Expectation and synergies with ILRI ASSP Addis -Goat and Chicken projects

1. Expectation and synergies with ILRI ASSP Addis -Goat and Chicken projects Tadelle Dessie and Okeyo Mwai LIVES’ Research Planning Workshop March 26-28, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

2. Outline • Community based goat breed improvement • Identify and provide access to improved breeding stocks that respond to improved feeding and management • Indigenous chicken breed improvement • Breaking Vicious cycle of high chicken mortality and low productivity

3. Opportunity exists to drive substantial productivity gains through implementing breeding programs that are functional and sustainable – Identification and delivery of genetics Opportunity Value machines SmallholderBenefit

4. MoARD Harnessing genetic diversity for improving goat productivity in Ethiopia and Cameron OARI IBC EWCA EIAR TARI SARI ARARI

5. Project goals and purpose • Goals: • improve productivity and income of smallholder goat producers • providing access to improved animals that respond to improved feeding and management, and • Facilitating targeting of specific market opportunities • Purpose: • Develop sustainable community-based goat breeding schemes that suit the communities’ conditions and farmers’ needs

6. Project sites and partner projects • Wag-Abergelle and Tankua-Abergelle CRP 3.7 • Breed: Abergelle • North Gonder LIVES • Breed: Central highland • West Shoa LIVES • Breed: Central Highland • Konso SARI • Breed: Weyto-Guji • Bati LIVES??? • Breed: Central Highland

7. Common economically important traits of Goats • Production • Rate of growth • Milk production • Meat quality • Reproduction • Adaptability • Temperature • Poor feeds • Disease/parasite tolerance Increased Productivity • Increased amount & value of animal products sold /unit value of inputs • Meat & milk and skin? Selection / improvement • Within-breed selection Additional value to smallholders • $XX per animal • $XX per kid • (incremental value over ruminants in a traditional system)

8. Path to sustainability Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Ongoing • Targeting and Analysis • Breeding program per breed established and is operational • Functional CBBP • Target sites identified and breeds & systems characterized • Define breeding objectives - Ranking experiments • Market analysis to locate and quantify key areas of demand for goat meat and milk documented and used in designing improvement programs • Breeding structures developed • Enabling environment created • Develop appropriate genotype • Develop/refine delivery options • Evaluation of the breeding program • Impact assessment Key activities Sustainable and long term benefit to smallholders Outcomes Scalability of a genetic solution - This model can be implemented simultaneously in multiple geographies

9. Community-based breeding Participatory – decentralized breeding plans and programs Improvement programs carried out by communities of smallholder farmers often at subsistence level Community based breeding considers proper consideration of farmers breeding objectives, infrastructure, participation and ownership

10. Delivery(Dissemination) of genetic superiority • Often a challenge when setting up a new program especially in developing countries • Delivering improved seed stock to local farmers needs a critical thinking • Involving farmers and other partners • Breeders association/cooperatives • Communal use of selected bucks through agreed norms • Develop /adapt appropriate technologies & their innovative applications • Developing simple and effective identification and recording system • Needs innovative use of available infrastructure and IT technology

11. New technologies harnessed • Testing Open Data Kit (ODK)for field data collection • Questionnaire, Phenotypic measurements, GPS waypoints, pictures, performance records ……. Nairobi Server Addis Server Field enumeration using ODK ODK installed on Galaxy SII

12. Conclusions/ critical issues/ Concluding Recommendations • Participation required from multiple partners and input providers in order to achieve long-term sustainability • Data capture/results synthesis and feedback deserves critical attention to ensure sustainability • Need for improved market access • Evaluate smart application of repro & genomic techs ( estrus synchronization, AI, MAS) and as potential accelerators

13. Improving village chicken production to elevate livelihoods of poor people

14. Poultry production in Ethiopia • Village system responsible for majority of poultry production (more than 90% meat and egg) Poultry offers poor people pathway out of poverty (by and for the poor!!!!!! –real opportunity)

15. Vicious cycle of high poultry mortality and low productivity requires systemic change Justification for change High mortality drives a vicious cycle • Low feasibility of vaccination in backyard systems (low demand, plus access challenges) means a health or genetic intervention alone would be unlikely to deliver sustainable benefit • Establishing a breeding program creates the infrastructure and scale (especially for vaccinating chicks) as well as the financial incentive for farmers to take better care of their poultry • Opportunity to break the vicious cycle, improving both productivity and survivability through a mix of moderate breed improvement, and vaccination • Requires establishment of a delivery system that should become self-sustaining in the long-term Reducedproductivity Limited careof flock Highmortality • High mortality and low productivity reduces the incentive for farmers to invest significant effort in caring for birds • Without basic care and vaccination, mortality remains high, impacting productivity. • Basic practices such housing, watering, egg removal are not applied, further impacting productivity

