Dr Brigitte Bagnol is a researcher associated with the International Rural Poultry Centre (IRPC), KYEEMA Foundation, Australia and part of the AIFSC project 'Strengthening food security through family poultry and crop integration'. Her presentation looks at the gender dimensions of this work.

1. Tackling food and nutrition security: the
importance of gender specific activities
By Brigitte Bagnol
The International Rural Poultry Centre (IRPC), KYEEMA Foundation, Mozambique and
Australia, www.kyeemafoundation.org

2. Acknowledgements
• The author would like to acknowledge the support given to family
poultry research and development by:
• the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
(ACIAR),
• the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID),
• the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
• The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI),
• The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS),
• The Wildlife Health Network, and
• The University of Sydney.
• My gratitude is extended to my colleagues at the KYEEMA
Foundation and the veterinarians, poultry
specialists, extensionists, traders and farmers in many parts of the
world who have given freely of their time and expertise over the
years.

3. Why gender?
• Emerging consensus as well as increasing bulk
of evidence that addressing gender inequality
will alleviate hunger, poverty and
unemployment.
• The 7th MDG aims to “Promote gender
equality and empower women”.

4. Additionally, available data indicate that:
• Gender inequality and cultural issues have
been inadequately addressed in most research
linking agriculture and nutrition (Hawkes et
al., 2012:11).
• While we aim at developing policy based on
sound “evidence”, this “evidence” is often
missing where food and agriculture is
concerned in Africa (Sumberg et al, 2013).

5. What do we know?
Women’s contribution to food production, food
transformation and preparation of meals
• In most parts of the world, although they do not have the ownership of the
land, women living in rural areas make a major contribution to village poultry and
traditional crop production, therefore assuming much of the responsibility for
household food security.
• In Africa women provide between 60% to 80% of the labour for food production
(FAO, 1995, 1996) and most of the post harvest management.
• While men are more likely to be involved in hunting, commercial crops, large
livestock and formal employment, women are gathering wood, edible and
medical plants, care for small livestock, produce subsistence food.
Livestock, crops and natural resources such as water, which is essential for food
production and food preparation, are thus “gendered”.
• As part of their reproductive role, women are also responsible for the nutrition
and health of their households, especially when preparing daily meals and taking
care of the children, the sick and the elderly.

6. What do we know? (2)
• Village poultry production is an activity mainly under the responsibility of
women and they have significant control over the use and consumption
of the chickens as well as on the money resulting from its sale (Alders et
al. 2007; Bagnol, 2009).
• In Tanzania, data collected by the Regional Newcastle Disease (ND)
control project (Lauchande, 2011) indicate that 60% of women take
decisions on chickens’ vaccination against ND.
• Traditional crops are often under women’s control compared to cash
crops (The World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, and
International Fund for Agricultural Development. 2009).
• Research indicates that resources under the control of women are more
likely to be used to support the education and nutrition of children
(Quisumbing et al., 1995).
• Thus, poultry and crop production improvement can have a beneficial
impact on children’s overall nutritional status and health. It can also alter
women’s status in the household and in community by increasing their
bargaining power and their financial autonomy.

7. What is necessary?
• In a situation where women have little control
over major household purchases, it is important
to improve access to and productivity of those
resources that they have some control over.
• A clear understanding of who has control over
resources resulting from chicken and traditional
crop production as opposed to other available
resources is important to facilitate the
development of effective policies.

8. Increased poultry and crop
production under women’s
responsibility can improve
children’s education and nutrition

9. It is fundamental when discussing food insecurity
and nutrition to take into consideration the role of
women along the whole value chain:
• As farmers,
• As livestock keepers,
• As processors,
• As store keepers,
• As traders,
• As providers of food and
• As care givers of children and the sick.

10. Men’s and
women’s roles
and ownership
are shaped by
socio-economic
situation

11. In addition to socio-economic factors, other
factors such as:
• Socio-cultural attitudes,
• Group and class-based obligations,
• Religious and cultural beliefs and practices,
• Institutional arrangements,
• Age, race, marital status…
influence access to resources (land, cash
crops, education, information, etc.) and the type
of activities men and women can
pursue, responsibilities, mobility, social contact …

12. Sorghum
and
millet

13. Regarding crops, women make major
contributions to crop production, especially
subsistence crops
• They often manage species-rich production
systems adapted to drought and pests while
male-dominated production tends to be oriented
towards a single cash crop.
• Women have more restricted access than men to
inputs and markets, affecting yield improvement.
• Patterns of ownership of land also limit yield
improvement by women, as they do not have the
final decision regarding the adoption of new crop
production technologies.

