SummaryThe CGIAR research programme on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security, in collaboration with several partners is testing a portfolio of interventions to address the threat of changing climatic conditions for smallholder farming communities living beside river flood plains, grouped into “Climate Smart Villages” (CSVs). We present characteristics of farms in CSV in relation to small ruminant (SR) production and the scenario for a breeding and improvement programme. Information was collated using participatory systems research methods from 140 households in seven CSVs in Nyando basin, Kenya. Although most households were headed by men, there were a higher proportion of adult women within the communities, and literacy levels were moderate. A total of 58 percent of the population owned <1 ha of land for growing crops and rearing on average 6.96 ± 3.35 Tropical Livestock Units comprising different species of animals. Women headed households owned more sheep which were mainly crosses of unspecified local breeds, than Goats which were mainly the Small East African breed-type. Mating among the SR was random, with no control of inbreeding as flocks mixed in grazing fields and at water points. Farmers desired large and resilient animals for better market prices; however, growth rates were slow. The SR flocks were dynamic with 31 percent of the animals moving in and out of flocks in a year. A community breeding programme optimally using available resources and incorporating gender integrated innovative technologies could be implemented for the CSV, alongside strong capacity development on animal husbandry, health and marketing of products.

Highlights This study evaluates the effect of heat stress on milk production and describes the pattern of response of milk yield to increasing heat load, in small holder dairy farms in sub-Saharan Africa. Milk yield showed a W-shaped pattern of response across the THI scale. Cows experienced heat stress in the THI window between THI values of 67 and 76. Milk loss plateaued beyond THI value of 76 suggesting that the animals acclimatized to the heat stress conditions despite the initial heat load shock.

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This study investigates the purchase behavior of sheep traders in Kajiado County in Kenya. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first investigation on sheep traders by the use of Best-Worst technique. A face-to-face questionnaire was undertaken in three livestock markets (Kiserian, Bissil and Mile 46) involving 108 traders. The results indicated that sheep traders are also involved in other types of animal trading, essentially cattle and goats. Income from sheep trading represents slightly less of the half of total incomes, with some differences between livestock traders' groups (markets). Traders are generally involved in other business activities among the value chain essentially such as livestock production, fattening and slaughtering. Four attributes with different levels have been utilized to describe the Best-Worst experiment: sheep age, sex, breed and price. All sheep traders assign higher importance to the sheep breed. This is essentially the case of Dorper pure breed and Dorper x Red Maasai cross breed. Price attribute was the second most important factor for sheep traders with higher preferences for the two extreme price levels. Sheep age and sex were found of least importance for traders. Providing sheep smallholders with the appropriate animal breed characteristics will enable them match market demand and increase their incomes. This is one of tasks of ILRI Kapiti experimental farm

Livestock traders are a key conduit for incentives in livestock production systems. Their actions affect producer prices, investment decisions, and their livelihoods. However, smallholder farmers in rural communities of eastern Africa often have limited understanding of the marketing process and the interactions among market actors. This study was undertaken following the introduction of improved indigenous goat and sheep breeds in Climate Smart Villages of Nyando in western Kenya. We sought to understand the marketing of sheep and goats in five key rural markets used by the smallholder farmers of Nyando, to generate information on key market actors, their functions in the value chain, and their preferences for attributes in sheep and goats. Most traders (65%) in all the markets were men. Four different types of traders operated in the markets, producers, retailers, wholesalers, and brokers, each making a profit. Preference for selling sheep or goats and the animal attributes desired by the traders differed depending on the surrounding community. Markets in Kericho County of Nyando traded more goats than sheep while those in Kisumu County of Nyando traded more sheep than goats. There were no clear policies guiding pricing of animals. Prices offered to producers depended on previous days, and the number of animals available for sale at the marketing point. The collaborative group actions of the producers in the Climate Smart Villages did not extend beyond the level of production to the marketing of their livestock. A critical change is required for the smallholder farmers to derive better incomes from improved quality of animals following adoption of improved breeding and management practices. The results illustrate the need to engage rural market actors when implementing livestock improvement programs for smallholder farmers for better farm gate prices of animals, and thus achieve the improved incomes envisioned.