Empowering women in livestock: addressing gender barriers in Uganda’s pig sector

Livestock is a key sector in Uganda, contributing approximately 4.3% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Nearly 60% of households depend on livestock for their livelihoods, with women and youth playing crucial roles in livestock production. However, restrictive social and gender norms limit their ability to fully benefit from business and economic opportunities in the sector.

To address barriers in the pig-sector, gender researchers from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) implemented targeted interventions aimed at transforming gender norms and enhancing the participation and benefits of women and youth in Uganda’s pig enterprises.

Addressing social norms and the empowerment challenge

Livestock farming, particularly pig farming in central Uganda, offers women a pathway to income generation and empowerment. Despite this potential, gender norms continue to dictate women’s participation in the sector, limiting their benefits. Gender norms define acceptable roles and actions for women and men in a society and are often rooted in unspoken beliefs and myths that influence all aspects of women’s empowerment, for example that women are unable to own and manage large pig farms. 

Empowerment is the expansion of people’s ability to make strategic life choices where they were previously denied this ability. For women, it involves self-determination, control over their circumstances, and the ability to realize their aspirations. 

‘An empowered woman is often perceived as one who maintains a clean home, raises disciplined children, and engages in income-generating activities that inspire others in her community’, a participant in a Focus group discussion. 

In 2022 and 2023 we conducted a study in Masaka and Mukono to understand how local gender norms affected the ways in which the pig sector empowered women. To explore what contributed to women’s empowerment and disempowerment we used the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI) and the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Business Index (WELBI)—to measure empowerment, gender parity, and sources of disempowerment.

Findings revealed that women faced restrictions in mobility-related tasks such as transporting pigs on motorcycles, conducting artificial insemination (AI), castrating animals, and taking sows to boars for mating. Additionally, certain activities—including slaughtering, trading livestock, producing feed, and owning large farms—were deemed inappropriate for women. Beyond these role-based limitations, systemic barriers such as lower wages, lack of control over income, restricted physical mobility, and exclusion from influential networks further exacerbated their disempowerment. As a result, despite women and youth being the primary pig producers, they are yet to fully reap the benefits of the sector.

Targeted interventions for women’s empowerment

To tackle these challenges, the CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity, in collaboration with key stakeholders, co-created interventions to support the empowerment of women and youth. These interventions were categorized as either gender accommodative—which acknowledge gender barriers but work around them—or gender transformative, which actively challenge and shift restrictive norms. The aim was to enhance women’s voices, visibility, power, and independence in the livestock sector.

Gender accommodative interventions

Gender accommodative interventions addressed key constraints affecting women’s participation in pig farming and agribusiness. Women with large pig farms often had to rely on men for certain tasks. Additionally, many women struggled to estimate the weight of live pigs, leading to unfair pricing.  Additionally, female AI technicians faced societal bias and a lack of recognition as professionals, which hindered their ability to secure employment in the field.

To overcome these barriers, researchers implemented several strategies:

• Visioning exercises: Women involved in the pig sector were encouraged to identify limitations preventing them from achieving their goals.
• Pig weigh-band pilot: Women farmers were provided with a weigh-band to estimate live pig weights, enabling them to negotiate better prices.
• Confidence-building sessions: Women received training to improve their negotiation skills.
• Training and branding for AI technicians: Both male and female AI technicians participated in a hands-on refresher training on AI service provision and received branded lab coats to improve their visibility within their communities. This initiative helped position women AI technicians as being equally professional and competent as their male counterparts.
• Hygiene-focused support for women pig aggregators: Women working in pig aggregation were provided with aprons, head covers, and boots to enhance their professional image and uphold hygiene standards. This initiative aimed to challenge the community perception that women in the pig sector were unclean, which was against the societal expectations that associate women with cleanliness.

Impact Stories

Baluka Samali, a pig farmer in Mukono district, shared:

'The pig weigh-band has helped me know the estimated weight of my pigs and negotiate for better prices compared to what I used to get. Aggregators now recognize that farmers with weigh bands cannot be easily manipulated.'

Caroline Nyanjuka, a veterinarian and AI technician, added:

'Following the hands-on training, I now confidently provide AI services and have an additional source of income'.

Gender transformative interventions

Certain livestock-related activities, such as owning large-scale pig farms, pig aggregation (butchering and selling pork), and AI services, were traditionally deemed inappropriate for women. Women engaging in these roles often faced social sanctions such as ridicule, exclusion, verbal abuse, and economic disadvantages.

To challenge these norms, sensitization campaigns were conducted to highlight the social and economic benefits of women’s participation in the pig sector. These campaigns included:

• Radio talk shows: Women engaged in non-traditional roles such as AI service provision participated in radio discussions alongside district community development officers and men who are supportive of women in these roles. These discussions addressed restrictive gender norms and community members contributed through calls and messages.

Community dialogues: More than 50 participants per community gathered to discuss women's engagement in pig related businesses, with a particular focus on activities that were considered inappropriate for women to engage in namely, large scale pig farming, pig aggregation with a focus on selling pork and provision of pig artificial insemination. The community engagement started off with participants listening to recordings from the radio shows. This was the icebreaker used to trigger discussions on gender norms and enable communities to reflect on how to challenge misconceptions about women in these selected pig-related businesses.

Key lessons and recommendation 

Livestock farming, particularly pig farming in central Uganda, offers women a pathway to income generation and empowerment, but restrictive gender norms limit this potential. Addressing the restrictive norms through a combination of both gender transformative and gender accommodative interventions is effective but requires systematic approach. Initial research is important for understanding context-specific issues and identifying key stakeholders. Validating research findings through participatory engagement ensures community buy-in, co-creation of context specific and relevant solutions, and sustained implementation.

However, changing deeply ingrained social and gender norms takes time, resources and persistence. Continuous reinforcement of positive messages and role modeling by successful women agripreneurs are essential for long-term transformation.

By addressing restrictive norms and equipping women with the necessary skills and tools, Uganda’s livestock sector can unlock new economic opportunities for women and youth, ultimately fostering greater gender equality and empowerment.