Enhancing Participation of Women and Men in Breeding Cooperatives Through a Gender Capacity Development (GCD) Intervention for Local Actors (Cooperative Leadership & Service Providers) in Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia, Livestock CRP research has focused on gender capacity development at the institutional level. Recently, gender awareness-raising activities at community and household level to transform gender relations are being conducted at limited Livestock CRP sites to overcome restrictive gender norms and enhance equitable participation of men and women livestock keepers in a community-based sheep breeding program (CBBP). This is mainly as a result of lack of core gender capacities by local partners who provide day to day services to the breeding cooperatives across Livestock CRP target sites. They lack the capacity to recognize, identify gender issues and formulate strategic actions to overcome constraining gender relations and structures at household and community levels. In order to address this felt need, a training workshop to enhance participation of women and men in breeding cooperatives through a gender capacity development (GCD) intervention for local actors (cooperative leadership and service providers) was initiated and implemented in selected target sites. The training aimed at creating awareness on the key constraining gender relations and structures identified through previous studies in the target sites and capacitate local actors on how to address them through a gender transformative approach.