Sheep and goat value chains development
in Ethiopia: Update on progress
Barbara Rischkowsky
ICARDA-ILRI Training on Tools for Rapid Assessment of Sheep and Goat Value
Chains in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, 5-8 November 2012

Goal of the Livestock and Fish Program:
More milk, meat and fish by and for the poor
 To sustainably increase the productivity of
small-scale livestock and fish systems,
 increase the availability and affordability of
animal-source foods for poor consumers, and
 reduce poverty through greater participation by
the poor along the whole value chains for
animal-source foods.

Delivering the Livestock and Fish Program
Structure: Three integrated research themes
#1 Targeting - Foresight, Prioritization, Gender, Impact assessment
#2 #3 value chain development
Technology
Development:
− Genetics Consumers
− Feeds
− Health Commodity X in Country Y
Cross-cutting: M&E, communications, capacity building

The approach: Solution-driven R4D to achieve impact
and a long-term engagement
R4D integrated to transform selected value chains
for selected commodities in selected countries
Consumers
Value chain development team and research partners

FOCUS: 9 Value Chains in 8 countries
SHEEP & GOATS
AQUACULTURE
PIGS
DAIRY

CRP 3.7 partnerships for impacts: The give and take
• Livestock/fish researchers – international and national
provide evidence, capacity building
get co-development of new science.
• Development investors
provide money, influence, advocacy
get better bang for their bucks, better-targeted impacts.
• Multinational agencies
provide policies, advocacy, means to scale up interventions
get evidence-based knowledge.
• Development partners
provide relevance, reality checks, expertise
get practical science for real development.

Rationale for selecting the target
livestock value chains
1. Growth and market opportunity:
Is there evidence of increasing demand for the commodity, locally
or regionally? What is the importance of the commodity for
people’s livelihoods?
2. Pro-poor potential:
How will the poor be involved? Is there evidence they can play a
significant role in increased production, or being employed in value
chain activities, or will benefit from increased consumption?

Rationale for selecting
livestock value chains
3. Potential for outscaling interventions/solutions:
Are the agroecological conditions of the site representative for
large areas within the same country?
4. Researchable supply constraints:
Are there supply constraints, such as large productivity gaps or
transactions costs for which research may be able to provide
solutions, and would create production and welfare gains?

Consultative site selection process
Step 1: Geographical targeting - identification of eligible
regions/districts using GIS
Step 2: Stakeholder consultation at national level (ground-
truthing of Step 1, defining soft selection criteria
and identifying sites)
Step 3: Regional stakeholder consultation to refine site
selection and prepare site visits
Step 4: Site visits applying agreed minimum checklist to
validate selected sites
Step 5: Mobilization and start of activities in selected sites

Spatial selection criteria for small ruminant
value chains in Ethiopia
Representativeness:
• agroecological potential (number of growing days, prod
systems)
Growth and market opportunity:
• sheep and goat density, market linkage (distance/time
to next market), supply deficit
Pro-poor potential:
• number or proportion of poor people; number of poor
sheep and goat keepers
Supply constraints (scope for improvement):
• low productivity or surplus-deficit in meat production

Step 2: Stakeholder consultation at national level
6 July 2012 in Addis
- Discuss outcome of step 1 (geographical targeting)
- Define and apply soft criteria
- Propose list of eligible sites for sheep and goat VCs matching with agreed
criteria

Fuzzy ‘soft’ selection criteria for sheep
and goat value chains
• Synergy with on-going research
• Government priorities
• Potential for success – implementation and impact
• Existing links with research and extension system
• Regional representation
• Availability of secondary data

‘Killer’ selection criteria for sheep and
goat value chains
• Likelihood of success
• Market potential
• Well known supply areas for sheep or goat
meat
• Number of sheep and goats per household
• Importance of sheep and goats to household
livelihoods

