While bush meat consumption as a driver of deforestation has received international attention, understanding the roles played by women and men in the consumption of wild animals will be vital if the trade is to continue sustainably. This presentation gives an overview of CIFOR research on the roles and contributions of men and women in the hunting, trade, and consumption of bush meat within the value chain. Robert Nasi, CIFOR Scientist and Leader of the CGIAR Research Programme on Forest, Trees, and Agroforestry (http://www.cifor.org/crp6/), gave this presentation at the first Africa Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) and the Forestry Network for sub-Saharan Africa (FORNESSA), held in Nairobi, Kenya in June 2012.

1. Gender Issues and Bushmeat
N. Van Vliet, R. Nasi
IUFRO-FORNESSA Conference, Nairobi, June 2012

2. What are the roles and
contributions of men and
women in the use and
trade of bushmeat, along
the bushmeat trade
chain?
From hunting to
consumption, passing
through trade and food
preparation, do they
differ?

3. Bushmeat
Consumption
Population (x1000)
Dense (tonne/meat/yr)
Extracted
Basin Forest
(t/yr)
(km2) Rural Urban Rural Urban
Amazon
3,938,000 14,425 24,352 909,000 small 1,299,000
Congo
1,612,000 57,046 41,199 2,909,000 289,000 4,569,000
If bushmeat consumption in the Congo Basin was to be replaced by locally
produced beef, an area as large as 25 million hectares might have to be
converted to pastures.
Nasi, Van Vliet, Taber 2011

4. LA
The Bushmeat Market Chain
Prey
Hunters Transporters
Final consumers in rural areas Wholesalers
Retailers
Final consumers in urban areas

5. Hunting
Is generally
considered a ”man”
only activity

6. Hunting
Women are sometimes directly
involved in hunting…..
• Romanoff (1983) describes Matses women in the
Peruvian Amazon who accompany their husbands,
helping to chase and kill animals
• Hurtado et al. (1985) indicate that Ache women in
Paraguay help men search for and transport captured
animals, occasionally killing animals themselves.
• Biesele and Barcaly (2001) describe excellent Ju/'hoan
women trackers of large game who accompany their
husbands and contribute substantially to their hunting
success.)
© Kumpel N.

7. Hunting
Women often push or encourage hunting
"Women are the arms of the dibouka”
[throw of the nets]
(McCreedy, 1994:15)
The Aka conducted a bobanda ritual when net‐hunting was not
successful. Men organized the ritual and pleaded with women to
participate because women's enthusiasm and energy were
viewed as crucial to the success of the ritual and future net‐
hunting.

8. Hunting
Women often push for hunting
“If a certain man goes hunting but I
don’t go, my wife might even start loving
that man.”
(Man, age 32)
Tanzania, FZS: Asanterabi Lowassa
(asante.kweka@gmail.com)

9. LA FILIÈRE VIANDE DE BROUSSE
The Bushmeat Market Chain
Prey
Hunters Transporters
Final consumers in rural areas
Retailers Wholesalers
Final consumers in urban areas

10. Transporting
Men are mostly involved in transport from the source to urban areas
but women are often involved in transport when buying in the
forest to sell on the markets

11. LA FILIÈRE VIANDE DE BROUSSE
The Bushmeat Market Chain
Prey
Hunters Transporters
Retailers Wholesalers
Final consumers in rural areas
Final consumers in urban areas

12. Wholesalers and retailers
Women are involved in the trade from retailers, wholesalers, restaurants,
prepared bushmeat meals sold in markets or in the street

16. Income
Purchasing: the income generated by women is invested in food
In urban areas:
“In Kisangani, protein and bushmeat consumption by children was not
correlated with the father´s profession (Correspondence Factor
Analysis, Wilks Lambda test, protein: p=0,96; bushmeat: p=0,7) nor
with the mother’s profession (protein: p=0,1; bushmeat: p=0,3) (Table
5). However, children whose mother had an income generating activity,
ate more proteins and significantly more bushmeat than the others
(protein: p=0,14; bushmeat: p=0,05).”
van Vliet et al., submitted

17. Income
Purchasing: the income generated by women is invested in food
In rural areas:
”Over half of the money spent by men in the village shop was on alcohol
and cigarettes, and the amount and proportion of income spent on these
items increased substantially with increases in individual hunting offtake.
By contrast, the majority of purchases made by women were of food, but
their food purchases decreased actually and proportionally with increased
household hunting offtake”.

18. LA FILIÈRE VIANDE DE BROUSSE
The Bushmeat Market Chain
Prey
Hunters
Transporters
Retailers Wholesalers
Final consumers in rural areas
Final consumers in urban areas

20. Consumption
Bushmeat preferences by gender
South west Cameroun, van Vliet and Nasi, unpublished)
(N=345)
women preferences men preferences
monkey cane rat monkey
6% cane rat
10% 5%
11%
pangolin pangolin
6% 11%
red duikers
5%
blue duiker red duikers
3% 9%
porcupine porcupine
blue duiker
61% 46%
2%
Bats, nile monitor, fox and gorilla were only mentioned by men; elephants were clearly
preferred by women (78% of the votes were from women)

21. Consumption
Bushmeat consumption patterns by gender
Uganda: Oluput et al., 2009

22. Consumption
Bushmeat consumption patterns by gender
Vietnam: Drury, 2011
”Men were significantly more likely to report having
eaten wildmeat in the last 12 months (p<0,01).
However, gender played no significant role in
consumption wild animal derived medicinal
products. Both men and women consider wildmeat
as a male food, typically associated with male
activities. Most female consumers interviewed had
been invited to eat wildmeat by male colleagues,
friends or family members and were generally less
enthousiastic and less knowledgeble about
wildmeat than male consumers”

23. Consumption
Bushmeat consumption patterns by gender
”Results indicated that age and sex of the respondent did not
affect consumption, but ethnic group was statistically
significant for the three study species.”

24. Consumption
Consumption taboos for men and women
Women that eat bay duiker could have periods for ever
(Kota, Gabon)

25. Consumption
Consumption taboos for men and women
Women that eat Neotragus while pregnant will have epileptic children
(Kota, Gabon)

26. Consumption
Consumption taboos for men and women
Young men and women that eat yellow back duiker will never marry,
only elder people consume it
(Kota, Gabon)

27. Conclusions
• The overall trade chain is gender balanced
• Differences in the contribution of bushmeat to
income: In Urban areas, bushmeat contributes to
income for women, whereas in rural areas it
contributes to the income of men.
• Women invest more on food, whereas men tend to
spend more money on non necessities
• There are gender differences in bushmeat
consumption patterns
• Knowledge on these relative gender roles is key to
the development of alternatives to ensure that
measures target the right audienc

28. Thank you