1. Dr. Dina Najjar & Nadira Al- Jawhari Sep-2014
Gender, Livestock and Livelihoods in Khreisha Villages of Al- Karak Jordan
Dr. Dina Najjar & Nadira Al- Jawhari
Sep-2014

2. Why livestock? Why Khreisha?
Rural women in Jordan contribute much of their time to this enterprise and improving conditions (e.g., increasing women’s control over profit) is likely to increase women’s decision-making power in the households and beyond, towards achieving gender equality
Livestock was identified as a major source of livelihoods for the Khreisha people and as part of their identities

3. Research Objective and Outcomes
Objectives:
Understand women’s and men’s the dynamics of ownership and control over livestock in the community, emerging trends and changes that can be capitalized on
Understand the extent of decision making power and labour divisions in livestock systems activities (breeding, feeding, milk processing, marketing) for men and women
Understand the potential of youth involvement in livestock systems (the aversion of youth to agricultural production raises serious questions on how to feed future populations)
Outcomes:
Identify means to increase women’s control over their labour and increase their profit in livestock systems
Make visible youth and women’s roles and needs with implications to scientists’ work and services delivery

4. Research Tools
Initiated a comprehensive literature review, using a systems approach, on gender and livestock production in Jordan
Completed focus groups, participant observation, and interviews with youth and adults in Khreisha communities
Designing a survey which aims at interviewing 50% men and 50% women (of different ethnicities and generations, from households with different land and flock sizes) to identify key entry points for future work

5. Literature Review Using a system (holistic) approach
In general in Jordan women contribute to as much as 90% of the work required in livestock production systems (such as animal husbandry, providing water, feeding, milking, processing milk) but when it comes to the marketing (of animals and their products), this is mostly done by men
In Der Alla (central Jordan) 80 % of women interviewed were involved in milk processing and 70% cared for animals
In Karak (south Jordan) men usually own the livestock but some Women Heads of Households own 5-10 small ruminants
As opposed to men (who rent land in high potential areas for livestock feeding), women are unable to access feed outside their communities for reducing costs

6. Lit Rev Main Findings So Far (Cont’d)
Women in Jordan are unable to access micro-credit to purchase livestock due to their lack of land title (despite their religious rights to inherit property)
Women are important allies in rangeland rehabilitation
Women in East and South of Jordan (Mafrak, Tafila, and Maan) expressed interest in reintroducing plants that are loved by sheep and goats but no longer exist and promised to take care of these plants

7. Dairy Processing
Milk purchase is entry point for women’s ability to control income derived from their labour in dairy processing
Transportation limits opportunities for women to work in hired labour
Aversion by young girls to work in dairy processing but upon reaching middle age many do work in milk
Lack of refrigerated vans leads to spoilage which is further complicated by remoteness to markets

8. Small Ruminant Production
Small livestock holders not benefitting from government subsidies
High mortality rate of
small ruminants
Many women own 2-3%
of their husbands’ flock
Some bought a few and kept it with their husbands
Others were provided with a few sheep and goats by their husbands to produce milk for the house
Male youth provide considerable labour to livestock rearing yet have limited control over profit from the enterprise

9. Future Work
Identifying key players in the policy community to deliver policy brief and policy seminar on
Gender-sensitive innovations in service delivery (access to markets, inputs, services, information, and finance)
Workshop for scientists on findings related to technologies, needs, and aspirations of women to
Reduce their workloads (through technologies)
Increase their income in realms in which they are likely to control the respective benefits
Piloting some approaches (e.g., microcredit for purchase of milk for women)