Safe Food, Fair Food: Summary of findings
on gender-related issues within sheep and
goat value chains in Ethiopia
Tamsin Dewé, Barbara Szonyi, Barbara Rischkowsky, Delia Grace
Livestock and Fish Gender Working Group
Workshop and Planning Meeting
14-18 October 2013
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Safe Food, Fair Food
Protecting the health of poor consumers
and
Safeguarding livelihoods of poor livestock
keepers and other value chain actors
Background
Looking at risks to food safety and nutrition within sheep and goat value chains
Trying to identify opportunities for further research and intervention
Ultimate goal is to ensure adequate intake of safe and nutritious foods, while protecting the livelihoods of poor value chain actors
Study sites in Ethiopia # VCs District Sites/villages/
communities
Region
Highlands
1 Sheep 1 Atsbi 1. Habes
2. Golgol na’ele
Tigray
2 Sheep 2 Doyogena 1. Serea
2. Bkafa
SNNP
3 Sheep 3 Menz 1. Molale
2. Mehal Meda
Amhara
4 Sheep 4 Horro/Shambu 1. Gitlo
2. Lakku Iggu
Oromia
5 Goat 1 Abergelle 1. Sazba (Amhara)
2. Felegehiwot
(Tigray)
Amhara/
Tigray
Lowlands
6 Goat 2 Yabello (Borana) 1. Eleweya
2. Darito
Oromia
7 Goat/Sheep Shinelle 1. Gad
2. Degah Jebis
Somalia
Activities
Rapid assessment conducted at each site – Participatory rural appraisals
(PRAs) with producer and consumer groups
– Focus group discussions (FGDs) with mothers of young children
Topics included animal health, consumption patterns, food preparation, and perceptions of quality and safety of sheep and goat meat and milk
Results
Food preparation exclusively by women
• Cooking indoors over fire exposes women
and girls to potentially toxic fumes
Results
Men are given better meat cuts to give
them strength for work
Preferential feeding of red meat and liver
to pregnant women
– To prevent anemia and nutritional deficiency
Consumption of raw meat and milk also
reported for pregnant women
– Risk to mother and foetus
Results
Cultural taboo against women
drinking whole milk in
Abergelle
– Makes women crazy, difficult to
handle
– Early onset of puberty in girls
Women consume butter and
use it as cosmetics
Results
Site Women
Abergelle
Amhara
Men preferentially given high-quality cuts
Women do not consume whole milk
Women more likely to consume butter (which is also used externally for hair and skin)
Abergelle
Tigray
Men preferentially given high-quality cuts
Women do not consume whole milk
Women more likely to consume butter (which is also used externally for
hair and skin) Pregnant women prefer liver and kidney
Atsbi Collection of small pieces from each part of the animal given to women for
health
Women use butter for cosmetics
Borena Pregnant women prefer red meat and liver
Doyogena Pregnant women prefer liver or dulet
Horro Either no difference between the genders, or women prefer red meat, liver and intestines
Menz Women prefer to avoid fat
Shinelle Women use butter as cosmetics Pregnant women prefer sheep and goat milk
Summary of gender-related consumption practices
Results
Responsibility
Task Men Women Boys Girls
Hired
labor
Flock herding 32.1 12.3 45.8 8.3 1.4
Cut-and-carry
grasses/browses 29.5 33.8 25.9 9.5 1.3
Watering flock 40.3 12.4 45.6 1.3 0.4
Clean flock barn – 66 2.9 31.1 –
Cares for young flock 20.6 44.9 26.6 7.9 –
Fattening management 43.1 34.8 17.2 4.5 0.4
Treat sick flock 85 1.8 13.2 – –
Milk goats – 80.4 – 19.6 –
Process goat milk – 67.1 – 32.9 –
Sale sheep and goats at
markets 82.2 5.2 12.6 – –
Decide on use of
proceeds 73.7 20.2 6.1 – –
Owner of the flocks 68.2 29 2.8 – – Solomon Gizaw, Azage Tegegne, Berhanu Gebremedhin and Dirk Hoekstra. Improving sheep and goat production and
marketing systems in Ethiopia: Characteristics and strategies for improvement. IPMS working paper No 23.
Division of labor in sheep and goat management, Alaba (SNNP)
Conclusions
Gender roles may have large influence on
health and nutrition risks
– Further research needed
Low level of consumption of animal-source
foods due to economic constraints and
religious practices
Major risk in this value chain is nutritional
deficiency
– Protein, iron, zinc, vitamins A and B12
Safe Food, Fair Food
Tamsin Dewé, Consultant
Kristina Rösel, Project Co-ordinator
All photo credits to ILRI/ Tamsin Dewé unless otherwise indicated
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