Francesca Distefano
Gender and Development Consultant - Gender, Equity and Rural
Employment Division
FAO-ILRI Workshop on Integrating Gender in Livestock Projects and
Programs, ILRI, Addis Ababa, 22-25 November 2011

A Gender Checklist is a tool designed to:
 Guide users in identifying the main gender
issues within agricultural sectors
 Help users in designing gender sensitive
strategies and indicators to respond to gender
issues
 Implementing policies and strategic objectives
on gender and development
 Design projects there are gender sensitive

 To provide guidance while designing or
implementing livestock projects and activities
 To help users in identifying the main gender
issues in the livestock production sector
 To respond to a need for simple tools
(not everyone is a gender specialist!)

 FAO, SEAGA and Livestock
 ABD, Guide for Designing a Gender Checklist
 IFAD, Working Paper Gender and Livestock,
2010
 GALVmed reports on Gender and Livestock,
2011
 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation checklist
 N. of ILRI publications on Livestock
management and production

 Women do not access/manage all species of
livestock for different reasons
 Heavy workload preference for animals
that are “easier” to manage. eg: backyard
poultry: closer to the house and easy to
manage;
 Lack of resources to invest and buy new
livestock preference for animals that
are more resistant to climate changes. eg:
small ruminants: resist more in drought
season

 Gender issues in Livestock production and
management widely diversify on country,
regional and even at the community level eg:
African and Indian communities (difference)
 Many of the relevant issues related to gender
and management of livestock are the same in
every value chain: difficult to diversify
checklists

 No need for specific gender knowledge or
expertise
 They can be easily reviewed and adapted to
the regional context
 Are easy and straightforward to use

We present the Gender and Livestock checklists
in order for you to provide:
 Comments
 Inputs
 Expertise
 Lessons learned
 Needs while implementing/designing a
project

 They cannot be useful without you
 They cannot be “real” without you
 They will not be used without you
 They cannot be improved without you