Use of Poultry Production to Empower Small Holder Women Farmers in East Africa

Abstract

Animal agriculture within developing countries, particularly in Africa, is important and plays a significant role in improving people’s livelihoods, particularly of women. The poultry sector in these countries is largely based on traditional production systems, with women responsible for most of the day-to-day activities. In spite of that, women do not control the income that comes from the sale of their birds or eggs. The specific objectives of this study were to: 1) Improve the livelihood of women smallholder farmers (WSF) through increased poultry production and income and access to resources and decision making, and 2) Evaluate the empowerment of smallholder poultry farmers using the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). Sixty-nine smallholder farmers in two districts in Eastern Uganda were trained on best practices for poultry production. A questionnaire was administered immediately after the training (phase 1) and one year later (phase 2) to collect data on the five Domains of Empowerment (5DE) These data were used to compute the 5DE index and a modified WEAI.
The findings showed that there was improved livelihood through increased poultry production, improved marketing, and access to resources through a cooperative, and increased income leading to acquisition of assets such as land. WSF were empowered with ownership of the birds and assets, engagement in domestic and local decision making, and leadership in the community. The 5DE score was 65.8% before and 82.4% one year after the establishment of the poultry enterprises. The modified WEAI was 74. 25%. Therefore, equipping WSF with necessary tools (such as training in poultry production) and resources can lead to empowerment, and improved livelihood as was demonstrated by WSF in this study.