Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement

Ethiopia is home for a large and diverse livestock resources and favourable production environments. The vast majority of the rural population’s livelihood is partly based on livestock production. However, livestock production and productivity and producers’ benefits from livestock production are fa...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Gizaw, Solomon, Tegegne, Azage, Gebremedhin, Berhanu, Hoekstra, Dirk
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Livestock Research Institute 2010
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/2238
_version_ 1855516166263406592
author Gizaw, Solomon
Tegegne, Azage
Gebremedhin, Berhanu
Hoekstra, Dirk
author_browse Gebremedhin, Berhanu
Gizaw, Solomon
Hoekstra, Dirk
Tegegne, Azage
author_facet Gizaw, Solomon
Tegegne, Azage
Gebremedhin, Berhanu
Hoekstra, Dirk
author_sort Gizaw, Solomon
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Ethiopia is home for a large and diverse livestock resources and favourable production environments. The vast majority of the rural population’s livelihood is partly based on livestock production. However, livestock production and productivity and producers’ benefits from livestock production are far below expectations. Understanding the livestock production and marketing characteristics and producers’ needs and perceptions, identifying constraints and opportunities, and designing workable production strategies are required in order to improve livestock productivity and market success of producers. Based on a series of IPMS studies, this paper synthesises and analyses the characteristics, constraints and opportunities of sheep and goat production and marketing in Ethiopia. The paper also puts forward strategic interventions for improving sheep and goat productivity and producers market success. Livestock production systems in Ethiopia have evolved largely as a result of the influence of the natural production environments and socio-economic circumstances of farmers/ pastoralists, rather than market forces. Livestock production is of subsistence nature. Like all other livestock species, sheep and goat in Ethiopia are kept under traditional extensive systems with no or minimal inputs and improved technologies, which results in characteristically low productivity. They are virtually kept as scavengers, particularly in the mixed crop–livestock systems. Sheep and goat are largely produced in mixed crop–livestock, specialized pastoral and agropastoral systems. Market-oriented or commercial production is almost non-existent. Small flock sizes predominate in the highland mixed crop–livestock systems because of land and capital limitations. Relatively larger flocks are maintained in the lowland (agro) pastoral systems. The major feed resources for sheep and goats include grazing on communal natural pasture, crop stubble, fallow grazing, road side grazing, crop residues, browses, and non-conventional feeds (household food leftovers, weeds, crop tillers and fillers). Production of improved forages, improvement of low quality feed sources such as crop residues and supplementary feeding (except fattening) is almost non-existent.
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace2238
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2010
publishDateRange 2010
publishDateSort 2010
publisher International Livestock Research Institute
publisherStr International Livestock Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace22382025-11-04T20:21:39Z Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement Gizaw, Solomon Tegegne, Azage Gebremedhin, Berhanu Hoekstra, Dirk marketing animal production Ethiopia is home for a large and diverse livestock resources and favourable production environments. The vast majority of the rural population’s livelihood is partly based on livestock production. However, livestock production and productivity and producers’ benefits from livestock production are far below expectations. Understanding the livestock production and marketing characteristics and producers’ needs and perceptions, identifying constraints and opportunities, and designing workable production strategies are required in order to improve livestock productivity and market success of producers. Based on a series of IPMS studies, this paper synthesises and analyses the characteristics, constraints and opportunities of sheep and goat production and marketing in Ethiopia. The paper also puts forward strategic interventions for improving sheep and goat productivity and producers market success. Livestock production systems in Ethiopia have evolved largely as a result of the influence of the natural production environments and socio-economic circumstances of farmers/ pastoralists, rather than market forces. Livestock production is of subsistence nature. Like all other livestock species, sheep and goat in Ethiopia are kept under traditional extensive systems with no or minimal inputs and improved technologies, which results in characteristically low productivity. They are virtually kept as scavengers, particularly in the mixed crop–livestock systems. Sheep and goat are largely produced in mixed crop–livestock, specialized pastoral and agropastoral systems. Market-oriented or commercial production is almost non-existent. Small flock sizes predominate in the highland mixed crop–livestock systems because of land and capital limitations. Relatively larger flocks are maintained in the lowland (agro) pastoral systems. The major feed resources for sheep and goats include grazing on communal natural pasture, crop stubble, fallow grazing, road side grazing, crop residues, browses, and non-conventional feeds (household food leftovers, weeds, crop tillers and fillers). Production of improved forages, improvement of low quality feed sources such as crop residues and supplementary feeding (except fattening) is almost non-existent. 2010-08-12 2010-08-12T20:07:54Z 2010-08-12T20:07:54Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/2238 en Open Access application/pdf International Livestock Research Institute Gizaw, S.; Tegegne, A.; Gebremedhin, B.; Hoekstra, D. 2010. Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement. IPMS (Improving Productivity and Market Success) of Ethiopian Farmers Project Working Paper 23. 58p. Nairobi (Kenya): ILRI.
spellingShingle marketing
animal production
Gizaw, Solomon
Tegegne, Azage
Gebremedhin, Berhanu
Hoekstra, Dirk
Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement
title Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement
title_full Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement
title_fullStr Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement
title_full_unstemmed Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement
title_short Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement
title_sort sheep and goat production and marketing systems in ethiopia characteristics and strategies for improvement
topic marketing
animal production
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/2238
work_keys_str_mv AT gizawsolomon sheepandgoatproductionandmarketingsystemsinethiopiacharacteristicsandstrategiesforimprovement
AT tegegneazage sheepandgoatproductionandmarketingsystemsinethiopiacharacteristicsandstrategiesforimprovement
AT gebremedhinberhanu sheepandgoatproductionandmarketingsystemsinethiopiacharacteristicsandstrategiesforimprovement
AT hoekstradirk sheepandgoatproductionandmarketingsystemsinethiopiacharacteristicsandstrategiesforimprovement