Department/Unit: Social Science and Impact Assessment Unit
Qualifications: Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences (Development Economics specialization)
PhD Institution: Center of Development Studies (ZEF), the University of Bonn
PhD dissertation title: Commercialization of smallholder horticultural farming in rural Kenya: Poverty, gender and Institutional Arrangements
Current research interests and projects: Impact evaluation, gender analysis, institutional economics, supply chain analysis, technology generation, and adoption, poverty, food, and nutrition security studies, monitoring and evaluation, and applied micro-econometrics
Selected publication 1: 4. Muriithi B.W. & Kabubo-Mariara J. (2021). The Dynamics and Role of Gender in High-value Avocado Farming in Kenya. European Journal of Development Research 1-33.
Selected publication 2: 5. Muriithi B.W., Gathogo N. G., Diiro G., Kidoido M. M., Nyanganga M. O., & Masiga D. K. Farmer Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Novel Livestock Pest control Technologies: A case of Tsetse repellent Collar in Kwale County in Kenya. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 15(8), e0009663.
Selected publication 3: 12. Muriithi, B. W., Gathogo, N., Rwomushana, I., Diiro, G., Mohamed Faris, S., Khamis, F., Tanga C., & Ekesi, S. (2021). Farmers’ knowledge and perceptions on fruit flies and willingness to pay for a fruit fly integrated pest management strategy in Gamo Gofa zone, Ethiopia. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 1-14.
Selected publication 4: 16. Muriithi, B. W., Gathogo, N. G., Diiro, G. M., Mohamed, S. A., & Ekesi, S. (2020). Potential Adoption of Integrated Pest Management Strategy for Suppression of Mango Fruit Flies in East Africa: An Ex Ante and Ex Post Analysis in Ethiopia and Kenya. Agriculture, 10(7), 278
Selected publication 5: 26. Muriithi, B. W., Menale, K., Diiro, G., & Muricho, G. (2018). Does gender matter in the adoption of push-pull pest management and other sustainable agricultural practices? Evidence from Western Kenya. Food Security, 10(2), 253–272.
Selected publication 6: 6. Diiro, G. M., Kassie, M., Muriithi, B. W., & Mutero, C. M. (2022). Gender Heterogeneous Effects of Malaria Risk on Agriculture Productivity: Empirical Evidence from Rural Ethiopia. The Journal of Developing Areas, 56(1), 73-91.
Selected publication 7: 7. Chepchirchir, F., Muriithi, B. W., Langat, J., Mohamed, S. A., Ndlela, S., & Khamis, F. M. (2021). Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Tomato Leaf Miner, Tuta absoluta on Tomato and Potential Demand for Integrated Pest Management among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya and Uganda. Agriculture, 11(12), 1242.
Selected publication 8: 9. Diiro, G. M., Fisher, M., Kassie, M., Muriithi, B. W., & Muricho, G. (2021). How does adoption of labor saving agricultural technologies affect intrahousehold resource allocations? The case of push-pull technology in Western Kenya. Food Policy, 102, 102114.
Selected publication 9: 17. Gichungi, H., Muriithi, B., Irungu, P., Diiro, G., & Busienei, J. (2020). Effect of Technological Innovation on Gender Roles: The Case of Fruit Fly IPM Adoption on Women’s Decision-Making in Mango Production and Marketing in Kenya. The European Journal of Development Research. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00282-z
Selected publication 10: 31. Muriithi, B.W., Affognon, H.D., Diiro, G.M., Kingori, S.W., Tanga, C.M., Nderitu, P.W., Mohamed, S.A., Ekesi, S. (2016). Impact assessment of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy for suppression of mango-infesting fruit flies in Kenya. Crop Protection, 81, 20–29
Capstone assignment title: Perceptions of PhD graduates on supervision of doctoral candidates in STEM at African Universities: does gender matter?
Capstone assignment abstract: This study assessed the perception of PhD graduates on supervision for doctoral candidates in STEM at African Universities and established whether these perceptions influence differently the PhD performance of women and men. The study utilized survey data collected in 2020 from 227 individuals (72% female) who pursued a STEM PhD course in the last 20 years at a university in Sub-Saharan Africa. Two proxies for PhD performance were examined: time to PhD completion and the number of publications during PhD training. The results show a significant difference in the number of publications between male and female alumni, even after controlling for supervision perceptions. Male alumni published between 50-58% more papers than their female counterparts. Time to PhD completion is however not significantly different between the two gender groups. Regarding supervision perceptions, having a supervisor who provided effective guidance in research project reduced time to PhD completion among the female alumni, while having a PhD advisor who was aware and recognized the student’s value in the project and met the student regularly increased the number of publications among both female and male students. Having a job unrelated to the PhD, children less than five years old, and workload during PhD training may hinder women’s PhD performance. The study recommends providing additional mentoring and supervisory support to women doctoral candidates than their male counterparts, for efficient PhD performance.
