The impact of donkey ownership on the livelihoods of female peri-urban dwellers in Ethiopia.

This paper is based on an impact assessment of a donkey provision programme in Ethiopia. The work was carried out in 2001 as part of a DFID Livestock Production Programme project 'Use and management of donkeys by poor societies in peri-urban areas in Ethiopia'. In order to establish whether donkey ownership was a cause or an effect of improved livelihoods, an investigation was carried out that compared non-donkey-owning households with households that had owned no donkey until they were given one by a local NGO. Indicators that poor people use to express their well-being, wealth and health status (components of their livelihoods) were identified and used to compare communities. Guidelines were prepared for project managers for carrying out livelihood indicator identification and impact assessment. The results showed that the informants used a range of indicators to assess their livelihoods. A selection of these were investigated in depth, including number of children per household attending school, number of people per household earning an income, type and quantity of staple foods bought, and ability to save. A trend was identified that demonstrated that donkey owners' livelihoods were improved compared to non-donkey owners.