The gendered dimensions of farming systems and rural farmer households in the context of food security: a pilot study of small-scale livestock farmers in Marble Hall and Rhenosterkop

Abstract

This technical report presents insights from a pilot study addressing a human and social development component within the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) Onderstepoort Veterinary Institutes (OVI) New Generation Vaccine programme study (Livestock Vaccines Against Viral Diseases for Developing Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa). This study addresses the gendered dimension of rural livestock farming systems and the relationship of this dimension to household food security, socioeconomic development, intra-household decision making, and improved livestock health within rural developing farmer households (encompassing knowledge, disease management and decision-making in households). The study zooms in on the ARC/OVI New Generation vaccine programme sites in Limpopo, providing a gendered and socio-developmental perspective on communities where livestock farming is an integral part of social and economic life. This pilot provides a snapshot of two small-scale farming communities in the North-Eastern regions of South Africa in a way that is both descriptive and analytical and can provide an information base to inform future programmatic, policy and research interventions. The information and lessons emanating from this pilot study should stimulate studies on rural livestock keeping communities in other areas of the country, and act as an information base for further scale-up, implementation and monitoring and evaluation animal healthcare and vaccination programmes.