Gender equality, resilience to climate change, and the design of livestock projects for rural livelihoods

<p>Currently, there is growing interest in how livestock projects can contribute to resilienceto the effects of climate change. In this article we recommend a shift away from grossproductivity to sustainability, via the use of thrifty local breeds, with an additionalemphasis on improving survival of young animals. These animals, due to their localadaptations, are more likely to be resilient to climate change. There is a genderdimension to these proposals, since smaller animals and local breeds are more likely tobe perceived by communities as suitable for husbandry by women. We recommend are-orientation towards an explicit gender-equality focus for these projects.</p>