Sheep and goat production objectives in pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems in Chifra district of Afar, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted in Chifra district in Awsi-Resu zone of Afar Regional State to explore production objectives and strategies of sheep and goats in pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems. Cross-sectional survey with systematic random selection of 180 households (90 households from each production system was conducted. Descriptive statistics, t test, chi-square test, analysis of variance, and ranking method were employed in analyzing data using JMP-5 software. In pastoral production system, sheep and goat were primarily reared for household milk consumption, followed by live animal savings and income, while in agro-pastoral production system, sheep and goat are primarily reared for income, followed by household milk consumption and manure supply, as live animal savings. Overall mortality rates of sheep and goats (4 to >12 months of age) were 9 and 9.5 % in pastoral production systems while 7 and 6 % in agro-pastoral production system. Average age at first mating, kidding interval, days of mating after birth, weaning age, lactation length, litter size, slaughtering age, and marketable age of sheep and goats in pastoral production system were 7.4 months, 358 days, 29 days, 4.2 months, 3.1 months, 1.5 lambs, 7.4 months, and 14 months, respectively, while in agro-pastoral production system, they are 6.9 months, 353.3 days, 28 days, 3.2 months, 1.6 lambs, 6.4 months, and 14.5 months, respectively. It was concluded that production system-based development interventions could help to increase the productivity of sheep and goats and thereby enhance the livelihood of smallholders.

Socio-economic Aspects of Goat Production in a Rural Agro-pastoral System of Uganda

“…To a lesser extent, farmers also considered socio-cultural values and meat as important. The findings of the present study are in agreement with those of Hassen and Tesfaye [1] in Ethiopia and Semakula et al [2] in Uganda who reported cash income as the most important in goat farming followed by other tangible and intangible benefits. Income from goats is of utmost importance to sustain human nutrition and education for small-scale farmers [4].…”

“…Off-farms activities such business related activities were also reported. Of the livestock types kept, goats were kept in biggest numbers (p < 0.001), on average 9 (range 3-31), as compared to cattle (6), sheep (3) and pigs (1). Goat herds were generally small.…”

“…Goats are important in resource-poor communities because they provide tangible benefits such as cash income from animal sales, meat for home consumption, manure, skins, and fiber [1,2]. They are also a source of intangible benefits, e.g.…”

Genome-wide analysis of goat genetic diversity and production systems in Uganda

“…The perception of smallholder farmers is that goats can easily adapt to adverse environmental conditions and are less prone to disease outbreaks, therefore considered less risky to keep than cattle. The importance attached to goats in this study is consistent with the findings of Hassen and Tesfaye (2014) who found that goats were highly ranked in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Ethiopia. However, it is important to note that sheep was perceived to be a sacred animal and thus not considered for primary livestock production.…”

Closing yield gaps in smallholder goat production systems in Ethiopia and India

“…This is significant because savings and cash income from livestock sales are often the primary reason for keeping goats (Hassen and Tesfaye, 2014, Tadesse et al., 2014). However, cash for inputs is often lacking so packages that increase household income with only modest additional inputs may be more attractive to smallholder farmers because cash can be spent on food, healthcare, education and other necessities.…”