This document outlines potential livestock research areas for the LIVES project in Ethiopia. It discusses the need to generate knowledge on livestock interventions to feed learning activities and disseminate beyond project areas. Key research focus areas are gaps in knowledge on value chains, gender-sensitive value chain and extension interventions, and impact studies with gender disaggregated data. Specific diagnostic, action, and impact research topics are proposed for dairy, small ruminants, poultry, and apiculture. Priority research locations will be sites where commodities rank highly both across zones based on household involvement and within zones.

1. Potential Livestock Research Areas in
(LIVES) Project
Azage Tegegne
LIVES Research Planning Workshop
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 26-28 March 2013

2. Why research?
• To create knowledge on project’s livestock
interventions
– To feed into the learning activities in the project
areas.
– To disseminate the knowledge for scaling out
beyond the project areas.

3. Livestock research focus areas
• Gaps in knowledge in proposed livestock
value chain system in the 10 Zones
• Value chain interventions (gender sensitive)
• Extension (knowledge management, capacity
development) interventions (gender sensitive)

4. Potential livestock research categories
• Diagnostic research
• Action research
• Impact research
(all gender sensitive with gender disaggregated data)

5. Diagnostic dairy research
• Rapid assessment butter market channels and consumers
• Assessment on-farm butter processing systems
• Assessment fertility management dairy cows
• Assessment feeding practices dairy animals in peri-urban
and rural system
• Assessment fluid milk/butter quality at different stages of
the value chain
• Rapid assessment/action planning communal grazing area
development
• Access to knowledge/skills development peri-urban and
rural dairy production for male, female and youth farmers

6. Action research dairy
• Innovation history of dairy value chain development
• Cost benefit analysis of selected dairy production
interventions in peri-urban and rural system
• Studies on mass insemination program vis a vis other
institutional approaches
• Studies on communal grazing area development
• Studies on forage seed multiplication system
• Different institutional arrangements for dairy processing in
peri-urban fluid milk system/rural butter system
• Assessment dairy specific knowledge/capacity
interventions, including dairy platforms

7. Diagnostic research small/large ruminants
• Rapid assessment supply channels for fattening small and large
ruminants
• Assessment small ruminants diseases and mortality
• Assessment feeding practices small and large ruminants at
different growth stages
• Rapid assessment/action planning communal grazing area
development
• Rapid assessment/action planning community based sheep
breeding program
• Assessment/action planning meat quality in local butcheries and
abattoirs
• Access to knowledge/skills development small/large ruminants
production by male, female and youth

8. Action research small/large ruminants
• Innovation history of small/large ruminants value chain
development
• Cost benefit analysis improved fattening small/large
ruminants
• Forage seed multiplication system (FTCs and private)
• Studies on effectiveness community based sheep
breeding programs
• Studies on effectiveness thermo stable PPR distribution
system
• Studies on fattening specific knowledge/capacity
interventions including fattening platforms

9. Diagnostic research poultry
• Rapid assessment egg and poultry market
channels/consumers
• Assessment chicken diseases and mortality
• Assessment feeding practices by peri-urban and
rural poultry producers
• Access to knowledge/skills development on poultry
production by urban and peri-urban male, female
and youth

10. Action research poultry
• Innovation history of poultry value chain
development
• Cost benefit analysis poultry production
interventions for peri-urban and rural poultry
production
• Studies on different institutional arrangements
for pullet production system
• Studies on different institutional arrangement for
health service delivery
• Studies on poultry specific knowledge/capacity
interventions including poultry platforms

11. Diagnostic research apiculture
• Rapid assessment of raw and clear honey
market channels/consumers
• Assessment bee colony supply channels and
acquisition
• Assessment bee feeding/sources over the year
• Access to knowledge/skills development
apiculture production by urban and peri-
urban male, female and youth

12. Action research apiculture
• Innovation history of apiculture value chain
development
• Cost benefit analysis apiculture production
interventions
• Studies on bee colony multiplication system
• Studies on different institutional arrangements
small scale honey processing
• Studies on apiculture specific knowledge an
capacity interventions, including apiculture
platforms

13. Livestock impact research
• Double difference and other studies
– Dairy value chain
– Small/large ruminants value chain
– Poultry value chain
– Apiculture value chain

14. Research outputs
• Location specific and synthesized diagnostic
findings
• Location specific and synthesized livestock
interventions
• Location specific and synthesized livestock
specific extension interventions
• Location specific and synthesized livestock impact
studies

15. Thank you!
www.lives-ethiopia.org

18. Prioritization research locations
• Importance of a commodity between
zones – based on number HHs involved
• Importance of the commodity within a
zone – based on number of HHs involved
• Sites with high scores on both criteria
considered first

19. Ranking of commodities based on number of households across zones
Zone/Commodity Dairy Beef SR Poultry Apiculture
Eastern Tigray 4th - 2nd - 2nd
Central Tigray 3rd - 4th 4th -
West Gojam 2nd 1st - 1st -
North Gonder 1st 2nd - 2nd -
South Wello 5th - 3rd - 3rd
East Shoa 8th 4th - 5th -
West Shoa 7th - 5th - 4th
Jimma - - 1st 3rd 1st
Gamo Gofa - 3rd 7th 7th -
Sidama 6th - 6th 6th -

20. Ranking commodities based on number of HH within a zone
Zone/Commodity Dairy Beef SR Poultry Apiculture
Eastern Tigray 2nd - 1st - 3rd
Central Tigray 2nd - 3rd 1st -
West Gojam 3rd 2nd - 1st -
North Gonder 3rd 2nd - 1st -
South Wello 2nd - 1st - 3rd
East Shoa 3rd 2nd - 1st -
West Shoa 2nd - 1st - 3rd
Jimma - - 1st 2nd 3rd
Gamo Gofa - 1st 3rd 2nd -
Sidama 2nd - 3rd 1st -