PPR Control Programme (PPR-CP) in small ruminant farming: A pathway of women empowerment

Gender-based social restrictions limit women’s access to animal health service in small ruminant farming. Peste-des-Petits Ruminants (PPR) outbreak undesirably affects women. Therefore, the study the effect of PPR outbreak in women’s say in decision-making, their financial freedom and their share of female in labour workforce in small ruminant farming. The study was carried out in PPR outbreak villages and PPR non-outbreak villages in Cuddalore and Tiruvallur districts, Tamil Nadu where PPR outbreaks were recorded. Data were collected from 210 small ruminant farm families comprising each 35 small ruminant farm families from the study area using personal interview method twice i.e., during PPR outbreak (2020) and after three years (2023) of carrying out PPR vaccination to small ruminants. The data were subjected to percentage analysis. The study conducted during outbreak reveals that women had better say in decision-making, financial freedom and share of female in labour workforce in PPR non-outbreak villages than PPR outbreak villages. However, the study repeated after three years of PPR vaccination reveals that women had better say in decision-making, financial freedom and share of female in labour workforce in PPR vaccinated villages than PPR non-vaccinated villages. The results imply the need for gender-accommodative and gender-responsive interventions in small ruminant health service delivery including PPR-CP to strategically support the women empowerment through enhancing the health status of the small ruminants.