This document summarizes a study on opportunities and constraints to women's access to and control over resources in the small ruminant value chain in Ethiopia. The study found that women's participation was mostly limited to production work around the home, with men dominating decision making. It identified some opportunities for women, such as joint ownership of assets, but also constraints like limited access to breeding stock, labor saving technologies, credit, and extension services. The study concluded that enhancing women's access to different types of capital would increase their ability to engage in and benefit from small ruminant value chains.

1. Opportunities and constraints to women's access to, and control
over, resources in the small ruminant value chain in Ethiopia
Annet A. Mulema
23rd International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE)
Annual Conference, Accra, Ghana, 27-29 June 2014

2. Presentation outline
 Introduction
 Conceptual framework
 Methodology
 Findings and discussion
 Conclusion
 Recommendations

3. Introduction
 Importance of small ruminant (goat and sheep)
production in Ethiopia
 Women’s access to and control of resources is
limited
 Knowledge gap
 gendered constraints and opportunities to women’s
access to, and control over, resources
 understanding of the various capitals that women
mobilize to improve their livelihoods

4. Objectives of the study
1. Document women’s participation in the small
ruminant value chain
2. To identify existing gender constraints and
opportunities which can be built on to improve
women's ability to engage successfully in the
target value chain
3. Determine intra-household distribution and
consumption of animal source food and any
factors which hinder women’s consumption of
milk and meat

5. Conceptual framework
Community capitals framework: stock of
assets, interaction and flow of
community capitals
Human
capital
Natural
capital
Cultural
capital
Built
capital
Financial
capital
Political
capital
social
capital
Access to and control over
resources
Capabilities

6. Methodology
 Study was conducted in six woredas (districts)
 Borana (pastoralist community)
 Doyogena, menz, Horo, Amhara Abergelle and
Amhara-Tirgay (agro-pastoralist communities)
 Selected two kabeles (village) per woreda
 Key informant interviews with different actors
 Separate and mixed focus group discussions
with female and male farmers in each site
 Data analysis

7. Women’s participation in the small
ruminant value chain
• Women mostly involved in work related to
production around the home
• Milk processing and marketing was sole
responsibility of women
• Local collectors and small traders were mostly
men except in Doyogena
• Abergelle export abattoir employed both men
and women but preferred hiring men for tasks
that require knowledge of quality assurance

8. Productive resources
 Opportunities:
 Joint ownership of productive resources
 In Amhara, women could own 50% of animals she
brought into marriage
 Women had access to and controlled small
ruminant products and the revenue
 Constraints
 Decision making dominated by men
 Men considered more knowledgeable
 Cultural capital presents opportunities but may
also constrain women’s access to and control
over resources

9. Productive resources…
“To sell animals, we discuss together with my
husband about what animal to sell but its my
husband's decision which is mainly considered. If he
suggests that we sell a goat and I say we sell the
sheep, normally I go by his decision” (female farmer,
Borana, Feb 27, 2014).
“I make decisions over livestock. I am the boss. I
have more knowledge about livestock. However, my
wife is equally knowledgeable. If I left, my wife can
handle everything. Although I am the boss, I involve
my wife in decisions” (male farmer, Borana, Feb 27,
2014).

10. Breeding stock
 Constraints
 Both men and women had limited access to breeding
stock
 Selection of ram/ewe made by men
 Opportunities
 Community support programs thru’:
• Government
• Local NGOs
• International research institutions e.g. the community-based
sheep breeding program

11. Breeding stock…
“The outcome of certification was very interesting… it
increased women’s awareness of their rights. In one of the
training days, after certification, the extension agent was
planning to conduct a session, and as usual he invited only
men excluding the women; This time the women did not
accept him; so they claimed that as long as they are
entitled with the small ruminant certification, they
deserve the training as well. As a result the extension
agent was convinced and the women were able to attend
the training” (Male researcher, Horro, 28 Dec. 2013).
 Linking social capital enhances access to
natural, human, financial and political capitals

12. Labor saving technologies
 Constraints
 Both men and women lacked labor
saving technologies
 Lack of knowledge about improved
processing methods
 Lack of human capital and financial
capital constrained access to built
capital
 Opportunity
 Improvement of enterprises that
women dominant

13. Credit services
 Constraints
 Women’s low membership to groups
 Women’s low political capital
 Low social capital amongst women which
hinders enhancement of human, political and
financial capitals
 Opportunities
 NGO programs
 Government support services e.g. Household
Asset Building program
 Linking and bridging social capital

14. Extension and veterinary services
 Constraints
 Men more advantaged to
access extension services
 Distance to location of health
services
 Poor linkages between
women and service providers
 Gender biased norms and
beliefs
Opportunity
• Sensitization of women about their
rights to services

15. Markets and market information
 Constraints
 Women’s mobility to markets restricted by
cultural norms in Abergelle Amhara and Tigray
 Women not involved in buying or selling sheep
 Men considered better negotiators
 Women lack of mobile phones, access to radio
and access to social spaces
 Opportunities
 In Menz and Yabello, women were considered
good negotiators
 Bonding and bridging social capital enhances
human capital

16. Access and consumption of animal source
foods
• In Abergelle, women and girls were forbidden
to consume whole milk
• Social status and culture influenced access to
and consumption of meat
• The best cut was given to the husbands
• Women’s who freely participated in markets
consumed meat more often like the men
• Poor women were unlikely to consume meat
especially in female headed households

17. Conclusion
• Women’s access to and control over resources is
associated with access to community capitals and
the relationship between and flow of the capitals
• Growth in the stock and flow of capitals would
increase the capacity of women to engage and
benefit from SRVC
• The interaction between the capitals spurs the
momentum to generate more opportunities for
women to access resources
• There is need to enhance capitals and transform
gender constraining norms, beliefs, attitudes and
practices

18. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. The CGIAR
Research Program on Livestock and Fish aims to increase the productivity of small-scale livestock and fish systems
in sustainable ways, making meat, milk and fish more available and affordable across the developing world.
CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish
livestockfish.cgiar.org