Gender Assessment at Chalinze Village

Gender assessment at Chalinze village

Women only group discussion

January 23, 2017 4.00-5.30 pm

Rehema L. Mwateba

Facilitator cum Reporter for the group discussion

It was reported 3 out of 15 participants that attended the group discussion participated in the ACGG project baseline study. The project chicken known as “kuku wakisasa” in Kiswahili literally translated modern chicken or Kuku chotara in Kiswahili in English Hybrid chicken were reported to be liked by male and female small holder farmers.

Facilitator: Do you like them?

FGD members: Chorused…Yes yes

Facilitator: Why?

Participants reported “Ukubwanauzito” ie“their big size and their weight”. They further explained that because of these attributes they have been able to get more money by selling the chicken products. It was reported, by comparison to local varieties, project cock can earn Tsh 18,000-20,000 as opposed to Tsh. 10,000-15,000. The eggs bigger in size than the local varieties earn Tsh 300/400 per egg compared to TSh250 each local variety egg.

With regards to general participation in household chores the discussion output is summarized in the following table.

Description / Done by Men / Done by Women
Gardening for vegetable production / Yes / Yes
Digging / Yes / yes
Fire wood fetching / Some men fetch / Yes
Cooking / Some men cook / Yes
Water fetching / Yes / Yes
Child Care / No / Yes
Household cleanliness / No / yes
Salt production / No / yes
Petty trade* / Yes / Yes

*It depends on the nature of business. Men do not hawk or peddle maandazi which is a special kind of doughnuts.

Participation in management of local chicken varieties was investigated. Participants reported that women do all the work and men do the spending earned from sales of the chicken. An interesting pattern emerged with regards to division of labour associated with the project chicken. Table no……shows participation of men, women and children on selected management activities.

Description / Men / Women / Children
Construction of the chicken house / Yes / Yes / yes
Cleaning the chicken house / No / Yes / Yes
Feeding chicken / Yes / Yes / yes
Egg picking / Yes / yes / yes
Chicken care(in Kiswahili they reported kuwalea kuku) / No / Yes / Yes

It was reported children start getting assigned to chicken management roles at age 8-9 years. With regards to specific contributions that men make to project chicken, it was reported men buy feeds and drugs if the wife does not cash at the time it is needed for these purposes. Participants reported currently there is hunger and that maize bran a major chicken feed is out of stock. It has gone out of stock because they are now eating “dona” which is ugali made from whole maize. Removing maize bran before milling seemingly reduces the amount of maize flour for human consumption. The moral question farmers a facing “is feed children or chicken?

Some women reported they supplement feed with grass which they must travel far to pockets of wet lands to pick tender grass for their chicken. At least a lot of grass with a little bit of maize bran calm the chicken project which would otherwise follow the keeper everywhere until given food. This is unlike the local chicken varieties! Exclaimed one woman. Egg production is declining.

Who conducts selling of eggs or cocks?

Since the price is known and customers follow us, anyone at home children, father or mother can sell cocks and eggs.

What is the money spent on?

Participants responded the money is spent on school requirements such as:

• Uniforms
• Shoes
• Exercise books

Also on buying food items

Who makes decisions on what to buy? We women make decisions and in fact we also make decisions on when to slaughter and cooking as well as distributing the cooked chicken portions among family members. One excitedly shared that she recently for the first time ever, cooked fried potatoes with eggs. Family members were very happy to eat “chips-mayai’ the street language for fried potatoes with eggs.

Are you observing any other additional differences?

Participants responded yes. The local varieties have no expenses in keeping them. The project chickens eat a lot. The local varieties do not grow up even when subjected to the same chicken feed. The local varies go away to scavenge leaving food behind. They are not interested in staying in one place.

One glaring difference we are observing is the shift in the market. With local varieties we had to move out look for customers. With the project chicken we just sit at home, customers come looking for us. In Kiswahili this was expressed as …”Soko. Zamanitembea, sasafuatwanyumbani!” I used to take my eggs to a shop keeper who paid me just 200 per egg or exchanged eggs with oil. Now I am getting cash! Expressed one participant.

Exactly tell me what has caused the shift in the market?

