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

tamsindewe@gmail.com

Kristina Rösel, Project Co-ordinator

k.rosel@cgiar.org

All photo credits to ILRI/ Tamsin Dewé unless otherwise indicated