Men and women play different but interconnected roles along the bushmeat trade chain from hunting to consumption. While hunting is generally considered a male activity, women sometimes assist in hunting and often encourage hunting. Women are involved in transporting, selling, and retailing bushmeat. In urban areas, women's income from bushmeat trade contributes to children's protein and bushmeat consumption, whereas in rural areas men's hunting income is often spent on non-essentials. Studies show gender differences in bushmeat preferences and consumption patterns, and some communities have taboos against women consuming certain species when pregnant or young. Understanding these gender roles is important for developing alternatives to bushmeat use.

1. Gender Issues and Bushmeat
N. Van Vliet, R. Nasi
IUFRO-FORNESSA Conference, Nairobi, June 2012

2. What are the roles and
contributions of men and
women in the use and
trade of bushmeat, along
the bushmeat trade
chain?
From hunting to
consumption, passing
through trade and food
preparation, do they
differ?

3. Bushmeat
Basin
Dense
Forest
(km2)
Population (x1000)
Consumption
(tonne/meat/yr)
Extracted
(t/yr)
Rural
Urban
Rural
Urban
3,938,000
14,425
24,352
909,000
small
1,299,000
1,612,000
57,046
41,199
2,909,000
289,000
4,569,000
Amazon
Congo
If bushmeat consumption in the Congo Basin was to be replaced by locally
produced beef, an area as large as 25 million hectares might have to be
converted to pastures.
Nasi, Van Vliet, Taber 2011

4. L
TheA Bushmeat Market Chain
Prey
Hunters
Final consumers in rural areas
Final consumers in urban areas
Retailers
Transporters
Wholesalers

5. Hunting
Is generally considered
a ”man” only activity

6. Hunting
Women are sometimes directly
involved in hunting…..
•
Romanoff (1983) describes Matses women in the
Peruvian Amazon who accompany their husbands,
helping to chase and kill animals
•
Hurtado et al. (1985) indicate that Ache women in
Paraguay help men search for and transport captured
animals, occasionally killing animals themselves.
•
Biesele and Barcaly (2001) describe excellent Ju/'hoan
women trackers of large game who accompany their
husbands and contribute substantially to their hunting
success.)
© Kumpel N.

7. Hunting
Women often push or encourage hunting
"Women are the arms of the dibouka”
[throw of the nets]
(McCreedy, 1994:15)
The Aka conducted a bobanda ritual when net-hunting was not
successful. Men organized the ritual and pleaded with women to
participate because women's enthusiasm and energy were
viewed as crucial to the success of the ritual and future nethunting.

8. Hunting
Women often push for hunting
“If a certain man goes hunting but I don’t
go, my wife might even start loving that
man.”
(Man, age 32)
Tanzania, FZS: Asanterabi Lowassa
(asante.kweka@gmail.com)

9. LA FILIÈRE VIANDE DE BROUSSE Chain
The Bushmeat Market
Prey
Hunters
Final consumers in rural areas
Final consumers in urban areas
Retailers
Transporters
Wholesalers

10. Transporting
Men are mostly involved in transport from the source to urban areas
but women are often involved in transport when buying in the
forest to sell on the markets

11. LA FILIÈRE VIANDE DE BROUSSE Chain
The Bushmeat Market
Prey
Hunters
Final consumers in rural areas
Final consumers in urban areas
Retailers
Transporters
Wholesalers

12. Wholesalers and retailers
Women are invloved in the trade from retailers, wholesalers, restaurants,
prepared bushmeat meals sold in markets or in the street

16. Income
Purchasing: the income generated by women is invested in food
In urban areas:
“In Kisangani, protein and bushmeat consumption by children was not
correlated with the father´s profession (Correspondence Factor
Analysis, Wilks Lambda test, protein: p=0,96; bushmeat: p=0,7) nor
with the mother’s profession (protein: p=0,1; bushmeat: p=0,3) (Table
5). However, children whose mother had an income generating activity,
ate more proteins and significantly more bushmeat than the others
(protein: p=0,14; bushmeat: p=0,05).”
van Vliet et al., submitted

17. Income
Purchasing: the income generated by women is invested in food
In rural areas:
”Over half of the money spent by men in the village shop was on alcohol
and cigarettes, and the amount and proportion of income spent on these
items increased substantially with increases in individual hunting offtake.
By contrast, the majority of purchases made by women were of food, but
their food purchases decreased actually and proportionally with increased
household hunting offtake”.

18. LA FILIÈRE VIANDE DE BROUSSE Chain
The Bushmeat Market
Prey
Hunters
Final consumers in rural areas
Final consumers in urban areas
Retailers
Transporters
Wholesalers

20. Consumption
Bushmeat preferences by gender
South west Cameroun, van Vliet and Nasi, unpublished)
(N=345)
women preferences
monkey
10%
men preferences
cane rat
5%
monkey
6%
pangolin
6%
pangolin
11%
cane rat
11%
red duikers
5%
blue duiker
3%
porcupine
61%
red duikers
9%
blue duiker
2%
porcupine
46%
Bats, nile monitor, fox and gorilla were only mentioned by men; elephants were clearly prefered
by women (78% of the votes were from women)

21. Consumption
Bushmeat consumption patterns by gender
Uganda: Oluput et al., 2009

22. Consumption
Bushmeat consumption patterns by gender
Vietnam: Drury, 2011
”Men were significantly more likely to report having
eaten wildmeat in the last 12 months (p<0,01).
However, gender played no significant role in
consumption wild animal derived medicinal
products. Both men and women consider wildmeat
as a male food, typically associated with male
activities. Most female consumers interviewed had
been invited to eat wildmeat by male colleagues,
friends or family members and were generally less
enthousiastic and less knowledgeble about
wildmeat than male consumers”

23. Consumption
Bushmeat consumption patterns by gender
”Results indicated that age and sex of the respondent did not
affect consumption, but ethnic group was statistically
significant for the three study species.”

24. Consumption
Consumption taboos for men and women
Women that eat bay duiker could have periods for ever
(Kota, Gabon)

25. Consumption
Consumption taboos for men and women
Women that eat Neotragus while pregnant will have epileptic children
(Kota, Gabon)

26. Consumption
Consumption taboos for men and women
Young men and women that eat yellow back duiker will never marry,
only elder people consume it
(Kota, Gabon)

27. Conclusions
• The overall trade chain is gender balanced
• Differences in the contribution of bushmeat to
income: In Urban areas, bushmeat contributes to
income for women, whereas in rural areas it
contributes to the income of men.
• Women invest more on food, whereas men tend to
spend more money on non necessities
• There are gender differences in bushmeat
consumption patterns
• Knowledge on these relative gender roles is key to
the development of alternatives to ensure that
measures target the right audienc

28. Thank you