Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review

In low- and middle-income nations, healthy livestock offers significant opportunities for women's empowerment. In Ethiopia, the widespread prevalence of many infectious and parasitic diseases drastically constrains the production and productivity of livestock through morbidity, mortality and market...

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Autores principales: Gehano, Gelano, Shiferaw, Dessie, Radeny, Maren A.O., Gondwe, Therese, Mekuriaw, Shigdaf, Van Dijk, Suzanne
Formato: Informe técnico
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Livestock Research Institute 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174588
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author Gehano, Gelano
Shiferaw, Dessie
Radeny, Maren A.O.
Gondwe, Therese
Mekuriaw, Shigdaf
Van Dijk, Suzanne
author_browse Gehano, Gelano
Gondwe, Therese
Mekuriaw, Shigdaf
Radeny, Maren A.O.
Shiferaw, Dessie
Van Dijk, Suzanne
author_facet Gehano, Gelano
Shiferaw, Dessie
Radeny, Maren A.O.
Gondwe, Therese
Mekuriaw, Shigdaf
Van Dijk, Suzanne
author_sort Gehano, Gelano
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In low- and middle-income nations, healthy livestock offers significant opportunities for women's empowerment. In Ethiopia, the widespread prevalence of many infectious and parasitic diseases drastically constrains the production and productivity of livestock through morbidity, mortality and market restrictions. Women livestock keepers tend to own more small ruminants (goats and sheep) and poultry, and their livelihoods are adversely affected if their herds are not protected against these diseases. Livestock farming has gender-specific challenges and opportunities, with implications for empowering women smallholder farmers and their household well-being, food security, and livelihoods. Gender-based limitations constrain women's access to animal health services, which has a detrimental impact on their livestock reproduction and productivity. There is a need to measure how women benefit personally, socially, and economically from strategic animal health interventions. Yet, very few studies in other countries measure whether interventions empower women and smallholder livestock farmers. Thus, this review aimed to collect and synthesize available information on the impacts of strategic animal health interventions on women's empowerment from Ethiopia and elsewhere in extensive livestock production systems by a narrative review approach. Evidence demonstrated the presence of a strong positive relationship between women's empowerment and the use of animal health interventions. Likewise, the empowerment of women contributed to the greater adoption of interventions. Nevertheless, a dearth of concrete information was available in Ethiopia on the impacts of animal health interventions on women’s empowerment. Women were disproportionately affected by zoonotic and infectious diseases compared to men due to their intimate relationship with livestock and raw animal products, and dependency on livestock. Various studies reported the impacts of animal health interventions on livestock health and production parameters, not women’s empowerment. Thus, more research is needed to assess the effects of previous and ongoing animal health interventions on women’s empowerment, particularly in livestock-dependent rural communities.
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spelling CGSpace1745882025-05-15T01:09:39Z Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review Gehano, Gelano Shiferaw, Dessie Radeny, Maren A.O. Gondwe, Therese Mekuriaw, Shigdaf Van Dijk, Suzanne animal health gender impact assessment women In low- and middle-income nations, healthy livestock offers significant opportunities for women's empowerment. In Ethiopia, the widespread prevalence of many infectious and parasitic diseases drastically constrains the production and productivity of livestock through morbidity, mortality and market restrictions. Women livestock keepers tend to own more small ruminants (goats and sheep) and poultry, and their livelihoods are adversely affected if their herds are not protected against these diseases. Livestock farming has gender-specific challenges and opportunities, with implications for empowering women smallholder farmers and their household well-being, food security, and livelihoods. Gender-based limitations constrain women's access to animal health services, which has a detrimental impact on their livestock reproduction and productivity. There is a need to measure how women benefit personally, socially, and economically from strategic animal health interventions. Yet, very few studies in other countries measure whether interventions empower women and smallholder livestock farmers. Thus, this review aimed to collect and synthesize available information on the impacts of strategic animal health interventions on women's empowerment from Ethiopia and elsewhere in extensive livestock production systems by a narrative review approach. Evidence demonstrated the presence of a strong positive relationship between women's empowerment and the use of animal health interventions. Likewise, the empowerment of women contributed to the greater adoption of interventions. Nevertheless, a dearth of concrete information was available in Ethiopia on the impacts of animal health interventions on women’s empowerment. Women were disproportionately affected by zoonotic and infectious diseases compared to men due to their intimate relationship with livestock and raw animal products, and dependency on livestock. Various studies reported the impacts of animal health interventions on livestock health and production parameters, not women’s empowerment. Thus, more research is needed to assess the effects of previous and ongoing animal health interventions on women’s empowerment, particularly in livestock-dependent rural communities. 2025-04-30 2025-05-14T12:58:47Z 2025-05-14T12:58:47Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174588 en Open Access application/pdf International Livestock Research Institute Gehano, G., Sheferaw, D., Radeny, M., Gondwe, T., Mekuriaw, S. and Van Dijk, S. 2025. Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review. Strengthening Adaptive Capacity of Extensive Livestock Systems for Food and Nutrition Security and Low-emissions Development in Eastern and Southern Africa’ Project. ACIAR Reports. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.
spellingShingle animal health
gender
impact assessment
women
Gehano, Gelano
Shiferaw, Dessie
Radeny, Maren A.O.
Gondwe, Therese
Mekuriaw, Shigdaf
Van Dijk, Suzanne
Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review
title Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review
title_full Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review
title_fullStr Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review
title_full_unstemmed Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review
title_short Impacts of Animal Health Interventions on Women's Empowerment in Extensive Livestock Systems of Ethiopia: A Narrative Review
title_sort impacts of animal health interventions on women s empowerment in extensive livestock systems of ethiopia a narrative review
topic animal health
gender
impact assessment
women
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174588
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