Praise for this book… ‘“How do we apply PRA for animals?” was the rather strange query from a participant of Praxis’s international workshop. That was the beginning of a journey of exploration of the use of participatory tools for the cause of animal welfare, and Praxis has been fortunate to be associated with that journey. Sharing the Load is commendable for its innovation and its deep commitment to participation. It is a must-read for all those involved not only in animal welfare, but also social development in general.’ Mr Tom Thomas, Chief Executive, Praxis, Institute for Participatory Practices, India ‘This long-awaited book will help practitioners and animal welfare agencies improve the effectiveness of their operations both with working animals and with the people who own or work them. The authors have combined advanced knowledge of animal welfare (Pritchard and Wells) and community-based participatory methods (van Dijk and Pradhan) to produce a beautifully accessible and practical book. An essential guide for anyone providing development assistance where there are working equines, and applicable to other working animal species.’ David Hadrill, veterinary consultant, member of the Board of Directors Vetwork UK ‘This is a pioneering work of its own kind, which I am sure will contribute directly in improving the livelihoods and well-being of millions of poor people in Asia, Africa and Latin America who depend primarily or partly on income from working animals. Extensive use of participatory tools with visuals for a better and easier understanding of local situations make the manual more user-friendly, appropriate and attractive.’ Dr Kamal Kar, Chairman, CLTS Foundation, Kolkata, India ‘This charming book conveys a great deal of knowledge and compassion for working animals in a most accessible form. It does not preach. Readers are fi rst set free to develop their own understanding of animal welfare and the mutual dependence of working animals and their owners. They are then given a practical toolbox for use in the fi eld with communities, however little or large their literacy. A lot of people and a lot of animals are going to feel better as a result of this book.’ John Webster, Emeritus Professor of Animal Husbandry, University of Bristol, UK ‘Sharing the Load is a unique and comprehensive fi eld guide for community facilitators working on animal welfare. The language used is simple and readable, and the illustrations are attractive. A must for all working on animal welfare and community participation.’ Somesh Kumar, Indian Administrative Service ‘The important fi eld experience of the Brooke gives an immense value to this guide and makes it a unique read. It is rich in clear and motivating cases that I found fascinating to read. Feedback from real life and practical examples are precious and I would have been happy to read them years ago when I was a practitioner trying to persuade farmers to invest their efforts in caring about the welfare of their animals.’ Dr Andrea Gavinelli, Head of Animal Welfare, Health and Consumers Directorate General, European Commission Sharing the Load A guide to improving the welfare of working animals through collective action Lisa van Dijk, Joy Pritchard, S.K. Pradhan and Kimberly Wells Practical Action Publishing Ltd Schumacher Centre for Technology and Development Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9QZ, UK www.practicalactionpublishing.org © The Brooke, 2011 ISBN 978 1 85339 719 6 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publishers. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The authors have asserted their rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identifi ed as authors of this work. Since 1974, Practical Action Publishing (formerly Intermediate Technology Publications and ITDG Publishing) has published and disseminated books and information in support of international development work throughout the world. Practical Action Publishing is a trading name of Practical Action Publishing Ltd (Company Reg. No. 1159018), the wholly owned publishing company of Practical Action. Practical Action Publishing trades only in support of its parent charity objectives and any profi ts are covenanted back to Practical Action (Charity Reg. No. 247257, Group VAT Registration No. 880 9924 76). Cover image: © Martha Hardy@GCI Cover design: Practical Action Publishing Illustrations: © Martha Hardy@GCI (Parts 1 and 2) and Amitabh Pandey (Part 3) Typeset by S.J.I. Services, New Delhi Printed by Replika Press Pvt. Ltd Contents Figures vii Tables ix Case studies x Boxes xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv Symbols used in the text xvi Acronyms xvi Introduction 1 Working animals and their welfare 1 Interdependence between working animals and their owners: benefi ts and dilemmas for welfare 2 Collective action for animal welfare improvement 3 Part I Working animals and their welfare Chapter 1 Working animals and the communities who own them 11 What are working animals and what do they do? 11 How do people depend on working animals? 