Understanding the Attitudes of Communities to the Social, Economic, and Cultural Importance of Working Donkeys in Rural, Peri-urban, and Urban Areas of Ethiopia

Abstract

Working donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) are vital to the development and support of people's livelihoods in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas of Ethiopia. However, despite their critical role in providing transport, food security, and income generation to some of the poorest and most marginalized households, donkey contributions to human livelihoods have been largely unexplored. Donkey users, veterinary surgeons, business owners, and civil servants were interviewed to investigate the role humans play in shaping donkey lives while furthering our understanding of the social and economic impacts of working donkeys to human lives. Findings are discussed through seven guiding themes; donkeys as generators of income, the relationship between donkeys and social status, donkeys and affect, empowerment through donkeys, the role of donkeys in reducing vulnerability and encouraging resilience, donkey husbandry, and gender dynamics all of which gave a broader and richer insight into the value of donkeys. Donkeys are an important support in rural, peri-urban, and urban settings through the creation of economic security, independence, and participation in local saving schemes. In addition, donkeys provide social status, empowerment to marginalized groups such as women and the very poor and provide a sense of companionship. Whether the interviewee was a donkey user or a key informant appeared to influence their views on donkeys and their welfare, as did their location. The variations in views and practices between urban and rural settings suggests that assessing the socioeconomic value of donkeys in different locations within the same area or country is critical, rather than assuming that similar views are held between compatriots. Despite their centrality to many people's lives in Ethiopia, working donkeys often hold lowly status, are misunderstood, and given little husbandry and healthcare.

Scavenging for Ejiao's raw material and the extinction of donkeys in Nigeria

“…The qualitative data further demonstrate how rural people value the donkey as an indicator of social status, means of transportation and an economic asset. This correlates with the findings of Geiger et al (2020) in a study conducted on the importance of working donkeys in rural areas of Ethiopia. The study found that donkeys are an important support in rural, peri-urban and urban settings through the creation of economic security, independence and participation in local saving schemes.…”

Determinants and constraints to household-level animal source food consumption in rural communities of Ethiopia

“…Households with donkeys were more likely to consume poultry, meat and eggs than households without donkeys. Studies (58–61) from Ethiopia have identified that donkeys contribute to human livelihood and household food security through their role in income generation and gender empowerment. This might have contributed to the observed positive association between donkey ownership and ASF consumption frequencies.…”

Perceptions and Attitudes towards Mules in a Group of Soldiers

“…The words used by the soldiers to describe the mules they work with differ from those used by urban working horses asked the same question, where horses are viewed as a friend, family member and important income generation tool [ 26 ]. One important difference between the present study and previous ones studying perceptions towards working or pleasure/sport equids [ 21 , 56 ] is that, in the case of the army mules, the caretakers are not the owners and do not receive direct income from the mules. Such fact could be the main difference in the perception and attitudes towards them, resulting in a more instrumental and utilitarian view.…”