Gender, Livestock and Livelihoods in

Khreisha Villages of Al- KarakJordan

Dr. Dina Najjar & Nadira Al- JawhariSep-2014

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Why livestock? Why Khreisha?• Rural women in Jordan contribute much of

their time to this enterprise and improving conditions (e.g., increasing women’s control over profit) is likely to increase women’s decision-making power in the households and beyond, towards achieving gender equality

• Livestock was identified as a major source of livelihoods for the Khreisha people and as part of their identities

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Research Objective and Outcomes Objectives: • Understand women’s and men’s the dynamics of ownership and control over

livestock in the community, emerging trends and changes that can be capitalized on • Understand the extent of decision making power and labour divisions in livestock

systems activities (breeding, feeding, milk processing, marketing) for men and women

• Understand the potential of youth involvement in livestock systems (the aversion of youth to agricultural production raises serious questions on how to feed future populations)

Outcomes: • Identify means to increase women’s control over their labour and increase their

profit in livestock systems • Make visible youth and women’s roles and needs with implications to scientists’

work and services delivery

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Research Tools• Initiated a comprehensive literature review, using a

systems approach, on gender and livestock production in Jordan

• Completed focus groups, participant observation, and interviews with youth and adults in Khreisha communities

• Designing a survey which aims at interviewing 50% men and 50% women (of different ethnicities and generations, from households with different land and flock sizes) to identify key entry points for future work

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Literature Review Using a system (holistic) approach

• In general in Jordan women contribute to as much as 90% of the work required in livestock production systems (such as animal husbandry, providing water, feeding, milking, processing milk) but when it comes to the marketing (of animals and their products), this is mostly done by men– In Der Alla (central Jordan) 80 % of women interviewed were

involved in milk processing and 70% cared for animals • In Karak (south Jordan) men usually own the livestock but some

Women Heads of Households own 5-10 small ruminants– As opposed to men (who rent land in high potential areas for

livestock feeding), women are unable to access feed outside their communities for reducing costs

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Lit Rev Main Findings So Far (Cont’d)

• Women in Jordan are unable to access micro-credit to purchase livestock due to their lack of land title (despite their religious rights to inherit property)

• Women are important allies in rangeland rehabilitation – Women in East and South of Jordan (Mafrak, Tafila, and Maan)

expressed interest in reintroducing plants that are loved by sheep and goats but no longer exist and promised to take care of these plants

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Dairy Processing• Milk purchase is entry point for women’s ability to control

income derived from their labour in dairy processing • Transportation limits opportunities for women to work in

hired labour• Aversion by young girls to work in dairy processing but

upon reaching middle age many do work in milk • Lack of refrigerated vans leads to spoilage which is further

complicated by remoteness to markets

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Small Ruminant Production• Small livestock holders not benefitting from government

subsidies • High mortality rate of small ruminants • Many women own 2-3% of their husbands’ flock – Some bought a few and kept it with their husbands – Others were provided with a few sheep and goats by their

husbands to produce milk for the house • Male youth provide considerable labour to livestock rearing

yet have limited control over profit from the enterprise

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Future Work • Identifying key players in the policy community to deliver

policy brief and policy seminar on– Gender-sensitive innovations in service delivery (access to

markets, inputs, services, information, and finance)• Workshop for scientists on findings related to technologies,

needs, and aspirations of women to– Reduce their workloads (through technologies)– Increase their income in realms in which they are likely to

control the respective benefits

• Piloting some approaches (e.g., microcredit for purchase of milk for women)

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