September 2017: Gender and Livestock in the Global South

Call for Papers

While women’s contributions to smallholder food production on farms and within households is increasingly recognized, the benefits that accrue to women from such contributions remain a matter of debate. In the case of livestock, two main gender issues can be identified. First, studies have shown that women tend to benefit from development programs focused on nutrition, while benefits of commercialization usually accrue to men. Second, livestock themselves have gendered connotations, with women more likely to be associated with the rearing of ‘small’ livestock whereas larger animals are usually within the domain of men. However, actually existing diversities in gendered experiences of livestock economies may challenge such neat divisions. There is a need therefore to understand how women could be utilizing and reconstructing existing development programs and cultural norms to link themselves with livestock economies in new and innovative ways.

This special issue seeks case studies of gender and small-scale livestock farming in contexts of the Global South which illuminate both how gender becomes useful to understanding inequalities in livestock-based livelihoods as well as strategies to ensure equitable livestock development. Given that smallholder livestock farming is increasingly being promoted as a valuable pathway to alleviating poverty and addressing food insecurity, a complex understanding of gender becomes significant for distributing the benefits of livestock within households and across communities.

Possible topics for special issue articles include:

• Juxtaposing income and nutrition benefits of livestock
• Links between crop and livestock farming
• Women's and men’s work in livestock development programs
• Transformations in pastoral communities due to livestock commercialization
• Historical and geographical comparisons of gender and livestock economies
• Gender analysis of government policies on livestock development

Papers for this special issue should be sent to both special issue editors at the emails provided above. Deadline for papers submission has closed. The special issue is scheduled to be published in September 2017. Additional information on the Journal of Gender, Agriculture and Food Security and guidelines for authors is available at http://www.agrigender.org/index.php

Inquiries and questions related to the special issue are welcome and should be addressed to the editor

Editors