List of proposed sites for sheep and goat
value chains (6 July 2012)
Selected sites Region District/ Market Research Center
Woreda link
Goat value chains
Tanka Abergelle Tigray Tanka rural Abergelle
Konso SNNP Karat rural Arba Minch
Dillo Oromia Dillo rural Yabello
Asaita Afar Asaita rural Afar
Negelle Borena Oromia Liben urban Bore
Shinelle Somali Shinelle urban Haromaya
Sheep Value chains
Menz Amhara Menz Gera urban Debre Berhan
Yabello Oromia Yabello urban Yabello
Horro Oromia Horro Gudru rural Bako
Werer Afar Amibara urban Werer
East Tigray Tigray Atsbi Wonberta urban Mekelle
Gurage/Silte SNNP Alicho Wuriro urban Worabe
Arsi Oromia Sagure rural Kulumsa
Gamo Goffa SNNP Ditta rural Arba Minch

Targets and criteria applied for reducing
the list of sheep and goat value chains
• Target value chains: 2 goat and 4 sheep value chains
• Target production systems: 2 lowland and 4 highland sites
• Partner research and development projects to ensure
initial funding of activities
• Priorities of the government to ensure interest and
investment of research and extension system
• Cover well known sheep and goat breeds with high
market potential
• Ease of implementation and probability of quick success
• Balanced regional representation

Reduced list of proposed sites for sheep
and goat value chains (23 July 2012)
Selected sites Region District/ Partner project Research
Woreda Center
Goat Value Chains
Abergelle Amhara BecaHub Goat
Project
Negelle Borena Oromia Liben Bore
Goat and Sheep Value Chain
Shinelle Somali Shinelle PCDP Haromaya
University
Sheep Value Chains
Menz Amhara Menz Gera GIZ Debre Berhan
Horro Oromia Horro Gudru LIVES Bako
East Tigray Tigray Atsbi Wonberta LIVES Mekelle
Adillo/Wolaita SNNP Worabe
Other Priority Learning Sites will be from Afar, Benichangul and Gambella
through exchange visits and training.

Step 3: Regional Stakeholder Consultation
6 August 2012 in Addis
- Arrive at common understanding of program
implementation
- Propose districts/sites within districts for the identified
sheep and goat VCs matching with agreed criteria
- Identify focal persons and discuss teams for program
implementation

Selected sites for sheep and goat value chains
Selected sites Region District Partner project Research Center
Goat Value Chains
Abergelle Amhara/ Sazba (Amhara) BecaHub Goat Sekota
Tigray Felegehiwot Project TARI
(Tigray)
Negelle Borena Oromia Dillo (Borana) Bore
Goat and Sheep Value Chain
Shinelle Somali Shinelle PCDP Haromaya
University
Sheep Value Chains
Menz Amhara Molale and Mehal GIZ Debre Berhan
Meda
Horro Oromia Horro/Shambu LIVES Bako
East Tigray Tigray Atsbi LIVES Mekelle
Adillo/Wolaita SNNP Doyogena SARI Funds Worabe

Overview of activities in 2012 up to now
• Consultative site selection process
• Engagement with partners
• Resource mobilization
• Site descriptions (through GIS and visits)
• Field-testing of existing assessment tools (FEAST, VCA)
in Menz and Horro (ELF, Quick Feed Project)
• Further refinement of VCA toolkit
• Continuation of community based breeding programs
(CBBP) for Menz, Horro and Bonga Sheep
• Training of partners in CBBP and data recording
• Support of PhD students related to genetics/breeding

Next steps
• Training of partners on toolkit for Rapid Value Chain
Assessment (VCA)
– 5-8 November in Addis
– 20-23 November in Awassa
• Start of field implementation of rapid VCA end Nov. 2012
• Report writing in January 2013
• Wrap-up meetings in February 2013 to discuss results and to
identify best-bet interventions and needs for in-depth VCA
• Initiation of best-bet interventions end Feb/begin March
• Conduct baseline study end February 2013

http://livestockfish.cgiar.org