Mulema, Annet Abenakyo, Cathy Rozel Farnworth, and Kathleen Earl Colverson. 2017. ‘Gender-Based Constraints and Opportunities to Women’s Participation in the Small Ruminant Value Chain in Ethiopia: A Community Capitals Analysis’. Community Development 48 (3): 351–69.
Small ruminant production is defined at the beginning of the article as, ‘Sheep and Goats’ livestock production system of Ethiopia. According to the author, role assignment to men and women also determines their access and management of the concerned resources.
Using the community Capitals Framework (CCF) analytic, the author attempted to explain gender constraints and opportunities that will lead to women participation and benefit from the ruminant value chains. Community Capital Framework is defined as a systematic identification of assets within the existing capital and how people invest in the capital. It explores the correlation of capitals and its impact. Using the CCF, the author made a literature review of the existing literature on gender in small production and value chain development.
As research methodology the author used multiple case study design to explore, in-depth, women participation in ruminant value chain. Semi-structured interview and focus group discussion were employed, to collect empirical data from selected six Woredas.
According to the findings of the author in one of the study areas, Borana, Oromia Region, young women are not allowed to own livestock before getting married. Once she is married the family will give her gifts of livestock to help the newlyweds set up. However, such property remains the common property and the husband oversees managing them.
Young women are prohibited from holding livestock before marriage. However, upon marriage, the respective immediate and extended families provide gifts, including animals, to help set up the newlywed couple’s farm. The animals brought in during marriage are pooled together and owned jointly as stated by the research participants. Though extension agents provide technical support for small ruminants, women unfortunately don’t benefit from this technical support. Because women primarily engage in labor intensive works like, feeding, Barn cleaning, milking, and processing milk products and other care services to be provided for the sheep and goat.
Regarding decision making, the finding indicated that at household level, most of the decisions in relation to livestock purchase, selection of animals for breeding, and overall decision making is assumed by the men. Women come to picture if the husband is not there or on matters that require joint decision. Market information has a great impact on the sale of livestock products and price sets. The study found out men have more access to information than women, as they engage in various social meetings including ‘Tella’ house, traditional drinking house and exchange latest information. Women however, don’t have access to this like social meeting and thereby their market information is not adequate. Credit service is one of the economic facilitators for women engaging in the Ruminant sector. However, the study showed that in one of the study areas Abargelle woreda, the number of credit beneficiaries are low due to the unfavorable payment schemes and the imposed high interest rate. Moreover, there is a bias and discriminatory social norms against women. They are discriminated against in the group collateral (one mechanism of obtaining credit in a group) as involving poor women is considered as business risk.
Generally, the author recommended that organizing women shall be the first step to empower women cultural, human, social, political, financial and physical capitals. Priority shall be given for Women in male-headed households alongside women heads of house-hold for membership. Such grouping will facilitate market linkage and connection with other other value chains. Moreover, Extension services also should address womens women-led activities, and develop market information systems appropriate their business. Technology intervention is also forwarded as a recommendation to save womens time, and to improve their product thereby enhancing the value chain.