Sheep Production in the Mixed-Farming Systems of Mexico: Where Are the Women?

On the Ground Mexican scholarship has often obscured women's contributions to small-scale sheep production by using imprecise descriptions as to who producers are, what they do, and why. Such women can become invisible to researchers and policy makers. A gender-based approach is needed to raise the profile of these women. This could include clarifying how and why sheep-production duties are allocated between women and men in households and understanding how and why policies differentially affect women and men in terms of their access to productive resources and entitlement programs. Mexico needs to increase sheep productivity. Women are key stakeholders in this process. Production interventions could be facilitated by targeting women clients and making better use of their knowledge and practical experience.