14. Men and women have different access to
resources and in consequence have different
knowledge and interest

15. Decision Making about purchases
Table 1: Percentage of persons who usually-take-decisions about purchases in the
household and percentage of currently married women, aged 15 to 49, with cash
earnings in the past 12 months by person-who-decides how the women’s cash
earnings are used (Tanzania DHS, 2010; Zambia DHS, 2007)
Mainly wife Wife and husband jointly Mainly husband
Tanzania Zambia Tanzania Zambia Tanzania Zambia
Major
household
purchases
6.9 13.7 31.9 41.8 57.7 43.7
Person who
decides how
women’s
cash
earnings are
used
35.9 37.8 47.2 40.8 16.6 20.8

16. As a woman put it: “It is easier for a man to
listen to woman when the money comes
from chickens because the decision-making
is with women.” (Mtwara, Tanzania - 2005)

17. Women have limited access to
inputs, innovation and information
• Women are benefiting less than men from
aid in agriculture, forestry and fishery.
Only 15% of the world’s extension agents
are women.
http://www.fao.org/gender/infographic/e
n/
• It is considered that only 10% of the aid
goes to women.
http://www.fao.org/gender/infographic/en/
• Women are benefiting only of 5% of
extension services. Women have less
access to inputs such as improved
seeds, fertilizers and equipment as a
result their yield is lower than those of
men. http://www.fao.org/gender/infographic/en/
• Women have also less possibility to have
access to markets (Njuki, 2012).
http://www.fao.org/gender/infographic/en/

18. Access to literacy and media
Tanzania Zambia
Women Men Women Men
Women and men aged 15 to 49
who cannot read (%)
27.4 17.6 36.1 18.3
Women and men aged 15 to 49
who are not regularly exposed to
any media (TV, radio, or written
press) at least once a week (%)
36.0 18.8 33.1 19.1
Table 2: Literacy and media access indicators related to gender
issues (Tanzania DHS, 2010; Zambia DHS, 2007)

19. Improving women’s access to inputs and
services
• Has the potential to increase women’s yields
to the same level as those of men implying an
improvement of 2.5/4% of total agricultural
output. http://www.fao.org/gender/infographic/en/
• Could reduce the number of malnourished
people in the world by 100 to 150 million or
12/17%. http://www.fao.org/gender/infographic/en/

20. Limiting agricultural opportunity for women is
unfair
• Life chances should not be pre-determined at
birth by the sex of the person or any other
reason.
• In economic and nutritional terms this
limitation reduces the welfare of the
household.
• Thus it is both a human rights and a
development issue.

21. Summary: Key elements for good practice
Objective Instruments
Assess gender roles and
responsibilities in village
chicken and crops along
the whole value chain
• Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) carried out in same sex focus groups.
PRA includes analysis of roles, access, control and benefit related to
chicken and crops production and trading.
Develop effective
communication material
• Training material should be pre-tested and reviewed to ensure gender
awareness and that it is equally clear to both men and women
Involve male and female
support staff
• 50% of staff should be women
• Gender issues introduced in the training of all staff
• Gender issues included in the terms of reference of all staff
Identify male and female
vaccinators
• At least 50% of vaccinators are women
Ensure gender sensitive
monitoring and
evaluation of the ND
control program
• Data collection by vaccinators in male and female headed households
vaccinating against ND
• PRA carried out with same sex focus groups regularly
• Participatory exercises carried out with same sex focus groups regularly
• Regular random survey with 50% of women interviewees and 50% of
women interviewers

22. Male and female focus group discussion

23. References
• Alders, R., Bagnol, B., Harun, M. And Young, M. 2007. Village poultry, food security and HIV/AIDS mitigation. LEISA Magazine, 23: 20-
21.
• Bagnol, B. 2009. Improving Village Chicken Production by Employing Effective Gender Sensitive Methodologies. In: Alders, R.G.;
Spradbrow, P. B. and Young, M. P (eds). Village Chickens, Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Control of Newcastle Disease. Canberra:
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. ACIAR Proceedings Nº 131: 35-42. http://www.aciar.
gov.au/publication/PR131
• Central Statistical Office (CSO), Ministry of Health (MOH), Tropical Diseases Research Centre (TDRC), University of Zambia, and Macro
International Inc. 2009. Zambia Demographic and Health Survey 2007. Calverton, Maryland, USA: CSO and Macro International Inc.
http://www.measuredhs.com/Publications/Publication-Search.cfm?ctry_id=47&country=Zambia
• Hawkes, C., Turner R., and Waage, J. 2012. Current and Planned Research on Agriculture for Improved Nutrition: A Mapping and a
Gap Analysis. Aberdeen: Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH) and Centre for Sustainable
International Development, University of Aberdeen.
• Lauchande, C. 2011. Newcastle Disease control project. Report. Maputo: KYEEMA Foundation.
• National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) [Tanzania] and ICF Macro. 2011. Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 2010. Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania: NBS and ICF Macro. http://www.measuredhs.com/Publications/Publication-
Search.cfm?ctry_id=39&country=Tanzania
• Quisumbing, A.R., Brown, L.R., Feldstein, H.S., Haddad, L. and Pena, C. 1995. Women: The Key to Food Security. Food Policy Statement
No. 21, Aug. 1995. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC.
• Sumberg, J., Awo, M., Thompson, J., Kwadzo, G. T. M. and Fiankor, D.D.D. 2013. The limits of ‘evidence’: Evidence-Based Policy-making
for African agriculture http://stepscentre-thecrossing.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/the-limits-of-evidence-evidence-based.html?m=1
• The World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Fund for Agricultural Development. 2009. Gender in
Agriculture: Sourcebook. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Publications.
Website:
• http://www.fao.org/gender/infographic/en/

24. Need to develop a sound dialogue with all
stakeholders

25. Thank you
Merci beaucoup
There is no
substitute for
community
dialogue