13 How do working animals depend on people? 15 How are people’s lives infl uenced by the way that they care for their working animals? 17 Chapter 2 Animal welfare 21 What is animal welfare? 21 Practise observing working animals 22 What do working animals need? 23 How do animals feel? 28 How can you tell if animals feel good and have what they need? 34 What are the signs of good and poor welfare? 37 How does welfare change over time and in different situations? 42 Who knows about and infl uences the welfare of working animals every day? 45 Part II Implementing animal welfare interventions with communities Chapter 3 Interventions for lasting change 51 What makes an intervention succeed? 51 Deciding where to work and who to work with: targeting the neediest working animals 59 Deciding how to work: the intervention approach 63 vi SHARING THE LOAD Chapter 4 Facilitation for collective action 65 Phase 1. Feeling the pulse 70 Phase 2. Shared vision and collective perspective 82 Phase 3. Participatory animal welfare needs assessment 86 Phase 4. Community action planning 98 Phase 5. Action and refl ection 107 Phase 6. Self-evaluation and gradual withdrawal of regular support 113 Chapter 5 Reaching out to promote animal welfare 125 Facilitating the establishment of working animal welfare federations or intermediate-level solidarity groups 127 Methods for extending reach: community outreach 130 PART III Participatory action tools for animal welfare 1. Mapping 145 2. Mobility map 150 3. Venn diagram 153 4. Daily activity schedule 156 5. Gender activity analysis 160 6. Seasonal analysis of the lives of working animals 163 7. Historical timeline 166 8. Pair-wise ranking and scoring 168 9. Matrix ranking and scoring 172 10. Gender access and control profi le 176 11. Changing trend analysis 178 12. Dependency analysis 181 13. Credit analysis 184 14. Group inter-loaning analysis 186 15. Cost-benefi t analysis 189 16. Animal welfare snakes and ladders game 194 17. ‘If I were a horse’ 197 18. How to increase the value of my animal 202 19. Animal feelings analysis 206 20. Animal body mapping 209 21. Animal welfare practice gap analysis 212 22. Animal welfare transect walk 216 23. Three pile sorting 220 24. Animal welfare story with a gap 222 25. Problem horse 224 26. Animal welfare cause and effect analysis 226 27. Analysis of animal feeding practices 228 28. Village animal health planning 232 References and further reading 237 Figures 3.1 Determinants of working animal welfare 52 3.2 Cornerstones of a successful, lasting welfare intervention 53 3.3 Types of service provider and how each one helps to meet the needs of working animals 56 3.4 Identifi cation of animal groups at risk of poor welfare 62 4.1 Different social groups and interest groups within the community 74 4.2 Balancing animal needs and human needs 85 4.3 Phase 3: Participatory animal welfare needs assessment 87 4.4 Animals need good resources and good handling and management for their well-being 90 4.5 ‘If I were a horse’ tool (T17) 91 4.6 Examples of physical and behavioural signs which might be seen if an animal’s needs are being met or not 92 4.7 List of animal-based indicators, management practices and resource-based indicators of welfare 93 4.8 Animal welfare transect walk (T22) recording chart 96 4.9 Two possible formats for a community action plan 104 4.10 Example of a community action plan 105 4.11 The action and refl ection cycle 108 4.12 Recording chart showing the results of repeated animal welfare transect walks 111 4.13a Analysis of animal welfare issues affecting each animal owner 117 4.13b Analysis of animal welfare issues affecting the whole group or village 117 4.14a Analysis of animal welfare issues affecting each owner 119 4.14b Analysis of animal welfare issues 119 5.1 Example of an information poster for extension staff 138 T1a Animal services and resources map 146 T1b Animal welfare map 148 T1c Animal disease map for equine infl uenza 149 T2 Mobility map showing animal-related services and resources 152 T3 Venn diagram of animal-related service providers and resources 155 T4a Daily activity schedule of an animal-owning community 158 T4b Daily activity schedule of the working animal 159 T5 Gender activity