The LIVES project is a six-year research project implemented across ten zones in four Ethiopian regions to improve the livestock and irrigated crop value chains for smallholders. The project works on six commodity value chains including dairy, beef, and poultry. The goal is to sustainably increase smallholders' incomes through higher market participation. The project builds capacity through training, promotes value chain interventions, and conducts research to document lessons learned for scaling up results nationally. Contact is provided for the International Livestock Research Institute program office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

1. Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for
Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES)
Project sites
Background
The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian
Smallholders (LIVES) project is a six‐year (2012‐2018)
research for development (R4D) project implemented in ten
zones of the four regional states of Amhara, Oromia SNNPR
and Tigray. The project works on six commodity value
chains: dairy, beef, small ruminants, poultry, apiculture and
irrigated agriculture (fruits, vegetables and fodder).
LIVES zones
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Central Tigray
Eastern Tigray
North Gonder
West Gojam
South Wolo
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Jimma
West Shewa
East Shewa
Gamo Gofa
Sidama
Project goal
To contribute to environmentally sustainable, enhanced income and gender equitable wealth creation for smallholders and other value chains actors
through increased and sustained market‐off‐take of high value livestock and irrigated crop commodities.
Increased capacity/knowledge of value chain actors and
service providers
Capacity development
The project and partner
institutions provide support
for formal and informal
trainings on technology,
methods and approaches to
market oriented commodity
development. Regular
coaching and mentoring
constitute a major
component of the capacity
building effort.
Promotion
Knowledge management
Capturing, storing and
sharing knowledge through
various interventions ‘fuels’
the value chain
development process and
complements the capacity
development interventions
in project target areas.
To reach value chain actors
and service providers
outside the project target
areas, promotional
activities are undertaken to
scale out and scale up
results nationally and
internationally.
Increased uptake of value chain interventions
Value chain development
The project promotes
innovative technological,
organizational, and
institutional interventions to
improve input supply and
service delivery, and boost the
production, supply, processing
and marketing of market
oriented commodities.
Research
Project lessons and results are
documented through strategic
diagnostic, action and impact
studies by project staff in
partnership with regional,
national and international
research institutes. Lessons
provide guidance to scaling
out and scaling up of results.
Market oriented commodity value chain development
Contact details
Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES)
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Phone: +251 11 617 2000
Fax: +251 11 617 2001
Email: lives‐ethiopia@cgiar.org
Website: www.lives‐ethiopia.org
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"Project carried out with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD)"
«Projet réalisé avec l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada agissant par l’entremise des Affaires étrangères, Commerce et Développement Canada (MAECD) »
December 2013