The practice of Community Conversation (CC) has been used by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) as a successful tool for knowledge, attitude and practice change around both gender norms and different aspects of livestock management.

CCs use an approach to engage communities in discussions about issues that matter most to them. CCs have been successfully used to create community-driven positive action around zoonotic disease risks, the division of labor in livestock and resource access and control.

CC is based on the recognition that people have the knowledge and capability that can bring about positive gender and livestock management and welfare outcomes individually and collectively. This group discussion process can lead to collective ideas evolving and a critical consciousness, which contributes to changes in both restrictive gender norms and in livestock management practices.

Improving livestock management can increase animal productivity and reduce on-farm wastage, which are key contributors to SGD 2. Improving livestock management requires the engagement of both men and women in the household to bring about change, because of their different roles in the production system. The CC approach engages women and men and has led to shifting discriminatory gender norms, attitudes, behaviors and practices and the related imbalances of power, creating positive change relating to SDG 5.

The CC process creates a space for communities to share their perceptions, learn from one another, and engage in dialogues. This leads to community-wide, inclusive practice change as it brings together a wide variety of community members and encourages them to think, discuss and explore gender relations and management and productivity challenges in livestock. Different community members listen to each other attentively and speak out about what they think is best. Doing so helps all people taking part to feel included in the process of decision-making about gender and livestock management issues, which gives opportunity for sustained change.

Animal welfare captures the nutritional, health, husbandry and environmental needs of animals. Working towards providing these essential resources to animals is important for productivity and benefits both the animals and their owners. The planned animal welfare CCs will capture similarities and differences in animal welfare knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among men and women and issues experienced by animals and their owners in and between countries.

IRLI is a global leader in creating change for livelihoods and livestock production. ILRI and ICARDA developed the CC structure. This project will partner with University of Melbourne to target transformation in practices on animal welfare and livestock. Both groups are part of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock’s animal welfare Action Network.

CCs engage a variety of stakeholders. Regional technical expertise from Government district offices of Agriculture and Livestock Development, as well as community vet assistants. Community stakeholders including livestock farmers, community leaders, community elders, women’s affairs representatives, religious representatives and industry cooperative representatives.

The project was initiated following the baseline study to understand the gender relations in small ruminant production and the impact of animal diseases on household members.

CCs adopted a mixed method approach where up to 60 community members take part in a series of conversations either as couples or individuals. Participatory methods and tools drawn from a variety of sources were used to facilitate the community conversations. Some of the tools included photos, storytelling and probing questions.

Mid-project checklists are developed and used to capture change in behavior. Additionally, during conversation, a reflection session is conducted where participants shared lessons from the previous session and lessons learned. Community facilitators visit households on a regular basis to capture change and mentor households.

In the 9 months of the project to date, changes have been observed. In relations to division of labor, community conversations have led to changes in attitudes and perceptions of community members about gender roles. For example, in Doyogena (a district, or woreda, in Ethiopia), an elderly man reflected, “If it were not for masculinity behavior, men can participate in any domestic activity”. He appealed to his fellow men to consult one another, decide together and share domestic roles in their households. In Menz (another wordea) a male participant reflected that “it is a thing of the past to order women to do domestic activities while you sit.”

Since the CC, in Menz, some women have taught male household members how to cook and bake njera (traditional food). Men also reported that women have shown willingness to learn how to plough. For example, a male participant in Menz Mama (one of the kebeles/villages) was approached by a woman to teach her how to plough and he taught her.

Community Conversations have facilitated information sharing and social learning among community groups. People have used informal spaces to share information from their conversations. Community members recognized the importance of women having access to information and attending meetings and training events.

Testimonies from community members reveal changes in handling practices for zoonotic risks as well. One of the male participants in Menz remarked: “I was not aware of the consequences of drinking raw milk. I will stop drinking raw milk. When my cow or sheep gave birth, I used to hold the calf or lamb close to my chest. I didn’t know that this could expose me to diseases. I will now use gloves when I assist births. I have decided to buy and use gloves, boots and masks during cleaning of barns and handling of sick animals and attending births.”

Community members now recognize the importance of animal health. They now realize that the key to healthy animals is in improving animal management practices. In Menz, the community conversations created more demand for animal health services and participants decided to organize themselves to get animal health services such as deworming and vaccination of dogs and sheep. “The health of our animals is also our health. By spending some money on protective materials and vaccination and deworming of our animals, we can gain in animal productivity and reduce animal loss due to diseases”.

The cultural environments of the communities that were unrestrictive enhanced quick transformation compared to communities that were more conservative. The presence of on-going work by government and other NGOs also sensitizes communities towards gender equity and women’s empowerment and so fostered faster change.

The CC local partners have indicated that, due to the successes of the breeding and sheep fattening programs, and the community conversations, other communities in the area are asking for the same. The partners therefore envisage expanding the model further to 19 more communities and are seeking continued technical support from ILRI/ICARDA. Experience sharing session with other members ad communities that did not take part in the CC will foster scaling of the good practices.

Guidelines on the Community Conversation structure and results have been published by the ILRI. Some examples: https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/99264
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/99378
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/99316