Sheep and Goat Production, Challenges and Opportunities in Southern Ethiopia

Fikiru Getachew

doi:10.7176/jbah/10-19-03

Abstract

The study was conducted in Gedeb, Bule, Amaro, Gelana, Abaya and Dilla Zuria of southern Ethiopia to identify and describe Sheep and Goat production systems, production potentials and challenges. After a pilot survey, study districts were stratified based on agroecology and their potential. From each stratum, six districts were selected randomly and three kebeles were selected from each district; finally180 households participated in data collections. The overall mixed farming system was dominant and the average landholding per household was more than 4 hectares; the mean landholding per household in Gelana and Abaya districts was significantly higher (P<0.05) than those of other districts. Sheep production was dominant in Bule (33.3%) followed by Gedeb (30%), while Goats were slightly dominant in Amaro and Gelana, overall mean was significant (P<0.05) across the districts and breed. The number of the animal was significantly different in all districts. Almost all respondents were kept small ruminant for income generation. Grazing of natural pasture and crop residue were common in Bule and Gedeb, while communal land grazing and browsing were common for Abaya and Gelana. Overall most of the respondents were kept their animal adjacent to their family house (37.8%) followed by a separate room (27.8%) and living with family (24.4%). Lack of extension and credit support (21.7%) was a major problem across the district followed by disease, parasite, Lack of input and technologies and market problems (17.2%). Conducive environment, animal productivity and human population growth were major opportunities of small ruminant production in the study area. All respondents were responded small scale enterprises were not established. This study concludes that even if the environment of study areas were conducive for production of small ruminants, the production system is still backyard and there are no small scale enterprises engaged in small ruminant production, thus, extension service and credit should be facilitated and establishment of small scale on small ruminant production must be established in study districts. Keywords : Goat, Sheep, Southern Ethiopia. DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-19-03 Publication date: October 31 st 2020

Highlights

Ethiopia has 1.13 million square km of land with suitable climatic conditions for crop and livestock production (NBE, 2011)
Household Characteristics The majority of small ruminant holders (81%) were male-headed across the study districts (P> 0.05) table 1, this observation suggested that men take the lead to initiate and have the small ruminants, which is similar in most of the Ethiopian small ruminant producing areas (Dhaba et al, 2012)
Some respondents were responded as; the production of a small ruminant is suitable for female producers and most of the scholars argued as sheep and goat production is easier than keeping cattle

Summary

Introduction

Ethiopia has 1.13 million square km of land with suitable climatic conditions for crop and livestock production (NBE, 2011). The socio-economic significance of livestock is basic for most of the Ethiopian populations and widely recognized. The livestock sector is a source of draught power, nutritionally rich foods, fertilizer, industrial raw materials and foreign currency. The overall livestock sector contributes up to 25% of agricultural GDP and 11% of the total Ethiopian foreign exchange earnings (Behnke and Fitaweke, 2011). The total livestock population in Ethiopia in 2012 was estimated at 54 million cattle, 25.5 million sheep and 24.1 million goats (CSA, 2013); this stock number is placing Ethiopia first in Africa and ninth in the world. Ethiopia's annual exports of cattle and sheep meat were valued at USD 79.13 million in 2012 (ECRA, 2012); this is due to several factors. For instant investments in modern animal husbandry are limited, inadequate veterinary services, feed shortages, poor infrastructure, insufficient financial services and low levels of technical inputs are well documented (Solomon et al, 2010)

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion