Women’s Participation and Constraints in Livestock Management: A Case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Pakistan
Women’s Participation and Constraints in Livestock Management: A Case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Pakistan
Shaista Naz1*, Noor Paio Khan1, Naveed Afsar2 and Ashfaq Ahmad Shah3
ABSTRACT
Women are the prime contributors of agriculture sector including livestock across the developing world including Pakistan. However, their extent of participation (time allocation) and constraints in livestock management have not been properly explored yet. To fill in the gap, the present research study was carried out to determine women’s participation in the types of livestock rearing, their livestock possession, participation in livestock activities, and the major faced constraints in livestock management in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of the country. For this, a sample size of 117 women respondents was selected through multistage sampling technique and data were collected from the selected respondents using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire through face to face interview. The collected data were subjected to analysis using descriptive statistics, frequencies, percentages, and rank orders. The results revealed that women were involved in buffalo, cattle, goats and sheep rearing with higher possession of small ruminants (goats and sheep), while men were found dominant in large ruminants’ possession (buffalo and cattle). Women’s higher time allocation to livestock management activities depicted their higher level of participation in livestock management was found high as compared to their male counterparts. Women’s participation was found high in the indoor activities of livestock management like feeding, shed cleaning, and milking of animal’s women’s participation was found high, while recorded low in the outdoor activities of fodder cutting and marketing of dairy products due to their restricted mobility. Costly veterinary services and feed items, credit need for feed and livestock purchase, and training in animal health care were the major reported constraints in livestock management. Provision of credit, training in animal health care, and increasing women’s livestock possession are suggested not only for the increased participation of women in livestock management but also for the development of domesticated livestock enterprise in the study area
To share on other social networks, click on any share button. What are these?