Lives baseline study report for Gamogofa and Sidama Zone in SNNPRS

Lives baseline study report for Gamogofa and Sidama Zone in SNNPRS By KettemaYilma and YisakBaredo

I. Sidama and Gamogofa Zones cluster districts number of kebeles for livestock commodities

II. Dairy production current situation • Production Technology: • Mainly the butter system in rural and around urban areas liquid milk system • Local cows: under lactation for 248 days with 1-1.9 lt milk/day • Cross animals lactate for 248 days with 6.1 lt/day • Poor feed, health services other inputs and marketing

Input and services • Collective action to access to feed and other inputs by linking with feed producers, drug suppliers • Initiating Pvt. Sector participation • Involving cooperatives to supply inputs • Mass insemination and private/collective bull services

Marketing • Women groups/clusters bulk and process milk • Organize women groups to bulk up products , link them with traders, cooperative for market outlets • Women groups to access milk processing technology or involve local cooperatives

Opportunities • Highly motivated and receptive farmers • Indigenous knowledge and culture of milk and by-product production • Highly self reliant population • Ideal environment, high population of animals and • Well organized extension services

Challenges • Production system is subsistence oriented • Very high population of unproductive animals • Improving communal grazing lands • Cooperatives lack of interest • Access to capital/ finance/fund to involve pvt. Sector and women groups • Extension service lack of operational cost and other priorities

Beef production in Gamogofa • Beef production: Traditional • Bulls of age 3 year and above • Oxen after few months of feeding • Feeding is not based on short term finishing • Very little or no additional feeding of concentrate

Production intervention • Introducing better management in feeding, housing and health care for local breed • Introducing concentrate or other protein source to accelerate fattening period • Crossing the local with Boran breed and production of dairy beef • Integrate fodder production in water shade management • Promoting feed preserving and storing techniques on crop residue and grass

Continued… • Introduce Leguminous forage and fodder production • improving communal grazing plots and closure areas with the introduction of better yielding grass species • introducing rotational grazing and cut and carry system should also be focus area for on-farm fodder production

Input service • Initiate private sector involvement in delivery of input services. • Specialize some farmers in fodder production for sale • Avail mass insemination services • Train and field CAHW to handle AI and health services • Privatization of Viet service and AI is most important for better result in livestock improvement

Marketing: area of intervention • Collective marketing for better price bargaining • Staggered fattening so to balance in supply and demand • Improve meat sanitation at all levels of butcheries and slaughtering house through training and fielding of sanitation workers • Training should also be rendered to butcher houses in meat handling and selling house sanitation. • Market information sharing mechanism using different methods • Initiating linkages with national and international markets

Linkage intervention • Initiating and facilitating platform for discussion among actors to design common goal and strategy to achieve common goal in beef production, marketing, processing, inputs supply, etc • Developing linkage with regional animal feed processors cooperatives and also private feed processors • Developing linkages with livestock market information for timely market information

Challenges • Changing the traditional fattening to commercial oriented production • Very high population of unproductive animals • Improving communal grazing lands • Cooperatives lack of interest • Access to capital/ finance/fund to involve large population and the private sector • Extension service lack of logistics & operational cost for wider reach.

Small ruminants • Current situation: • means of asset building, insurance and quick cash generation at times of need. • Sheep is very important in the highlands in areas that have considerable amount of grazing land • Goat predominates in the dry Kola of Gamogofa and “wet Kola” of Sidama with plenty of browse as source of feed. • Generally SR are kept in traditional management (breeding, feeding, housing and care)

Production intervention • Initiate market oriented small ruminant production • Access and deliver knowledge to farmers • Initiate Community based selection and ram/buck exchange • Introduce selected indigenous sheep and goats rams/bucks for breeding • Introducing standard housing practice for sheep and goats • Introducing Community Based Livestock insurance to minimize accidental death of accidental death/loss

Input supply system • Currently: no input supply system for feed, drugs and breeding stock • Possible interventions: • Promote collective action of farmers in fattening to purchase and distribute feed (linking with feed suppliers), • Facilitate the private sector to be involved input supply business (mainly concentrate feed and industrial by-products) • Involve cooperative the input supply business • Farmers supply green/dry fodder suppliers (mainly herbaceous legumes) using irrigation sites(study feasibility) • Specialize some farmers as suppliers of lambs/kids to finishers

Input system continued • Fodder and forage production on farmers plot /seed production/upgrade grazing areas • Decentralized veterinary services through the use of CAHW/paravets as well as community organized health services • Private vet drug and service providers • Access to veterinary tool kits for field services • Facilitate loan from MFI • Organize community base insurance scheme or make sure that the loan includes insurance policy

SR Marketing • Market constraints • Farmers target holiday markets • Supply is not constant • animals offered in the market are not uniform to attract big buyers.

Market intervention • Create awareness among farmers the benefit of collective marketing • Organize collective marketing groups Village groups, • Help farmers target marketing and short cycle fattening • Develop fattening calendar for continuous supply • Link farmers to buyers on contractual bases

Opportunities • Traditional knowledge and culture of keeping small ruminant • Suitable natural environment • Large number of sheep and goats (diversity?) • Traditional market places and routes • Sheep and goats meat highly appreciated • Supportive government policy and extension system

Challenges • SR are kept as means of asset building, cash generation for immediate use and insurance • Indiscriminate breeding and negative selection • Communal grazing (increase overgrazing) • Cooperating farmers for market • Access to fund for innovation both for farmers and private sector • Extension service suffer from shortage of operational fund, logistics

Poultry production Production • Indigenous chickens supply 100% egg and meat supply (60-70 eggs/annum) • Slow growth and low body weight at sell • High mortality of chicks due to predation • High mortality of flocks due to diseases • No apparent extension or research support • Limited introduction of improved exotic breeds

Production interventions • Small scale improved production on mixed farming with semi scavenging type for rural areas using local or selected local breeds • Commercialized small scale production with 50-400 chickens in urban and peri-urban areas using exotic commercial or pure breeds. • Improve access to feed, drugs and vaccines

Input services intervention • Initiate private suppliers of stock (small scale hatcheries) • Link hatcheries with rearing groups • Organize clusters/groups to access feed and drugs (community action) • Involve cooperatives or private sector in input supply ( to access feed, drugs and equipments)

Opprtunities • Local chickens show resilience • High demand for eggs and meat • Population of women and youth eager to inter the business (for improved breeds) • Government support • Farmers appreciate the value of poultry in their nutrition and market value

Challenges • Supply of breeding and rearing stock • Increasing feed cost • Disease control and insurance • Access to fund to start poultry business

Linkages • Initiating platform • Linking local venders and suppliers at zonal, regional and federal agro-dealership network • Linking farmers marketing group with large traders and export abattoir • Initiating small scale commercial livestock input suppliers and producers with OMF and others • Strengthening market information access for small holder producers • Strengthening linkage among public sectors actors working for common goal

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Lives baseline study report for Gamogofa and Sidama Zone in SNNPRS