Female and male-controlled livestock holdings impact pastoralist food security and women’s dietary diversity

Authors

Henriette Gitungwa, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Christopher Gustafson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln & Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) Project, IringaFollow
E.Y. Jimenez, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque
E. Wesley F. Peterson, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
M. Mwanzalila, Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) Project, Iringa & Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro
Asha Makweta, Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) Project, Iringa & Sokoine University of Agriculture
E. Komba, Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) Project, Iringa
R.R. Kazwala, Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) Project, Iringa & Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro
J.A.K. Mazet, Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) Project, Iringa & University of California, Davis
Elizabeth VanWormer, Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) Project, Iringa & University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7598-8493

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2021

Citation

Gitungwa et al. One Health Outlook (2021) 3:3 https://doi.org/10.1186/s42522-020-00032-5

Comments

The Author(s). 2021

Abstract

Background: Food insecurity is a global problem that requires a One Health approach. As many households in low- and middle-income nations rely on crops and livestock that they produce to meet their household’s needs, food security and nutrition are closely linked to the health of animals and the environment. Resources controlled by women are more often allocated to uses that benefit the entire household, such as food, health, and educating children, than men’s resources. However, studies of gender control of resources among pastoralist societies are scant. We examined the effect of female and male control of livestock resources on food security and women’s dietary diversity among households from one agro-pastoralist and two pastoralist tribes in Iringa Region in south- central Tanzania.

Methods: We conducted surveys with 196 households, which included questions on food availability and food consumption among women, livestock holdings, gender control of livestock and livestock product income, and household demographics, as well as open-ended questions on the use of income. Food availability and food consumption responses were used to construct food security and women’s dietary diversity indexes, respectively. We conducted mixed effects logistic regression to analyze how household food security and dietary diversity were associated with livestock and other household variables. We also examined qualitative responses for use of income controlled by women and how the household obtained income when needed.

Results: Female-controlled livestock generally supported better household nutrition outcomes. Greater chicken holdings increased the probability of being food secure in pastoralist households but decreased it in agro- pastoralist households, while increasing the probability of having medium-high dietary diversity among all tribes. Male-controlled livestock holdings were not related to food security status. Women used income to supplement food supplies and livestock they controlled as a primary response to unanticipated household needs.

Conclusions: Our results show that female-control of livestock is significantly related to household food security and dietary diversity in pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in rural Tanzania. Importantly, the relationship between food security and dietary diversity differs among tribes for both male and female-controlled livestock, which suggests that blanket policies regarding management of livestock holdings may have unintended consequences.