Disability and labour market participation among smallholder farmers in Western Kenya

Despite the importance of labour market participation and the high number of people with disabilities in rural Africa who rely on subsistence agriculture to survive, very few studies have documented labour market outcomes among farmers with and without disabilities in Africa.

We examined how labour market participation differed by disability and other factors among smallholder farmers in Western Kenya.

We use cross-sectional data collected between January and April 2022 from sorghum farmers enrolled in a trial evaluating the impact of a programme designed to improve labour market participation among sorghum farmers in rural Western Kenya. Disability and Labour market outcomes were assessed using questions from the Washington Group /ILO Labor Force Survey Disability Module the ILO Labour Force Survey module respectively. Univariate and multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify socio-demographic characteristics and other related factors associated with labour market participation.

Among 4459 participants, disability was reported by 20.3% of women and 12.3% of men. Labour market participation was reported by 77.1% and 81.3% of women and men, respectively. Adjusting for demographic confounders, having a disability was associated with a lower likelihood of labour market participation (odds ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval, 0.42-0.83, P = 0.001). These findings were similar in a modified model that looked at functional difficulties separately from anxiety and depression. Women, older participants, and those who were dependent on others were also more likely not to report participation in the labour market.

Increased recognition and understanding of functional limitations among smallholder farmers is vital for the success of economic empowerment programmes aimed at increasing labour market participation among the most vulnerable populations.