Presented by Melkamu Bezabih, Aberra Adie, Alan Duncan, Kindu Mekonnen, Peter Thorpe, Valentine Gandhi, Annet A. Mulema and Jane Wamatu at Africa RISING Ethiopia Monthly Update Meeting, Addis Ababa, 30 October 2014

1. Africa RISING/ILSSI-ETHIOPIA
Pilot study on supplemental irrigated fodder production
for fattening sheep at Lemo Africa RISING site
February–August 2014
Melkamu Bezabih, Aberra Adie, Alan Duncan, Kindu Mekonnen, Peter Thorpe, Valentine
Gandhi, Annet A. Mulema and Jane Wamatu
Africa RISING Ethiopia Monthly Update Meeting, Addis Ababa, 30 October 2014

2. Study sites
 The trial was conducted in
two neighboring districts
(woredas), 240 km south of
Addis Ababa
 Lemo (AR project research site)
 Angacha (another woreda with relatively better
experience of SSI)
Introduction

3.  Angacha farmers have a
relatively better irrigation
experience from the shallow
well water at their backyards
 However, neither Angacha
nor Lemo farmers had
experience with irrigated
fodder development

4. Objectives
The main objectives of the pilot trial:
1. To draw lessons for further intervention on possibilities
and modalities of SSI fodder production and income
generation through sheep fattening
2. To introduce to farmers the option of producing
supplemental green fodder using irrigation to improve
the nutrition of their livestock during the dry periods
3. To assess the feasibility of supplemental irrigated fodder
production to improve the income of smallholder
households

5. Methodology
• Initial engagements
• Formal and informal discussion with CGIAR and
national partners
• FEAST survey
• Assessing water availability for irrigation
• Introduction of water lifting pumps (treadle
pumps to Lemo farmers through IWMI)

6. Selection of farmers: Criteria
 Farmers with access to irrigation
water (shallow well or stream)
 Farmers with irrigation experience
 Interest/willingness to try irrigated
fodder production
 Readiness to experiment with feeding
irrigated fodder as a supplement for
fattening sheep
 A total of 14 farmers (7 from Lemo, 7
from Angacha) were selected

7. Selection of forage varieties
 Information about farmers’ experience with cultivated
forages and interest to grow irrigated fodder has been
sought
 Farmers both in Lemo and Angacha were found to be
experienced with Oats (cultivated and volunteer crop)
 Oats and Vetch (both annuals) were mixed in a ratio of 3:1
and planted at the rate of 100kg mixture per hectare
 Forage was planted in mid February on ≥ 25m2 at the
backyard (close to shallow wells) of each farmer

8.  Farmers were guided by experts to plant forages

9.  Experience sharing
among
farmers for forage
management
 Theoretical and
practical trainings
given to farmers

10.  Sheep acquisition – Dealings
with sheep breed
improvement Coops
 Fattening started in Late May
 Fattening ration which
includes farmers own feed
resources supplemented with
irrigated forages and grain
mill by products

11. % of farmers using the feed for sheep
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Sesbania
Carrot (leaf & root)
Avocado fruit offals
Coffee residue
Areke atella
Faba bean (boiled)
Bamboo leaves
Desmodium
Banana leaves
Chat leaves
Wanza leaves (Cordia…
Maize leaves
Teff Straw
Potato leaf
Barley straw
Desho grass
Cabbage
Korch leaves…
Avocado leaves
Enset leaves
Enset root (Hamicho)
Potato tuber
Grawa leaf (Veronia…
Wheat straw
Mixed natural pasture
Figure: Locally available feeds used for the sheep fattening by
participant farmers (n=13)

12.  Bodyweights
were recorded
regularly
 Animal health
assistants visited
and treated sick
animals regularly

13. 40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Average weight of sheep (kg)
Results
Initial weight Final weight
…
Figure- Body weight of sheep at the beginning and end of the fattening period

14.  Field day was
organized
around established
forages and fattened
sheep to draw
lessons

15. Feedback from farmers through field day discussions
• Farmers demanded a better water lifting technology to
expand SSI
• The feed resource they have was not enough to fatten 5
sheep for longer period of time
• Farmers were overwhelmed by the feed consumption of
the sheep (comparing 2-3 sheep with that of a bull)
• The labor demand to manage 5 fattening sheep was
much higher than their expectation
• Farmers believed the expected profit from 5 fattened
sheep is comparable to that of a bull

16. • The purchase price of sheep from the breeders
cooperative was expensive, as both the members of the
cooperatives and the cooperatives (institutions)
themselves were making profit from the sales of the
same sheep
• Farmers believed this would have an impact on their own
profit
• In the end, two groups of farmers emerged: those who
favor sheep fattening and those who would like to shift to
cattle fattening

17. Market for the fattened sheep
 When the pilot project was initiated, the target was to get
fattened sheep ready for the Easter holiday market
 However, due to a number of reasons, the
implementation was delayed and the fattening started just
after the Easter holiday.
 This made the purchasing price of the sheep to be higher
 Gradually, the price of sheep went down towards the
Ethiopian New Year and Maskal
 The farmers used the new year holiday market (beginning
of September) to sell their sheep

18.  Average price of sheep:
43 ETB/kg live weight in April 2014
30 ETB/kg live weight in August/September, 2014
 Ethiopian New Year and Meskel holidays both occur in
September
 Beef is the customary item rather than mutton during these
holidays in the area
 As a result, the majority of the participant farmers did not
profit well from the fattening

19. Lessons and ways forward
 The majority of the farmers have limited feed resource
base to intensively fatten large number of animals at a
time:
 one or two animals per cycle appears to be optimal for
future intervention
 Targeting the right marketing time and place is necessary
as there is a high temporal price fluctuation
 Creating market links well ahead of time is necessary to
enable farmers benefit from the fattening

20.  Allocation of enough plot of land to grow fodder and
improved management of cultivated fodder are necessary
to acquire enough feed before embarking on such
activities
 After the pilot trial, the farmers were convinced and
allocated more land for rain-fed oat/vetch fodder
production (≥ 100m2 each) this season
 It is necessary to entertain individual farmer’s needs on
the choice of animals to fatten (sheep or cattle)

21.  Sheep or cattle acquisition has to be with the direct
participation of the farmers themselves, not just extension
workers and researchers
 Compensation mechanism for farmers in case of market or
technology failures has to be in place
 Intervention engagement has to be entered with farmers
who already have their own animals for fattening or dairy
but only lacking feed resources

22. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net