16. What can we offer? Genetically impoved indignous birds in their 6th generation (products of within breed selection programs)

17. Overall objective • To improve production of village chickens through selective breeding using participatory approach • Trait preference: • PRA (participatory rural appraisal) conducted and farmers identify traits of preference • Egg production • Age at first egg • Growth

18. Breeding program to improve local chicken breed (Horro) Mass selection based on own performance: Growth: based on live weight at 16 wks in both sexes Age at first egg in females; and Cumulative Egg number at 45 weeks in females

19. Genetic improvement in Cumulative egg number at 45 weeks of age through 5 generations of selection

20. Genetic improvement in Age at First egg (AFE) through 5 generations of selection

21. Community/ Market The simplest and lowest cost intervention is to disseminate improved indigenous chickens, with some improved management Key elements • Establish a supply of chickens with improved growth, egg production feed conversion and disease-resistance traits • Potentially within-breed selection • Multiplier flocks established and scaled-up via mini-hatcheries • When target scale is reached, hatcheries begin sale of day-old improved chicks to farmers • Chicks vaccinated by poultry workers in the mini-hatcheries Breeding Units Community/Farmers (Improved Horro) Genetically improved hens and cocks Model breeders Eggs Day-old chicks Farmers Mini Hatcheries Vaccines Medicines EggsLive chickens

22. Deploying a hardier, more productive chicken will raise both the income and nutrition of smallholders Common economically important traits • Disease resistance • Marek’s disease • Parasite tolerance • Productivity • Age at first eggs • Length of laying series • Clutches per year • Clutch size • Hatchability • Daily weight gain • Body weight (8 week, 12-month) • Broodiness • Egg weight • Adaptability • Plumage color / form • Heat tolerance Increased Productivity • Increased egg production • Increased weight gain • Increased hatchability and chick survival Selection / improvement • Within-breed selection Additional value to smallholders • $xxxx per hen/year • $xxx per male/year • (incremental value over birds in a traditional system)

23. Scale can be achieved quickly through multiplier flocks in village-based mini-hatcheries Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 2 years Ongoing • Selection / development • Dissemination / multiplication • Supply to smallholders • Research project identifying and testing different sources of indigenous chickens. • Could involve within-breed selection or cross-breeding • Might take 2 to 3 years (we have it). • Establishment of multiplier flock. • Starts with initial flock of female birds (and suitable number of cocks) selected or developed in Phase 1 • Rapid multiplication over period of 24-30 months to achieve scale • Ongoing supply of chicks from the multiplier flock • Some chicks retained as replacements to sustain multiplier flock • Male and female chicks vaccinated and sold to farmers Key activities • Create initial flock: • 100 hens • Appropriate # of cocks • Grow multiplier flock (hens) • Start: 100 • 12 months: 1,970 • 18 months: 38,800 • 24 months: 765,000 • 30 months: 15 million • Supply vaccinated chicks to farmers, while sustaining flock • 10 male, 10 female per year • Benefit: $???? per smallholder Outcomes • millions smallholders • More million smallholders

24. Poultry’s high rate of reproduction enables rapidscale; Distribution could begin after 18 months Phase 2 Months 6 12 18 24 30 Full dissemination 100* 1,970 7,300 145,000 38,800 millions 765,000 Millions More millions No chick distribution Limited distribution (5-10%) Size of multiplierflock 100 Number of smallholdersbenefited This model can be implemented simultaneously in multiple geographies.

25. Additional Recommendations -chicken • Continue animal health investment to determine if lifelong disease resistance can be conferred by either a single vaccination to the chick, or through breeding (Newcastle, Marek’s disease) • Opportunity to breed for disease resistance, or for synergy between breed and vaccine

26. LIVES’ Project -opportunity • Enable the projects to engage key actors in identifying priority researchable issue as well as translate research outputs to outcomes and impact at scale • Create platform for near real-time learning, including use of lessons from elsewhere to achieve common goals • Help to develop/strengthen capacity of actors (formal (student supervisions etc.) & informal)