THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ENGENDERED INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS IN
SMALLHOLDER ANIMAL AGRICULTURE IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ENGENDERED INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS IN
SMALLHOLDER ANIMAL AGRICULTURE IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA

N. ASSAN

M. MGCINI

The subject of gender and animal agriculture has
attracted attention in recent years, primarily from the need to
addressing the gender divide and fulfilling the special needs of
women in food production. Animal agriculture is severely
constrained by the presence of a wide range of factors that
affect both production and productivity of livestock, especially
in the poor rural farming communities that don’t have the
access to modern and/or conventional livestock management
skills. Women in particular, face a number of interlinked
constraints that reduce their sustainable contribution of
indigenous knowledge to animal agriculture and food security.
As a result of this scenario, enhancing animal agriculture;
gender equality and utilization of indigenous knowledge as
means of promoting food security and reduce poverty has been
a challenge in Sub Saharan Africa. It is believed that within the
small-holder livestock production systems which is
characterized by a generally low input-output system, the
sustainability of animal agriculture efforts need to consider
indigenous knowledge system as a dominant factor in
improving production. Identifying indigenous knowledge
systems in animal agriculture that support women’s roles and
effort as livestock owners, processors and users of livestock
products while strengthening their decision-making power and capabilities, are key aspects in promoting women’s economic
and social empowerment, and consequently provides a way to
enable rural women to break the cycle of poverty. Women play
an important role in animal agriculture through management,
processing and marketing, acting as animal care providers,
livestock feed gatherers, and animal birth attendants. They take
care of milking of animals, although not all women control the
sale of milk and its products. Raising awareness concerning the
value of gendered indigenous knowledge related to the
sustainable use and management of animal agriculture is crucial
for alleviating food insecurity and enhancing rural
development. The discussion attempt to explore the role of
engendered indigenous knowledge systems as they relate to
animal agriculture and their implications for improving animal
agriculture and food security in Sub Saharan Africa

Scientific Journal of Review

2014