Responses: Our neighbours would like to have stock of large sized chicken and eggs. They are buying cocks to fertilise their local variety hens and are buying eggs to give to their local variety chicken to sit on. One exclaimed for example today someone knocked at my door looking for eggs. I did not have any.

Facilitator: At the beginning of the interview you shared that with the local varieties men participate in spending money accrued from chicken and egg sales. Why is there no interference of this kind with the project chicken?

Response: Wanaumewanawaogopasana kuku wamradii.e they are afraid of the project chicken.Why fear? Some say the chicken were given to women. Yet others demand we plan together on how to spend the money. Most chipped in, it is the price. The price has shocked them. The value associated with project chicken has really shocked men! Emphasized a third participant.

With sale of one cock one can purchase a small goat or sale of two cocks can fetch an adult goat. The project chicken has brought financial discipline to the family in Kiswahili…nidhamuyafedha.

With regards to specific information that participants have received from ACGG, they reported:-

Construction of chicken houses and how to manage the chicken. We were given instructions.

They have spent the accrued money on improving nutrition, on education expenses for their children; some reported they have bought goats, maize meal flour for making ugali, yet others bought clothes. One participant reported she met labour expenses for house construction by exchanging with a cock. Another reported she has managed to buy three sheets of iron roofing. “We make decisions on what, how much to cook and serve food portions”.

The chicken keepers are constrained by chicken diseases. Air tract infections (cough and cold) diarrhea, leg wasting, leg swelling and some after death, when dissected they showed clotted blood.

Organisation in groups

So far in that geographical location, there are three groups. Two for ACGG chicken and a third that existed before ACGG project was specifically established to take care of local chicken. The group is known as WanawakenaMaendeleo group and the chairperson is a woman. Her name is Eliza Lesijira…mobile number is 0766 242871 The pressing need was to get organized to meet drug and travel expenses for their local chicken varieties. Later on an established NGO (participants have forgotten its name) used the group to distribute 100 chick to each of the 30 group members. For each recipient the NGO subsidized with 80,000 and the individual paid 20,000. The group has been registered; it has an account number and is now recognized by the district council.

It was reported the groups for modern chicken are helpful to farmers for:

• Accessing information and knowledge
• Guidance
• Sharing experiences
• Accessing drugs

Besides chicken rearing other economic activities include cultivation sun flower, simsim, green grams, groundnuts, sorghum and maize. What about honey gathering, the facilitator enquired? Participants responded climate change is causing havoc. No rain no honey!

Participants discussed deforestation and that more and more trees are going to be cut. At the moment charcoal traders come looking for charcoal. How can I leave big trees standing when my fellow villagers cut trees, make firewood sell and in exchange get a bag full of maize? Eh a bag of charcoal for a bag of maize. It does not make sense not to cut trees for charcoal when families are hungry.

Participants reported the project chicken just lay eggs. They do not know how to sit on eggs. It was reported that one project chicken was given 5 eggs to sit on and managed to hatch 3 chicks. Participants wanted guidance from the SNC on chicken multiplication.

As part of group discussion participants introduced the subject of incubators. “We have heard about incubators. Referring to the SNC, Please give us information on acquisition of incubators. We learned at the recent nanenane exhibitions. To this the SNC responded that there are incubators that use electric power and others use solar energy and that both can be of differing capacity. She then encouraged them to organize themselves in a group ; look up for additional information and work as a group to decide on desired capacity and go ahead to acquire one collectively.

In addition to discussion on modern incubators, experiences were shared on using ducks and guinea fowl to sit on the eggs of project chicken. They are eager to get chicks from the project eggs.

One participant reported that of the 25 chicken to her, only 8 are remaining. One got stolen, some got lost, and some got hit by bicycle and others by motorcycle. She wanted to know whether chicken can be replenished. In response she was reminded about the contact that they signed. They responded they signed but copies are held at the enumerator’s office.

Another participant reported that she bought 37 -6 weeks old chicks @ 3,000 TSH. From breeder Mapusa. They all have died except 6.

In response to probe on GBV, one participant responded that it has gone away. “If I have money why will he beat me”? Further explained that; “Discrimination and un equal gender relations start when soliciting money for household expenses”. We now have cash.