Abstract:
For many smallholder farmers, livestock are essentially four-legged bank accounts, allowing millions of “unbanked” poor people to build assets and insure themselves against shocks such as crop failures, accidents and illnesses. Such assets and insurance are particularly important to women, who remain the backbone of global smallholder agriculture. The book explores issues of income management and economic benefits of livestock markets to women, focusing on how types of markets, types of products, and women’s participation in markets influence their access to livestock income. Recommendations include how to mainstream gender in livestock research as a pathway out of poverty.
