Gender, small-scale livestock farming and food security : policy implications in the South African context

Drawing on insights from multiple studies, this policy brief addresses the importance of gender considerations for small-scale livestock farming communities relative to food security in the South African context. The brief examines some key elements of gender issues in relation to small-scale livestock farming, asks how some of these elements align with current policies and practices, and suggests a number of focused policy recommendations. Two thirds of the world’s 600 million poor livestock keepers are rural women. Within the international agricultural development agenda, women are increasingly identified as key to the eradication of global hunger.