Abstract:
This study was conducted to examine the gender roles in cattle value chain in Dugda Dawa district,
Borena zone, with specific objectives of identifying gender roles in cattle value chain; examine the
performance of actors in the chain; identifying the determinants of cattle supply to the market and
assessing the major constraints and opportunities in cattle value chain. The data were collected from
both primary and secondary sources. The primary were collected from 194 pastoralists, 14 traders,
five feed lot operators, 4 butchers and 4 hotel and restaurants. The study result showed that women
were highly marginalized from economic benefit while they are burdened with work load in both
production and reproduction role. The value chain map of the cattle consists of major actors such as
input suppliers, producers, small traders, cooperatives, larger traders, and brokers, feed lot operators,
exporters, butchers, hotel and restaurant owners and consumers. Large traders, feed lot operators,
hotel and restaurants, butchers, and small scale traders share 24.28%, 18.37%, 16.11%, 13.4% and
14.28% profit margin respectively. While, producers doing all the work of producing cattle and
bearing the associated risks, took only 13.50% of the profit margin. As market channels become long
the profit that goes to producers tend to decline. The result of the Multiple linear regression models
indicates that marketable supply of cattle is significantly affected by, number of extension contact,
being cooperative member ship and sex of house hold head, positively and significantly at 1% and
10% of significant level respectively. Marketable supply of cattle was affected negatively and
significantly by family size and woreda distance at 1% significant level.Some of the major constraints
are identified to be lack of equality and equity, market, infrastructure, disease and health care,
environmental degradation, lack of market forum and market oriented pastoral organization, and
informal cattle trade. Therefore, policy aiming at promoting and ensuring gender equality and
resource ownership, establishing market oriented pastoral organization to improve the benefit share
