Gender Perspectives of Gender Perspectives of Economic and Health Effects of Economic and Health Effects of Parthenium hysterophorus Parthenium hysterophorus : : A Preliminary Assessment A Preliminary Assessment Agajie Tesfaye, Rezene Fissehaye and Taye Tessema
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Gender Perspectives of Economic and Health Effects of Parthenium hysterophorus: A Preliminary Assessment Agajie Tesfaye, Rezene Fissehaye and Taye Tessema.
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Gender Perspectives of Gender Perspectives of Economic and Health Effects of Economic and Health Effects of
Introduction Introduction Parthenium hysterophorus is a hostile and
pervasive alien weed threatening: agricultural productivity and food security situation of the country.
Men, Women and children are actively involved in the agriculture sector in the management of: crops Livestock Natural resources
And the agriculture sector is severely affected by Parth.
Even though it is expected that the impact of parthenium notably has gender dimensions: there was no adequate information that
presents disproportionate impacts of parthenium on men and women
To bridge-up this gap, a study was conducted in different parts of the country with the main objective of: assessing the gender dimensions of
Parthenium impacts.
Methodology Methodology Standard survey methodologies were
employed ◦ Desk reviews ◦ qualitative assessments
Focus group discussions Key informant interviews
◦ Questionnaire based studies Structured questionnaire A total sample size of 318 households (10% of them
were women)
The study sites included: ◦ Eastern part of the country (Haramaya area)◦ Northern part of the country (Sirinka area)◦ Central parts of the country (Dugda Bora
area)
Target groups of the study◦ Farming community ◦ Office of Agriculture ◦ Health Centers
Major FindingsMajor FindingsGender disparitiesGender disparities
No gender disparity on:
◦ Awareness of parthenium
(both men and women are aware)
◦ How parthenium was introduced to the country
Both men and women perceived that this alien invader weed was introduced to the country along with wheat which was imported mainly for food aid in the seventies.
◦ Expansion of parthenium from road-sides to farmlands and grazing lands
Gender disparitiesGender disparities ……….. ………..
Gender disparity (GD) on perception of men and women on expanding trend and extent of infestation: ◦ 73% of women observed high extent of expansion
◦ 51% of men
GD was also observed on the knowledge of dissemination mechanisms:◦ 78% of men knew means of dissemination
◦ 58% of women
Major dissemination mechanisms reported: Seed dispersal Through Erosion Through Animals Using parthenium for roof thatching, mulching,
etc
GD: As a result, the proportion of community members who applied the different control mechanisms was higher for: men (77%) than women (38%).
GD: Even the proportion of households who used herbicides to control the invader was higher for: men (23%) than women (6%).
This might be because men have better access to participation than women in: meetings and workshops
Gender disparitiesGender disparities ………..………..
GD on perception of men and women on effect of parthenium on crop yields: ◦ 70% of men realized part. has
negative
effects on crop yield◦ 56% of women
This might be because men are largely involved in crop production
The yield loss is about 40% on average
Could be 100% if not controlled
Gender disparities on: Gender disparities on: Economic effectsEconomic effects
GD on negative effects of parthenium on dairy production: ◦ 94% of women noticed part. Has
negative effects on dairy production
◦ 76% of men
This is because, women have close attachments with livestock
In the household division of labor, women are mainly responsible for: milking, milk preservation and processing