This document summarizes a gender mainstreaming methodology used in an agroforestry project in Mali. The project aimed to improve incomes for rural women by investigating tree fodder contributions to sheep herding, a key economic activity. The methodology took a multi-level approach to gender considerations, assessing implications for women and men at macro/policy, meso/institutional, and micro/individual levels. At the micro level, the methodology used purposive sampling of women and men herders, considering gender roles and responsibilities. Analysis found labor division was complex, with women having some land access but often needing permission. The methodology captured this complexity to better empower women.

1. GENDER, SHEEP AND TREES IN ZAN COULIBALY, MALI:
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES
Marie France Labrecque, Andréanne Lavoie, Nancy
Gélinas, Jean Bonneville et Alain Olivier
WORLD CONGRESS OF AGROFORESTRY
Trees for life: accelerating the impact of agroforestry
February 2014
The gender dimensions of applying agroforestry innovation

2. Multidisciplinary action research project
Integrating agroforestry and sheep feed in Mali
• Sheep herding in Mali
– Key economic activity
– Socially and culturally important
• Availability and costs of fodder = major
constraint
• Project objectives:
– Improving incomes of rural women
– Investigating the contribution of tree fodder

3. Gender issue in sheep herding
• Gender – more than a comparison between male and
female
• Interest is in women implication in decision making
process
• Need to understand the situation to:
– Improve their capacities
– Provide opportunities to improve their well-being
All that without overloading women
tasks and responsibilities!

4. Gender issue in sheep herding
• Our challenge:
– Deconstruct the assumption about clear
cut sexual division of labour in sheep
herding
– Assumptions
• Raising sheep is typically a female activity
• Tree harvesting is typically a male activity
(with exceptions like shea)

5. Gender issue in sheep herding
• To address this challenge: Gender mainstreaming
– Gender mainstreaming is the process of assessing the
implications for women and men of any planned action,
including legislation, policies or programmes, in any area
and at all levels (UN ECOSOS 1997)

6. Study and work region
•
Commune of Zan Coulibaly
•
•
•
•
90 km east from Bamako, Mali
Area of 387 km2
Composition: 51 localities, including 9
villages
Women (9255) & Men (9235) (RGPH
2009)
1,597 concessions
2,847
18,490

7. Gender consideration in agroforestry project
• Objectives
•
•
•
Take into account a methodological commitment toward
gender mainstreaming
Achieve an adequate representation of women in the
different aspects of the project
Methodological strategies
Develop a participatory process with the community
• Build equal gender samples
• Consider gender in different aspects of social inquiries
•

8. Conceptual approach
3 levels to gender mainstreaming
Macro
Meso
Coordination,
resources
allocation,
network ..
Policy,
law, …
• Macro: Role of States
• Meso: Role of Institutions
Micro
Life
conditions,
activities
• Micro: Role of citizens

9. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep herding in Mali
Team project gender
repartition
At the Meso level - Give place to
women
Women
8
Men
14
Organisational and institution level
• Women expertise is different
• Different thoughts about sheep
herding
•
Focus on the integration of rural
women in organizations
Field team for the inquiry

10. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep herding in Mali
At the Micro level
• Participatory process to select sheep herders
• Seek representativeness of the gender in minority (women or men)
• Building inquiry samples:
Based on on the number of sheep owned
Categories
Based on gender
Men
Women
Few
0 to 3
3
6
Mean
4 to 8
3
6
Many
>8
3
6

11. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep herding in Mali
Women perception of labour involvement Men perception of labour involvement in
in sheep herding
sheep herding
Others
persons of the
concession
9%
Man of the
household
26%
Other women
of the
household
2%
Herself
39%
Boys of the
household
21%
Girls of the
household
3%
Others
persons of
the
concession
16%
Other man of
the
household
0%
Himself
43%
Women of
the
household
16%
Boys of the
household
24%
Girls of the
household
1%

12. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep herding in Mali
Women and men perceptions of labour involvement in few tasks related to sheep herding
100%
90%
80%
Other men of the concession
70%
Other women of the concession
60%
Boys of the household
50%
40%
Girls of the household
30%
Husband or other men of the
household
20%
Women or other women of the
household
10%
0%
Person herself
w
m
Managing the
herd
w
m
Feeding
w
m
Watering
w
m
Killing
w
m
Selling

13. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep herding in Mali
• But the gender concept is more than a
comparison between sexes!
• Need to look at
– Intern characteristics for each gender
– Complexity of tasks division
Purposive sampling based on contrasted
characteristics – Establishment of profiles

14. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep farming in Mali
• Create categories more specific
Based on the number of sheep owned
Women categories
Based on their family situation
Muso singaden
Few
0 to 3
2
Mean
4 to 8
2
Many
>8
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Young married women living with their stepmother
Muso gakela
Married women having their own household and all
the responsibilities
Muso bolobolen
Married women retired from household
responsibilities and working for themselves

15. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep herding in Mali
Gender and generational division of labour is finally not that
clear!
100%
90%
Other men of the concession
80%
Other women of the concession
70%
Boys of the household
60%
50%
Girls of the household
40%
Husband or other men of the
household
Other women of the household
30%
20%
Woman herself
10%
Managing the herd
Feeding
Watering
Killing
Selling
Bolobolen
Gakela
Singaden
Bolobolen
Gakela
Singaden
Bolobolen
Gakela
Singaden
Bolobolen
Gakela
Singaden
Bolobolen
Gakela
Singaden
0%

16. How to consider gender…
• Analysis perspective at Micro-level
• Consider
• Women and men contributions in
production, reproduction and collective activities in
terms of money and time invested
• Women and men knowledge about sheep herding
and fattening
• Determine gender access to production
factor, their use and control

17. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep herding in Mali
• Land is considered a collective familial good
• Therefore, women, in theory, have access to land when
herding
• However, half of them have to ask for permission
Need to ask a
permission to
use the land ?
yes
no
do not apply
no answer

18. How to consider gender …
Illustration from sheep herding in Mali
• Access to grass fodder does not seem a problem as
long as one asks permission
• As regards to fodder trees, women and men do know
and use the same species to feed their sheep
• However, availability of products varies according to
season

19. Discussion
• Difficulties raised by women gave us some clues:
– Research is needed about fodder availability and their
nutritional value for sheep
– Need for dissemination of new techniques
– Grouping women to promote collective sheep herding
and fattening efficiency (improved techniques )
• Is it enough?
– See our poster communication about financial aspect!

20. Conclusion/recommendations
• Study and integration of specificities related to
gender, generation and domestic life show that
– Labour division is much more complex than expected
– Need a specific methodology to capture this complexity
• To promote change in gender relations, need to
empower women by strengthening
– Their knowledge on the subject
– Their access to financial resources, production factors and
market

21. References
• UN ESCOSOS.1997. Report of the economic
and social council. United Nations Department
for Economic and Social Affairs
• RGPH. 2013. Résultats définitif. 4e répertoire
des villages.

22. Acknowledgements
This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada, www.idrc.ca, and with financial support from
the Government of Canada, provided through Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Canada (DFATD), www.international.gc.ca
Special acknowledgements to all our collaborators and partners