77
Percantage
Major crops
Fig. 5 Male and female respondents who perceived increased cultivable crop areas
Percentage
Major crops
Fig. 6 Male and female respondents who perceived decreased cultivable crop areas
between men and women who reported a decrease in cultivable area for the major
crops and fallow. The t-statistic was not significant for cassava and fallow at
p = 0.111 > 0.05 and p = 0.240 > 0.05. On the other hand, there were significant
differences between the proportions of men and women who perceived decreases in
cultivable areas for rice (p = 0.015 < 0.05), maize (p = 0.03 < 0.05), and groundnuts
(p = 0.009 < 0.05).
The decrease in the area cultivated for all the crops mentioned above, including
rice, was generally attributed to prolonged drought, infection by pests and diseases,
limited arable land, and infertile soils. Overall, the general perception given by
respondents was that cultivable crop areas had generally decreased due to
Gendered Adaptation and Coping Mechanisms to Climate Variability in Eastern…