SmaRT Ethiopia achievements
Breeding and genetics (Aynalem Haile and Joram Mwacharo),
Reproduction, (Mourad Mourad Rekik) Feed (Jane Wamatu)
Health (Solomon Gizaw) and Markets (Girma Tesfahun)
SmaRT Ethiopia workshop and field day on Small Ruminant
Community Based Breeding Program (CBBP)
Hosaena, Ethiopia, 27–28 March 2018

Community-based breeding programs
• Participatory breeding –
decentralized breeding plans
and programs
• Improvement programs
carried out by communities of
smallholder farmers often at
subsistence level
• Community-based breeding
considers proper farmers
breeding objectives,
infrastructure, participation
and ownership
• CBBPs are built on bottom-up
participatory approach
• We established sheep and
goat CBBPs in Ethiopia and
major outputs/impacts are
described

3
Genetic progress: birth weight and six months weight
Menz birth weight Horro birth weight
Bonga six months weight Horro six months weight

4
Genetic progress: Litter size
Horro Bonga
Overall 1.36± 0.010 1.53± 0.008
Year
2009
**
1.28± 0.033
**
1.48± 0.039
2010 1.40± 0.020 1.53± 0.026
2011 1.37± 0.020 1.48± 0.022
2012 1.36± 0.023 1.58± 0.020
2013 1.35± 0.023 1.53± 0.018
2014 1.31± 0.024 1.54± 0.015
2015 1.37± 0.022 1.53± 0.013
2016 1.46± 0.039 1.61± 0.016

5
Inbreeding
Site Inbreeding coefficients (%)
Bonga six months weight 0.33±0.08
Horro birth weight 1.15±0.08
Horro six months weight 0.73±0.15
Menz birth weight 3.49±0.13
Menz six months weight 3.58±0.15

Outcomes
• In Ethiopia, 2400 households with more
than 14,000 people in 30 villages
directly benefiting from the scheme
• ‘Negative selection’ reversed
• More than 25 functional cooperatives
established
Major outcomes and impact of CBBP to date in Ethiopia

7
Impact
• CBBP is strategy of choice of small ruminants in Ethiopia as
indicated in the governments Livestock Master Plan
• Increased income (average of 20%) from CBBP in Bonga,
Horro and Menz
• Increased mutton consumption (now average of 3 sheep
slaughtered per family per year compared to 1 in 2012) in
Bonga, Horro and Menz
• Most of the established cooperatives have been able to
build capital
• CBBP upscaled in 10 Africa countries and Mongolia

8
What we are doing now
• Mobile recoding for CBBP-ABACUS BIO/ EMBRAPA- offline
version
• Methodological framework for upscaling of CBBP
• Feasibility study of CBBP
• Business model: sale of improved genetics
• Second version of guidelines for setting up CBBP
• Optimization/ refining of CBBP: data recording and genetic
evaluation, intensity of selection, etc

9
9 Development of suitability environmental maps for small ruminants
breeds in Ethiopia
Factors being considered:
- Precipitation
- Temperature
- Soil type
- Landform
- Climate
- All evaluated factors
Maps being updated for at least 4 sheep and goat populations in
Ethiopia

10
Overall suitable habitat (simplified) Breed: Horro

11
11
Identification of genes associated with prolificacy in Bonga
Sheep
 Single - 20
 Twins - 33
 Triplets - 30
 Quadruplet - 1
- 84 individuals:
- Genotyped with Ovine HD Chip
- Fst analysis
- Two candidate regions identified on Chromosomes 5 and X
- Indicative results:
- Identify causative mutations and differences in gene expression levels between ewes
with different litter sizes
- Physiological study to assess endocrine and folliculogenesis differences between ewes
with different litter sizes
- Sampling infertile animals
- To be done:

12
12
Analysis of base population for determining genomic change in CBBP
flocks
• Five sheep and 2 goat parental (base) populations have
been sampled:
Sheep Populations:
- Doyo gana
- Bonga
- Horro
- Atsbi
- Menz
Goat Populations:
- Abergelle - Tigray
- Abergelle - Zekwala

Consequences for intensity of selection
79
8 8
2 3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Normal Undersized Suspicion of
epididymitis
Cryptochrid Adhesion
Frequency of the aspect of testicles
Frequency

Field Solution for the Artificial Insemination of
Ethiopian Sheep Breeds
Breeding for future
generations…

Day 0: PGF2α analogue
dinoprost 1 ml Enzaprost
Day 11: PGF2α analogue
dinoprost 1 ml Enzaprost
0
2
4
6
8
2 10 18 26 34 42 54 74
Numberofewes
Hours of onset of oestrus
AI: 48-52 h after
second injection
79%

Safer, accessible and affordable synchronization
alternatives
Using a simple protocol of 2 injections of a prostaglandin analogue 11
days apart:
 Increased fertility to 89% compared to only 70% with the standard
protocol after natural mating,
 Levels of synchronization of estrus were satisfactory to allow fixed time
artificial insemination,
 The cost of the new protocol is US$ 1.3 compared to US$ 8.5 for the
conventional protocol,
 The new protocol is based on products registered and available in the
Ethiopian market unlike the products which form the conventional
protocol.

Higher Reproductive Efficiency
Ultrasound Pregnancy Diagnosis
Screening
for the number
of fetuses
Calculation
of the age
of the fetuses
Culling of
Sterile
Animals
Timely planning of conditions of birth and rational use of feed resources

The goat obstetric and genecology clinic
in Kordofan - Sudan
Other services provided
 Checking on repeat breeders;
 Checking on females with recent pathologies;
 Discarding pregnant females prior to synchronization and
AI;
 Prevent slaughter of pregnant females.
Mobile ultrasound pregnancy unit in the
Badia - Jordan

Capacity development
Upgrading local infrastructure in 4 sheep and 1 goat sites in synergy with the national
system. Established reproductive platforms are providing the following services:
1. Males’ breeding soundness examination
2. Artificial insemination with fresh, non-cooled semen
3. Ultrasound service provision for pregnancy diagnosis
Inauguration of the Doyogenna platform

On-job training
- Delivered to at least 40 staff members of
the national institutions in different
locations
- Breeding soundness examination
- Semen collection, assessment and handling
for fresh AI
- Semen deposition
- Data recording
- Ultrasound pregnancy diagnosis
- 2 core teams in Doyogenna and Debre
Birhan fully autonomous and supervising
AI’s in the new locations