The contributions of women to the livestock sector are fundamental, but gender stereotypes have developed a low representation in livestock organizations. According to data obtained IN 2012 by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), women work 30% more weekly than men, but the most significant data is carried by the rural sector, 40% higher compared to men .

Due to this problem, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry Environment, along with the technical support of the United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture in Ecuador (FAO) and the financing of the Global Environment Facility, through the Climate-Smart Livestock Project conducted an analysis of the state of gender relations in livestock systems, through the formation of 28 focal groups represented by 248 people (120 women and 128 men) across the seven provinces of intervention (Manabí, Santa Elena , Guayas, Imbabura Loja, Napo and Morona Santiago).

An important conclusion of the study points out that the migration of men to the cities in search of job opportunities, has caused that more women assume all the livestock activities. Although some lead their households, the contributions of the 299 women linked to the project are invisible in most of the intervention territories. 

Use of time

In areas where milk cattle predominate, livestock is a substantial part of the daily work of women, since, in most cases, they are the ones that conduct this activity. In addition, in places where cattle are moored, milking becomes a highly demanding activity. In their testimonies, the herdsmen state that: "there is no Sunday to rest, every day is the same, the cows eat every day. A day in which they are not milked, they die. " 

The testimony reflects, on the one hand, the hardness of the work and, on the other, the little time they have for recreation and rest. In addition, many producers are in need of delegating some domestic tasks to their daughters and young children, and thus be able to solve the absence of the spouses. They combine time and work to meet the necessities of their home and livestock.

Within the 7 provinces of intervention 

• One of the responsibilities of men is the pruning of trees, the maintenance of live pastures and fences. This requires a management of machinery such as the sledgehammer, tools and materials.

• Milk production is mostly handled by women, while in the meat production, men predominate.

• Women, as responsible for family health, have accumulated knowledge about the use of medicinal plants and use them to relieve pain, fevers and inflammations of cows and calves.

• It is confirmed that women from the legally married rural sector have benefited from joint titling. The same does not apply to de facto unions without legalization, in which, if women are not included as legal co-owners of the land, they are left unprotected in case of separation.

The history

One of the case studies that take place in the country is that of María Luisa Túquerrez, producer of the community of Huashaloma-Imbabura, who has dedicated more than 12 years to the cattle activity applying traditional practices. She, like many women in this province, is dedicated to livestock due to her husband´s absence. In this case, Alonso Panama went to work in Otavalo to generate more income for his family and delegated field work to his partner. However, he helps in the field when his other trade allows him and on weekends. Due to the search of new economic income by her husband, her routine begins when the sun is still hidden, and her children are sleeping, at 04:30 it is when she must be in the paddocks milking her cows and then deliver milk to the van that comes from the collection center located in the center of Tangalí, about 5 km from her property. In addition to having carried out this activity, she must feed her children - a girl of 16 and a boy of 12 - serving them breakfast.

Túquerrez, who is 41 years old, communicates better way in Quechua (Ecuador´s Andean language), but understands Spanish very well. She inherited the livestock activity from her parents. Her time is divided between the activities at home, caring for her children and the dairy farming. In this case, she must milk twice a day, early and late, so that her cows do not get sick. Although her husband, Alonso Panama, now works as a day laborer, he used to work as a farmer and that is why he left her as a delegate. Currently, she is the one who leads the farm and does the milking, rotating and feeding her livestock. This is how she alternates her time between the role as a mother, wife and rancher.

Fact

In 2017, Túquerrez  joined the Climate-Smart Livestock Project, and is now implementing good livestock practices that have generated positive results in her farm. With the renovation of 0.5 hectares with improved pastures and its projection for the coming year of one hectare. Besides the implementation of an irrigation system (financed 60% by her and 40% by the project) and electric fences, its productivity and income have increased by 40%; increasing from 5 to 7 liters of milk per cow every day - currently 40 liters per day -; and raising their daily economic income per cow from US $ 3.15 to US $ 4.50.