aistand south~ern afrkca - (PDF, 101 mb) - USAID

S n x
Ethiopia's population, is estimated at 49.3 million
with an annual growth rate of 2.9 percenL Over
80% of this population Is engaged in agriculture,
which contributes 50% to the gross domestic
produ4t and 35% to the country's export revenue. ,
E39,iopla has aniong the highest livestock
numbers in Africa. The role played by livestock
resources inthe economy of the country is varied.
The development of dairy programmes in the
last 2-3 decades had limited impact on modifying
traditional livestock management systems. In an
attempt to overcome this problem the Institute of
Agricultural Research launched an on-farm
small-scale dairy research project in 1988.
Although various political and technical
conetraints have affected the implerrentation of
the project, studies have been conducted
showing that the F Friesian and Jersey m.isbred
cows with appropriate manageme.nt could
perform reasonab!y on-farm In respect to milk
production and reproduction and also maintain
good health.
Introduction
Ethiopia is a country with a human population
currently estimated at 49.3 million and growing
at an annual rate of 2.9%. The cointry covers P.
total land area of 1.2 million km . Agriculture
dominates the economy, accounting for about
50%ofthe gross domestic product and 35% ofthe
export revenue. Over 80% of the human
population is engaged in this economic activity
(Goshu et al, 1989; Central Statistical Authority
(CSA), 1990).
The country ranks top of the list of African
countries with large livestock populations,
Although statistical data for livestock in
Ethiopia have never been consistent, the latest
estimates indicate that there are 27 million
cattle, 24 million sheep, 18 million goats, 7
million equines, 1 million camels and 52 million
poultry (World Bank 1984; Gryseel. and de
Boorit, 1986). Over 60% of the cattle and sheep
are found in the highlands, while goats and
camels are predominantly found in the lowlards.
The role played by livestock in the economy of
Ethiopia, as in - -ny other developing countries,
is varied but suostantial. Livestock contribute to
the production of food (milk, meat, eggs and
Smallholder dairy in Ethiopia
Tesfaye Kumsa
Bako Agricultural Research Centre
P.O. Box 3, Bako, Ethiopia
51
blood), industrial raw materials (wool, hair,
hides and skins), inputs for crop production
(draft power and manure) and export earnings
(live animals, skins and hides). They also
generate cash income which can be used to
purchase food grains, seeds, fertiliser and farm
implements and for financing miscellaneous
social obligations. Equines provide an important
means ot transporting goods and people in the
majority of the areas in the mid- and highaltitude
parts of the country, while camels have
a high premium as food and transport animals
in the pastorlist dry lowlands e Ethiopia.
Jahnke (1982) estimated tat livestock
con (8bu ted tia ltura
contributed about 3% of Ethiopia's agricultural
GDP in 1980 apart from its contribution to draft
power, transport and manure.
Dairy development research programmes
have been undertaken in the past two to three
decades in Ethiopia by various organisations. A
review of these programmes by Beyene Kebede
(1987) indicated that they made minimal impact
on the dairy industry. This was alter taking into
consideration the huge livestock population, the
high domestic demand for dairy products and the
climatic conditions conducive to high productivity
in most parts of the country. Besides
the technical and policy factors that have
contributed tc this failure, the main limitation
has been that most programmes involved in
on-station activities lacked on-farm components.
To fill this gap, the Institute of Agricultural
Research (OAR) of Ethiopia launched a smallscale
on-farm dairy production research project
in 1988 with financial assistance from the
International Development Research Centre of
Canada (ILRC). The project was based at two
locations, one in the central hinhland zone and
the other inthe subhumid zone of the western
region of thB country. The overall objectives of
this stuoy were to evalu.te the on-farm
performance of Fi cows and to introduce
improved feeding packages, livestock mar
agement practices and the marketing oi'
livestock products. The acceptability of these
technologies was also an important component.
The project area
This project was undertaken in two different
ecological zones, the central highlands and the
western subhumid area, where IAR had been
involved in livestock, crop, forage and pasture
research since the mid-1960s.