Division of labor during care of small ruminants, a case of Mwala sub county, Machakos County, Kenya

Abstract

Sheep and goats play a vital role in the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in developing countries. They contribute to food security through milk and meat production and indirectly through cash earned from the sale of their products. The purpose of this study was to assess division of labour during care of small ruminants in the study area. Sample size was 120 respondents. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Results showed that majority (67.5%) of the households kept indigenous goats followed by indigenous sheep (15%). About 44.2% had house hold size of 3- 4 persons, followed by households with 5-6 persons (33.3%). Women were responsible for most of goat and sheep rearing activities such as cleaning of shelter (66.7%), supplementary feeding (70%), watering (73.3%), selling (48.3%), milking (80.8%) and making decisions on the selling of the milk (75.8%). In 75.8% of households, sheep and goats were owned by men. Men also constructed livestock shelters (65%), made decisions when to slaughter for home consumption (50.8%) and when to sell (49.2%). However, it was reported that women were the ones who took the sheep and goats to the market. Children supported their parents in construction and cleaning of shelter, feeding and watering.