METHODS article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1612520
This article is part of the Research TopicCommunity Engagement: Models and EffectivenessView all 9 articles
Harnessing Community Conversations for Gender-Responsive Engagement in Livestock Management in Ethiopia: A Methodological Reflection
Provisionally accepted- International Livestock Research Institute (Ethiopia), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
AbstractBackground Participatory approaches are increasingly employed to design context-specific interventions that are more inclusive, responsive, and effective. The Community Conversation (CC) approach has been tailored to Ethiopia’s livestock management context. As part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Program on Livestock (CRP Livestock), gender-responsive CC materials on livestock management have been developed and implemented across various rural communities to raise awareness and derive community-led actions. This paper explores how CCs were harnessed through improvisation and provides insights for practitioners to strategically adapt the approach in diverse contexts to foster gender-responsive community engagement. Methods Between 2018 and 2019, CCs were conducted at five communities to address different livestock management issues. We selected and trained local facilitators in the CC methodology and documentation process. They used structured facilitation guides and documentation tools to lead conversations. After each session, we held reflection meetings with facilitators to review the process, interpret the discussions, and gain contextual insights. The results were captured in field reports and later analyzed thematically to provide evidence for the approach’s community engagement value.Results Findings suggested that CCs hold potential for facilitating collaborative analysis and dialogue among rural communities and local service providers regarding gender norms and different livestock management aspects. Gender-inclusive discussions allowed women and men to participate in livestock management decisions. The approach demonstrated adaptability across various contexts and thematic areas. A key strength was its emphasis on collaborative learning and community-driven actions, which helped promote sustained engagement and strengthened partnerships. Conclusion The CC approach has shown potential to foster collaboration among rural communities and service providers, enabling them to jointly analyze livestock management challenges and implement locally tailored solutions. Its application in participatory research, training, intervention planning, and partnership building demonstrates its potential to foster collective dialogue and action across diverse contexts. Integrating gender perspectives into this approach enhances inclusivity, ensuring that both women and men contribute to decision-making.
Keywords: Livestock management, Gender-responsive approaches, Community Engagement, Community conversations, Ethiopia
Received: 15 Apr 2025; Accepted: 04 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lemma, Gemeda and KNIGHT-JONES. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mamusha Lemma, International Livestock Research Institute (Ethiopia), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.