UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE MARKET ACCESS AND
LIVELIHOOD SECURITY AMONG PASTORALISTS IN EASTERN AFRICA:
A CASE FOR THE INDIGENOUS SHEEP IN KENYA
Results from a PRA and Baseline Survey presented to partners at Concern
Worldwide, Nairobi, 26 March 2013
J.M.K. Ojango, E. P. Oyieng, J. Audho & A.M. Okeyo
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The Scenario in Pastoral areas
Climatic conditions in Eastern Africa are drastically
changing
• Increase in frequency and intensity of droughts
• Spread of vector borne diseases
• Migration of people and animals in search of food and water
• High mortalities of animals
• Dependency of populations: Need for food aid

Questions that need to be addressed
How can we reduce the vulnerability and increase the
resilience of communities within pastoral areas?
 Livestock insurance
 Payment for environmental services
 Change livelihoods
How can the assets of pastoralists be secured?
 Manage and treat diseases
 Identify and promote adapted breeds
How can animal productivity within the rangelands be
increased?
 Design and institute sustainable breeding programs
 Re-seed the rangelands
 Improve management and use of water resources

Sheep in Pastoral Systems
 Indigenous sheep breeds exist across the East African
Countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Somalia & Uganda

Environment and distribution of Sheep in Eastern Africa
Spatial distribution of drylands in Eastern Africa Distribution of Sheep in Eastern Africa

Sheep in Pastoral Systems
 Indigenous sheep breeds exist across the East African
Countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Somalia & Uganda
 Well adapted to the environment, tolerate droughts
 Have demonstrated genetic resistance to intestinal
worm infections

Objective of the Pilot Project
Identify the key constraints to
access to and optimal utilization of
improved sheep genetics, and
determine context specific
intervention options for improved
sheep production under pastoral
systems of Eastern Africa

Targeted areas
Iloodo-ariak
- Wooded bush land
- Rocky ground
- Severe droughts
- Sparse human population
- Water is a challenge
Enkaroni
- Good ground cover
- Higher rainfall
- Both Grazing and arable land
- Shallow wells and boreholes

Understanding the Environment
1. Site visits

Community Meetings: Participatory Rural Appraisal

PRA: Key Constraints in Sheep production
Problem/Constraint Causes
Water High cost associated to water access
severe drought
Limited water technology
Animal diseases Uncontrolled livestock movement
Poor management of water points
Limited pasture resources (social sharing systems)
Low returns (profits) Limited market access
Poor animal breeds
Poor animal husbandry
Inadequate feeds/fodder/pasture overgrazing
Diminishing land size
Uncontrolled mating Poor management of animals
Uncontrolled animal movement

PRA: Sheep breeds and their most important traits
Project Area Sheep breed Important traits Animal rank based on the overall
traits (1=Best, 2=Average, 3=Poor)
Enkaroni Red Maasai Drought tolerant
Good mothering ability 2
Good milk production
Black Head Persian Good mothering ability
Travel long distances in search 3
of water and grass
Dorper Good milk production
1
High lambing weight
Iloodo-ariak Red Maasai Disease resistance 2
Good milk production
Drought tolerant
Black Head Persian Good body fat 3
Hardy
Dorper Good growth rate 1
Good milk yields

BASELINE HOUSEHOLD SURVEY
Iloodo-ariak: 134 HH, 6 villages
Enkaroni: 163 HH, 9 villages

RESULTS: Livestock Species kept and herd sizes
Enkaroni (N = 163) Iloodo-ariak (N = 134)
Maximum herd
Species Breed Mean ± SD Maximum herd size Mean ± SD
size
Local 7.99 ± 14.65 90 24.54 ± 42.85 200
Cattle
Cross/Exotic 8.20 ± 29.46 300 48.20 ± 114.68 700
Local 13.97 ± 32.21 330 43.13 ± 42.53 200
Goat
Cross/Exotic 6.77 ± 21.92 200 60.90 ± 54.59 250
Local 5.60 ± 11.61 93 28.77 ± 28.96 100
Sheep
Cross/Exotic 17.75 ± 23.61 130 54.28 ± 70.53 402
Poultry 2.26 ± 5.64 40 7.17 ± 5.69 22
Donkey 3.24 ± 3.02 14 7.47 ± 8.39 46
Rabbit 0.03 ± 0.39 5 8.50 ± 4.95 12

RESULTS: Sheep flock composition and structure
60 Iloodo-ariak
60 Enkaroni
Number of sheep
50
Number of sheep
50
40
40
30 30
20 20 RAM
RAM
EWE
10 EWE 10
LAMB
LAMBS 0
0
BBDD
RM
BHP
DORPER
RRDD
RRBB
RM
BBDD
BHP
DORPER
RRDD
RRBB
Sheep breed Sheep breed
Key: RM -Red Maasai, DD -Dorper, BHP - Blackhead Persian, RRDD - Red Maasai and Dorper cross, RRBB-Red Maasai
and Blackhead Persian cross, BBDD - Blackhead Persian and Doper cross.

