Through participatory varietal selection, farmers can evaluate promising varieties, considering not only yields and resistance to pests and diseases, but also characteristics such as early maturity, cooking time, taste and market demand. Their preferences provide researchers with information that can influence which varieties are advanced for wider cultivation.

Improved bean varieties such as Waithera and Nyota illustrate why these characteristics matter. Faster-cooking beans can reduce the time and fuel households spend preparing meals, while early-maturing varieties can help farmers manage shorter or less predictable growing seasons.

For women producing beans for both household consumption and sale, a variety's value may depend as much on its performance in the kitchen and marketplace as on the harvest it produces.

Access to quality seed, reliable agricultural information and profitable markets also determines whether farmers can benefit from these advances. Without these, even promising innovations may remain out of reach, particularly for women who have limited control over land, finance and other productive resources.

From recognition to real influence

The wider barriers facing women farmers featured prominently in Nyeri, particularly their limited control over land, finance and productive resources. These constraints affect not only what women can grow, but also whether they can invest in new technologies, expand their enterprises or make long-term farming decisions.

Speaking at the celebrations, the chief guest, National Land Commission Commissioner Esther Murugi Mathenge (EGH), challenged participants to consider whether women farmers were being supported to remain small-scale producers or become larger agricultural investors.

“Do you want them to remain as peasant farmers, or do you want them to remain as big investors?” she asked, pointing to the potential of women-led enterprises and the importance of helping women access more profitable agricultural markets.

A woman may be willing to invest in an improved crop variety or adopt new farming technologies, but without affordable finance, secure access to land and the authority to make decisions about her farming enterprise, the opportunities created by agricultural research can remain beyond her reach.

The national communiqué issued at the close of the celebrations called for stronger women's participation in agricultural decision-making, improved access to quality seeds and technologies, gender-responsive extension services and greater investment in women-led enterprises.

It also urged national and county governments to incorporate women's priorities into agricultural plans and budgets, including the 2027–2032 County Integrated Development Plans.

As Kenya marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer, recognising women's contribution to food production remains important. But the more consequential measure of progress will be whether women gain greater influence over the research, resources and decisions shaping their livelihoods, and whether the innovations developed for them reflect what they actually need.