Presentation by Tamsin Dewé, Barbara Szonyi, Barbara Rischkowsky and Delia Grace at a CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish gender working group planning meeting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 14-18 October 2013.

1. 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

2. Safe Food, Fair Food
 Protecting the health of poor consumers
and
 Safeguarding livelihoods of poor livestock
keepers and other value chain actors

3. 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

4. Study sites in Ethiopia
# VCs
District
Sites/villages/
communities
Region
Highlands
1 Sheep 1
Atsbi
1.
Tigray
Doyogena
2. Golgol na’ele
1. Serea
SNNP
Menz
2. Bkafa
1. Molale
Amhara
Horro/Shambu
2. Mehal Meda
1. Gitlo
Oromia
Abergelle
2. Lakku Iggu
1. Sazba (Amhara)
2 Sheep 2
3 Sheep 3
4 Sheep 4
5 Goat 1
Habes
2. Felegehiwot
(Tigray)
Lowlands
6 Goat 2
Yabello (Borana)
7 Goat/Sheep Shinelle
Amhara/
Tigray
1.
Eleweya
Oromia
2.
1.
Darito
Gad
Somalia
2.
Degah Jebis

5. 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

6. Results
 Food preparation exclusively by women
• Cooking indoors over fire exposes women
and girls to potentially toxic fumes

7. 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

8. 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

9. Results
Summary of gender-related consumption practices
Site
Abergelle
Amhara
Women
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
Doyogena
Horro
Pregnant women prefer red meat and liver
Pregnant women prefer liver or dulet
Either no difference between the genders, or women prefer red meat, liver
and intestines
Menz
Shinelle
Women prefer to avoid fat
Women use butter as cosmetics
Pregnant women prefer sheep and goat milk

10. Results
Division of labor in sheep and goat management, Alaba (SNNP)
Responsibility
Task
Flock herding
Cut-and-carry
grasses/browses
Watering flock
Clean flock barn
Cares for young flock
Fattening management
Treat sick flock
Milk goats
Process goat milk
Sale sheep and goats at
markets
Decide on use of
proceeds
Owner of the flocks
Men
32.1
Women
12.3
Boys
45.8
Girls
8.3
Hired
labor
1.4
29.5
40.3
–
20.6
43.1
85
–
–
33.8
12.4
66
44.9
34.8
1.8
80.4
67.1
25.9
45.6
2.9
26.6
17.2
13.2
–
–
9.5
1.3
31.1
7.9
4.5
–
19.6
32.9
1.3
0.4
–
–
0.4
–
–
–
82.2
5.2
12.6
–
–
73.7
68.2
20.2
29
6.1
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.

11. 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

12. 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