Voices from the field: The struggle of women rearing guinea fowl

Theodora Kubaje has lived in the Upper East Region of Ghana for most of her life. She’s been a dynamic voice in her village for years, first as a teacher and now as a leader with the guinea fowl farmers association. She earns a decent living rearing guinea fowl, but other women in Theodora’s community have been less fortunate.

“In the old tradition, women were not involved in guinea fowl rearing,” she says.

Women are the anchors of Ghana’s farming communities. They ensure the health and nutrition of their families, they are the foundation of the local economy, and they are often the keepers of traditional knowledge. Yet, women generally have tenuous and inequitable access to information and resources, such as land and education.

Theodora was a frequent contributor to GBC Radio’s two year program on the guinea fowl value chain, a campaign produced in partnership with Farm Radio International. The program, alongside sharing information about guinea fowl production, looked to engage listeners on issues of gender equality and women’s rights.

To hear Theodora’s story and learn more about how Farm Radio’s project empowered women across the guinea fowl value chain, listen to the audio documentary.

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was a partner in the Radio for farmer value chain project, a five-year project that recently ended. This project was made possible with funding from Global Affairs Canada. Learn more about this project in Ghana.

Theodora first shared her story with us in 2015, when the project was just starting in Ghana. Learn why guinea fowl are important to nutrition and food security, and the challenges she faced then.

In the summer of 2016, we caught up with Theodora again, and she shared some of the insights she learned on the radio program. Hear what she had to say.

Theodora has become an expert farmer in her region, encouraging other women farmers to get involved in rearing guinea fowl, the right way.