Eastern African dairy value chains: what prospects for women in trade?

Book excerpt: In Eastern Africa, dairy value chains are an important source of income and employment for millions of smallholders, particularly for women who provide an essential contribution to the growth of the dairy sector. [Author] While the sector is rapidly growing, and expanding trade in dairy products holds immense potential for boosting inclusive economic growth in Eastern Africa, dairy trade mostly remains a small-scale domestic business in the region. [Author] In particular, women’s engagement in dairy markets and trade is constrained by gender-based barriers and inequalities, and dairy intensification and commercialization processes have led to uneven outcomes for women and men. [Author] As many countries are increasingly investing in the modernization of their dairy farming systems to spur dairy productivity and commercialization, it is essential that the gender implications of the market-driven development of the dairy sector are taken into consideration. [Author] This report reviews gender issues in the Eastern Africa dairy value chains, with a focus on markets and trade, in the context of broader regional policy frameworks and evolving market scenarios. [Author] In particular, gender policy developments in agricultural and trade policies relevant for the dairy sector are assessed for Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda. [Author] By bridging the value chain level into the enabling policy dimension, this study attempts to contribute to ongoing debates on the prospects for women’s participation in dairy markets and trade through more gender-responsive policymaking. [Author]