Featuring expert voices driving equitable policy reforms across Kenya

Today’s feature follows a conversation with Ms. Jane Peris Aluoch, Senior Agricultural Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Kenya. She reflects on how gender-responsive approaches can strengthen agricultural policy and practice. 

Name: Jane Peris Aluoch 

Title: Senior Agricultural Officer

Institution: Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Kenya

Q: What lessons from the training did you find most valuable for your work, and how do you plan to apply them?

Jane: What stood out for me were the tools for designing gender-responsive policies. I now see that to be an effective policymaker, I must first understand the gender dynamics on the ground. These dynamics influence everything from decision-making on the farm to how resources are shared, and understanding them is key to ensuring no one is left behind in agricultural development. 

Q: What challenges do you find impact gender integration in agrifood policies the most?

Jane: Two major challenges stand out. First, a fundamental lack of resources for women and marginalized groups. They often lack collateral, making it difficult to obtain credit or financing, which limits their potential.  Second, we have a weak institutional capacity for implementation. While good policies exist, implementing them effectively requires trained gender champions within the ministry, and those are still too few.

Q: What opportunities does the GASP program create to tackle them?

Jane: The training has equipped us with practical tools to analyze whether our policies are truly gender-responsive! We’ve also gained insights into how to frame our monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress on gender issues and make targeted, timely interventions. 

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

Jane: (smiles) I don’t have to be in the office to do my job! My real work is out in the field, where I meet people from all walks of life and learn directly from their experiences. That connection is everything!