Gender responsive approaches to empower women VPPs and livestock keepers
Why gender matters in animal health service delivery
Women make up around two-thirds of the world’s 600 million low-income livestock keepers. They play a central role in daily animal care, feeding, cleaning, treating sick animals, collecting eggs, and milking, yet they remain underserved by animal health and extension services. Globally, only 5 percent of agricultural extension services reach women, and just 15 percent of extension agents are women.
This gap limits women’s ability to prevent and respond to livestock diseases, reduces household income potential, and creates weak links in animal health systems. In sub-Saharan Africa, rigid gender norms further restrict women’s access to male veterinary service providers, while women professionals face barriers such as gender bias, harassment, unequal pay, challenges with animal restraint due to lack of practice during initial training, and limited career opportunities. Without gender-responsive approaches, animal health systems risk reinforcing inequalities and undermining disease control efforts.
⦿ Measuring impact: Empowering veterinary paraprofessional entrepreneurs
The project: empowering veterinary paraprofessional entrepreneurs
Both women and men VPPs are trained to recognize the critical role of women livestock keepers and to adapt their outreach accordingly. This ensures that animal health services effectively reach and benefit women farmers, who are often positioned as crucial role payers in disease prevention and response.
"The knowledge I acquired from this course, especially the module on gender-sensitivity, has made me understand why sometimes I'm not successful in advising farmers on good husbandry and biosecurity – because I used to neglect important members. The knowledge from this course will help me reposition myself well to advise farmer families" – VPP trainee
Find out more
stories
Bridging the gender gap in animal health services
Through an FAO-supported training, Blessing Andrew, the sole practicing woman veterinary paraprofessional in Sanga, Nigeria, realized that she could be a vital resource to the many women farmers who need access to animal health care.
Highlights
Mobilizing human and animal health professionals to tackle gender-based violence
Through FAO's Virtual Learning Center for West Africa FAO piloted a low-bandwidth, smartphone compatible online Female Leadership in One Health course.
news
Empowering women's leadership in One Health — insights from West Africa
Nafinatu Abdullahi, Veterinary Paraprofessional Training Specialist at FAO Nigeria, reflects on the importance of empowering women in leadership roles to address challenges and drive progress in community health and gender equality in the country.
publication
Empowering women veterinary paraprofessionals through gender-responsive training
Highlighting the barriers women VPPs face, this resource outlines strategies for promoting gender equality and equipping women with the skills to thrive in the veterinary profession.
publication
Gender animal health and information communication technology
Sustainable business in animal health service provision through training for veterinary paraprofessionals: Lessons learned.
In depth
Gender and One Health
Within the One Health approach, rural women play a vital, yet often underestimated role, especially as they comprise 60 percent of low-income livestock keepers.