In depth interviews, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) exercises, case sample evaluations
- Use of in-depth interviews to provide an overview of the different types of social and economic impacts that working donkeys can have in communities.
- Development of a series of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises to investigate and partially quantify the socio-economic impact of working donkeys.
- To complete case study evaluations of the socio-economic impact of working donkeys in areas of Ethiopia, to both test and validate the developed approach and to provide new data about the role of working donkeys and mules in the lives of people living in Ethiopia.
- To conduct animal-based welfare assessments to complement the socio-economic data gathered in case study areas to investigate relationships between donkey owners' perceptions of the value of their animals and the animal's welfare.
1) Areas of life affected by donkey ownership identified by use of in depth interviews:
- economic impact
- provision of care for donkeys
- empowerment
- gender
- social status
- affect (emotions expressed about owning/working with donkeys)
- vulnerability & resilience
2) A series of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises or tools were developed to explore the socioeconomic impact of donkeys.
Nine different tools were developed (including:
Value Web
Dream and Discover
Gender Myths
Empowerment and Status
Matrix of Species
Donkey Expenditure
100 Seeds Seasonal Calendar
Livelihoods Pair-wise Matrix
Who is Your Donkey?
3) Twelve workshops were conducted (two per case study, divided into male and female workshops) in six different communities (three urban and three rural).
a) Donkeys are direct generators of income in the following ways:
- Pulling carts to transport goods for sale
- Carrying construction materials in pack saddles
- Pulling rubbish carts
- Being rented out to non-donkey owners
- Occasional use for ploughing and planting agricultural fields
- Breeding and selling offspring
b) Donkeys are also a source of indirect income generation in the following ways:
- Transporting goods for use (such as firewood) or for bartering
- Transporting goods to support another form of income (such as feed for cattle or pulling sick animals to a clinic by cart)
c) After meeting their basic needs, people who use donkeys could save money and contribute to community saving organisations (which act as informal banks and insurance programs).
d) Possible non-financial gains from donkey owning include increase in social status, empowerment and sense of pride, contributing to local society, involvement in decision making, and relief from carrying physical burdens and associated health implications.
4) Welfare assessment overview
- 161 donkeys were sampled (111 stallions and 50 mares)
- 53% between 5 and 15 years old
- 64% had an apathetic demeanour
- 93% had skin lesions (most commonly on hindquarters and tail base)
- 60% had gait abnormalities
- 91% had abnormal hoof shapes
- 64% had signs of limb tethering
- 54% were thin (body condition score 1.5-2)
- 51% showed signs of mild to moderate heat stress
- The majority of working donkeys assessed had two or more welfare issues
The results from the study of the socio-economic impacts of working donkeys in Ethiopia reveal that donkeys are major contributors to people’s lives no matter what context they are living and working in; for their owners, donkeys are the difference between destitution and modest survival. Sadly, the drudgery performed by donkeys is often a reflection of the lives of their owners; their hardships are shared. Donkeys become pathways out of poverty for the poor in rural and urban areas by providing access to opportunities through transportation for income generation, to attend schools, markets, and health clinics. The use of donkeys allows people to earn and save money and increase their ability to contribute to community savings and loans schemes.
Donkey owners expressed acute dependence on their donkeys and articulated feelings of love and friendship, even respect. Donkeys are understood to be animals that make people’s lives easier and act as mutual friends and life supports. Owners describe the importance and value that donkeys bring to their own lives and to their communities, however, although donkeys are undervalued and underappreciated by broader Ethiopian society. Donkeys are seen as ‘low-class’ animals of the working poor and the immense benefits they bring to those who own them remain largely invisible. Furthermore, donkeys’ social position within society is viewed as similar to that of women and, sadly, both are said to be treated equally—being beaten, carrying large loads on their backs and being submissive to men.
Where donkeys are in regular usage they are seen as important animals, friends or even part of the family, and people would find it difficult to make ends meet or provide for their families if they did not own a donkey. Humans rely on donkey transport to health services, to create their livelihoods, to relieve them of physical burdens and prevent them from slipping into extreme poverty. Donkeys rely on humans for feed, veterinary care, shelter, safety, and rest. Thus, donkey and human health are interconnected. However, donkey owners struggle to provide care to their families and livestock; provision of care to donkeys features low down on owners’ priority lists. As a result donkey welfare suffers. Donkey welfare assessment results show that the majority of donkeys surveyed suffered from gait abnormalities, abnormal hoof shapes, a high prevalence of body lesions, poor body condition scores, and displayed behaviours potentially indicative of negative emotional states.
Despite the donkeys important contributions to many of Ethiopia’s poor they remain absent from government animal health and welfare policies, they are overlooked by development goals and are marginalised by wider society. Thus, an exploration of the human dimensions of donkey wellbeing is crucial for understanding and properly valuing the donkeys’ impact in developing countries.