Gender in value chain: ILRI/IPMS experience in Ethiopia

Gender in Value Chain: ILRI/IPMS Experience in Ethiopia

Multi-Stakeholder’s Symposium on Empowering Women in Value Chains Beshale Hotel, Addis Ababa, 15 March 2012

Ephrem Tesema

Outline

Background ObjectiveTarget PLWObjective of Gender AnalysisMethods & ProcessesFindings & LearningConclusion

Background to ILRI/IPMS Project

Market Oriented Agricultural Productivity (Crop & Livestock)

Gender Sensitive ApproachInnovative ApproachTargeted Smallholder men & women

FarmersCommodity Based

Objective of ILRI/IPMS

Increased Productivity

Ensured Market Success

Capacity Building and Partnership

Target PLW

10 PLW in 4 regions4PAS/woreda10-28 community members/PA1/3-1/2 are women participantsSeparate discussions held with M&W4 communities involved in the analysis

Objective IPMS Gender Analysis

To understand the role of men & women in rural communities:

-Production

-Marketing

-Decision Making

- Benefit Sharing

Gender Objective Cont’d

To identify potential barriers:

-For men’s and women’s participation in market led development initiative

To identify

-The required action by the project

-potential partners

Methods and Processes

Focus of the Analysis

Division of labor in commodity productionGender roles in marketing commoditiesAccess, control and benefits of resourcesControl of income from the sale of

commoditiesDecision making roles…

Sharing & Dissemination

Using various events Using various communication Mediums Publication

-Working papers

-Participatory toolkits

-Training manuals

-IEC Materials

Findings/Learning (Gender in Rural Population)

Gender Characteristics of Rural populations Women

-Workload of rural women In Ethiopia

-Most rural women work 10-12 hours/day

-Vary b/n wet & dry season

-Have little time for leisure or socializing

-Major source of labor in agriculture

Findings/Learning Cont’d

-Engaged in diverse off-farm activities,

-Influenced by the local farming systems

-Resource endowments

-Wealth in rich and middle wealth hhs

-Half less time to participate in formal dev.

Findings/Learning Cont’d

-Sell fuel wood, sorghum/maize stalk -Engaged in cotton spinning or injera making for sell-Brewing and selling local alcohol

Men-Work as casual laborer on farm and in the home of rich HHs

Findings/Learning Cont’d

-Men also undertake a wide range of off- farm activities influenced by wealth -Rich men involved in activities that require capital -Trading in agricultural product -Investing in processing equipments-Lending money -Poor HHs work as casual laborers -Migrate temporarily for work

Findings/Learning Cont’d

-In rain fed farming systems, men’s workload is lightest during the dry season compared to HHs with access to irrigated land

FHH-15-35% average in Ethiopia

-Belongs to poorer HH in most communities

Findings/Learning Cont’d

-Few FHH in the rich or middle wealth categories

-The challenges of FHHs are different from those MHHs

-Often overlooked by development partners

Findings/Learning Cont’d

Production (skill, input & Technology)

Men

-Dominate decisions HH /information

-Higher access for technology/Skills

-Higher control for productive assets

-Dominate decision in Technology uptake

Findings/Learning Cont’d

WomenLack of access for formal information

sourcesLack of access for skills trainingLack of access for extensions servicesLess involved in uptake of improved T.But situations vary ( HH types, region etc.)

Key Lessons from IPMS

Couples Training Enforce gender balanced involvement in

Trainings Taking skills to the village (FTC) Capacitate front line development agents Women’s involvement: - field day, visits, exhibitions etc. Linkage with GO,NGO and PS

Key Lessons from IPMS

Women Dominated commoditiesMen Dominated commoditiesCommodities done by both sexesTraining Composition (%)Ways of Information Dissemination

Findings/Learning Cont’d

Market( men, women, poor, middle & rich)

-Men from R & M HH sell major crops

-Travel distant markets/secure better prices

-Women & poor farmers accept prices at local markets

-Same directly sell to consumers

-Men in better off HH sell P. to P. traders & cooperatives

Key Lesson from Marketing

Market engagement differs for men & women (wealth & HH category)

Women have little control over high value crops

Of 13 crop commodities men controls income from 11crops

Women controls & share income only from 2 crops

Challenges

Partnership Availability of Technology Partner staff mobility Gender balance in partner public org. Capital scarcity stands as a major barrier

-women farmers - poor - tends to leave them out of the technology development process

Conclusion

While designing projects-Gender diagnostic analysis-women potentials not part of the problems

It is also relevant to consider -input preferences of women in the

value chain analysis (market/home consumption)

-Mapping men and women roles -Its relevance in gender in value chain

Conclusion

- Challenges of men/women in technology uptake

-Challenges in accessing financial and other productive resources

-Mapping institutions along the value chain and its gender aspect

Conclusion

Emphasis:It is required to conduct site and commodity specific analysis to understand gender roles and relations in livestock and crop value chain:Diagnostic…Gender in V C.

Thanks

W/ro Elfinesh Bermeji, a successful women farmer sharing her experience on beekeeping for AGP-gender Trainees, from Tigrai, Amhara, Oromiya and SNNP Regional State,Denkaka PA, Adaa IPMS Pilot Learning Woreda, Oromia,Photo by Ephrem Tesema,Nov.18,2011.