RESULTS: Sheep Management
• Pure breeding: Red Maasai, Cross-breeding: Dorper
• Source of breeding rams:
Iloodo-ariak - own bred
Enkaroni - traders
• Sheep entries
Most farmers buy ewes

RESULTS: Sheep Management
• Pure breeding: Red Maasai, Cross-breeding: Dorper
• Source of breeding rams:
Iloodo-ariak - own bred
Enkaroni - traders
• Sheep entries
Most farmers buy ewes
• Sheep exits
 Sale of Live animals
 Sale of culled ewes
Sales mostly for household needs

RESULTS: Reasons for buying Sheep
Food
Increase Iloodo-ariak
Enkaroni social Food
security
prestige security
3% Saving
3% 7%
method
Replacement 10%
28%
Replacem
Improve For trade ent
mutton 24% 57%
production
3%
Saving
Improveme
method nt of
50% Improve mutton
milk production
Trading production 2%
12% 1%

RESULTS: Sheep Health
160
Enkaroni
Number of respondents
140
Iloodoariak
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Bloat
RVF
LSD
PPR
Anthrax
ECF
CCPP
Foot rot
Anaplasmosis
Blue tongue
Abscess
Worms/Diarrhoea
Foot and mouth
Sheep Disease
Key – CCPP - Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, RVF – Rift Valley Fever, PPR – Peste des Petits
Ruminants, LSD – Lumpy Skin Disease, ECF – East Coast Fever

Number of respondents
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Age
80
Sex
Conformation
Rank 1
Body weight
Breed
Age
Sex
Conformation
Rank 2
Body weight
Breed
Age
Sex
Enkaroni
Conformation
Rank 3
Body weight
Breed
Rank of attributes
Age
Sex
Conformation
Rank 4
Body weight
Breed
Age
Sex
Conformation
Rank 5
Body weight
RESULTS: Important attributes when buying sheep
Breed

Number of respondents
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Age
Sex
Conformation
Rank 1
Body weight
Breed
Age
Sex
Conformation
Rank 2
Body weight
Breed
Age
Sex
Conformation
Iloodo-ariak
Rank 3
Body weight
Breed
Rank of attributes
Age
Sex
Conformation
Rank 4
Body weight
Breed
Age
Sex
Conformation
Rank 5
Body weight
Breed
RESULTS: Important attributes when buying sheep

RESULTS: Rank of animals for drought tolerance
140
Number of respondents
120
100
80
60
40
Enkaroni
20
Iloodo-ariak
0
Goat
Goat
Goat
Goat
Cattle
Cattle
Cattle
Cattle
Sheep
Sheep
Sheep
Sheep
Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Rank 4
Rank of Animal species

RECOMMENDATIONS
• Community based Sheep breeding and
management program for each area
•Infrastructure and Services
Animal health services
Water availability
Environmental management
Pasture re-establishment
 Markets and marketing of sheep products

Basic building blocks for sustainable
breeding programs
Suitable indigenous, exotic or crossbred Animal
Genetic Resource for the environment and market
 Infrastructure organisation and management for
conducting the breeding programme to be sustainable
under pastoral systems
 Human resources and their development
 Financial and in kind resources
 Testing/evaluation scheme appropriate to be sustainable
 Communication of results to and feed-back from farmers

Breeding programmes: the result of a systems approach
with both short and long term benefits !
Monitoring Agricultural
genetic progress policy and market
Selection and mating Infrastructure incl.
gov t and farmer s role
Prediction of
breeding values Components Environment and
of a breeding production system
Purebreeding or (conservation)
crossbreeding Define and
programme characterize
available
Reprod.methods populations
Phenotypic and Define breeding
genetic analyses Livestock recording objectives
and data processing

Expected Outcomes
Improved Sheep production and productivity from pastoral
systems
Reduced loss of livestock in pastoral production systems
resultant from changing climatic conditions
Better livelihoods resulting from increased resilience
among pastoral livestock keepers

Thank you
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