Why gender matters: reflections from the Livestock-Water Productivity Research Project

Livestock water productivity (LWP) is becoming a major area of research. IWMI and ILRI are attempting to understand the gender implications of different interventions to increase LWP, through research funded by BMZ (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung). This paper draws on research conducted in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe and also the wealth of information emerging from the Multiple Use Systems Project (CPWF Project 28 on www.musproject.net). Some of the emerging results show that technological innovations are not gender neutral, because their design, timing, and labor requirements have differential gender implications. Some technological interventions to increase livestock water productivity might result in more work for women and fewer benefits going to the women. Secondly, gender and power relationships also shape the benefit terrain, which results in differential access and control of the benefits from the improved livestock water productivity. What matters is not just improving livestock water productivity, but the type of livestock targeted. Smaller livestock are seen to be largely benefiting women, thereby improving education and health prospects of the children within poorer households more than larger livestock. Therefore improving LWP does not necessarily result in improved well-being for men, women, and children and reduce poverty at large. Gender nuanced interventions are likely to contribute toward improvements in the livelihoods of both men and women.