Women’s Role in Livestock Production and Its Impact on Livestock Income

Abstract

Livestock is adopted and managed extensively in rural and peri-urban areas of different countries as a source of livelihood and to fulfill a family's nutritional requirements. Its management is a full-time job for performing special activities requiring the involvement of both men and women. Women’s role is very important, especially in small-scale production to generate family income and cater the nutritional needs. The current study aims to analyse the role of women in livestock production. For this purpose, a sample of 456 respondents was collected from Punjab's northern, central, and southern regions. Multiple regression analysis is used to assess the impact of women's participation on livestock income. The assessment shows that overall women's participation in livestock production activities was greater compared to men in all regions of Punjab except marketing. Similarly, women’s age, livestock ownerships, participation in livestock activities, access to input markets, and women’s education are the factors that have a positive and significant impact on livestock income. Women's participation can be much more productive by increasing women's empowerment in resources like livestock ownership, access to easy credit and opportunities like market access, access to non-farm income opportunities, and access to training and information.