Ethiopia small ruminant project stakeholders plan and prioritize 2017-18 interventions

Workshop participants (photo credit: ILRI/Apollo Habtamu).

By Beamlak Tesfaye

The transformation of small ruminant value chain in Ethiopia is a major goal of the CGIAR Research Program (CRP) on Livestock. These efforts are supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded Small Ruminant value chain Transformation in Ethiopia (SmaRT) project.

On 19–20 April 2017, a workshop, in Addis Ababa, brought together livestock sector stakeholders to assess 28 small ruminant value chain transformation interventions identified and tested and/or adopted over the last five years. The goal was to develop integrated packages of proven best-bet technological and institutional interventions for each target site.

Led by the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry areas (ICARDA) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), goat and sheep meat value chain research in Ethiopia follows an approach that:

• Provides a framework for integrating and prioritizing technical and institutional interventions at the different value chain stages.
• Identifies bottlenecks and opportunities for improving value chain performance.
• Analyses linkages and value addition along the value chain.
• Aims at developing market-oriented meat production with defined business models.

The project work is carried out in 8 sites representing 4 regional states of Ethiopia: Horro and Yabello (Oromia), Doyogena and Bonga (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’), Wag Abergelle and Menz (Amhara) and Tanqua Abergelle and Atsbi (Tigray).

During the workshop, six ‘technical market places’ were organized and participants clusters of ‘buyers’ and ‘sellers’ reviewed technologies and institutional interventions on genetics and reproduction, animal health, animal feed, processing and food safety, marketing, and gender. The interventions’ scalability and suitability were reviewed for each of the targeted sites.

Each team selected interventions which they believe are suitable for adoption in their sites. Participants acknowledged the need to integrating some of the interventions into packages of best-bet interventions. For example, they suggested that the successful community-based breeding program (CBBP) be packaged with health and feeding activities such as improving the reproductive performance of small ruminants; and urea treatment to improve the nutritive value of crop residues or increase use of dual-purpose crops. They identified improving households’ livelihood, enhancing CBBP and raising sheep productivity as key goals of the integration of interventions.

By the end of the workshop, participants had selected, prioritized and planned site-specific intervention packages to be implemented in 2017 and early 2018.

The 28 intervention fact sheets developed for the workshop are:

1.  Better hygienic practices to improve small ruminant meat quality

2.  Better hygienic milking practices to improve goat milk quality

3.  Dairy cultures to improve the quality of traditional dairy products

4.  Milk fat separation to accelerate butter production and reduce labour

5.  Pasteurization to improve traditional dairy products

6.  Simple smokers to improve traditional dairy products

7.  Thermometers to improve traditional dairy products

8.  Community-based breeding programs enhance livelihoods and deliver genetic gains

9.  Field solution for artificial insemination of sheep

10.  Ultrasound to diagnose pregnancy and reproductive disorders in small ruminants

11. Urea treatment to improve the nutritive value of crop residues

12.  Pulse crops with food-feed traits to support livestock productivity

13.  Enhanced sheep fattening with modified feeding and management practices

14.  Desho grass to feed livestock in mid to high altitudes

15.  Improving the reproductive performance of small ruminants

16. Integrated herd health approach to reduce impact of respiratory diseases

17. Select effective fasciolicides to control sheep liver fluke

18. Community-based control of gastro-intestinal tract parasites

19. Responsible use of antimicrobials in small ruminants

20. Tapping the knowledge of women in small ruminant disease surveillance and management

21. Training women in small ruminant husbandry and health

22. Gender matters in small ruminant value chain transformation in Ethiopia

23. Assessing and strengthening the gender capacities of value chain actors and partners in Ethiopia

24.  Building improved market facilities

25. Understand prevent and control anthrax

26. Coenurosis control – break the cycle

27. Reducing lamb and kid mortality

28. Smart marketing along small ruminant value chains

The interventions were assessed against the site profiles developed in the course of the project (see the posters):

Small ruminant value chain development in Atsbi, Ethiopia

Small ruminant value chain development in Bonga, Ethiopia

Small ruminant value chain development in Doyogena, Ethiopia

Small ruminant value chain development in Menz (Gera and Mama), Ethiopia

Small ruminant value chain development in Shinille, Ethiopia

Small ruminant value chain development in Tanqua Abergelle, Ethiopia

Small ruminant value chain development in Waq Abergelle, Ethiopia

Small ruminant value chain development in Yabello, Ethiopia

This activity was funded through the Livestock CRP and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded SmaRT Ethiopia Project – Improving the Performance of Pro-Poor Sheep and Goat Value Chains for Enhanced Livelihoods, Food and Nutrition Security in Ethiopia.