Participation in dairy value chains and inter-household gender relations in Tanzania

Abstract

Tanzania has the third largest livestock population in Africa but it failed to use that potential such that most its population particularly women remained poor due to gender gap in the access and control of productive assets in livestock sector. This study intended to explore gender dynamics and power relations; and how they shaped the access and control of productive assets and benefits in the dairy value chains of men and women in the intensive and extensive livestock systems since past studies did not cover that part. This study used Net-Mapping methodology and ethnographic methods for identifying actors and/or institutions, their levels of influence, factors and benefits and gender issues in the men and women dairy value chains. The data were analysed by using Visualyzer 2.2 and Nvivo10 -Matrix coding query. Identified factors/productive assets for participation for men and women in each system were community norms and practices, education, membership in dairy farmers’ groups, social capital, decision on milk sale, land, decision on livestock health services, decision on livestock selling/ buying, price of milk, mode of payment and knowledge about livestock; and benefits were asset accumulation, getting food, income, paying for school expenses, meeting household expenses, manure, dowry payment and paying for medical bills. Traditions and customs shaped the gender imbalances such that men in both systems were found to have better access and more control on the factors and benefits of participating in the dairy value chains; consequently male-headed households had more access and control over the factors and benefits but this was common in the extensive livestock system where women were worse-off as compared to their counterparts in the intensive livestock system. It was observed that polygamy was prevalent in both systems but it was more common in the extensive system; thus it was found that the access and control of factors and benefits decreased as the number of wives increased in the households. Dairy value chains for men and women were created in each system; it was observed that women chains were smaller than men chains but men chain in intensive was larger than men chain in the extensive; and women chain in the intensive was far larger than women chain in the extensive system. it was hard for inputs to move from one part to another in the women chains.it was recommended that there should be special seats for women in local governments which were responsible for allocating resources such as land, commercial processors should pay through mobile phones to avoid late payment, government should make gender sensitive livestock policies, destocking to reduce pressure on the environment and NGOs, civil society and government should launch campaigns to educate communities about gender equity. This study did not cover market analysis (profit margins, concentration ratios etc.) separately for women and men dairy value chains; these were suggested areas for further research in the sector.