Livestock systems: patterns of livestock distribution in North Wälo and selected districts of South Wälo and North Shäwa
2002
S. Ege
This report uses statistics collected by the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture offices on the economics of livestock production. It covers all wärädas of North Wälo, as well as Kuta Bär and Qalu in South Wälo, and Éfrata, T’arma Bär, and Moja & Wädära in North ShäwaThe report is structured by a discussion of the ox argument. It is commonly claimed that access to oxen shapes social relations in the local community. Oxen are unequally distributed while practically everybody needs access to their services. Therefore, owners of oxen can use their advantage to get access to additional land and cheap labour. This argument is persuasive, but it has not been seriously tested. If the argument is valid, peasants with low ox holdings should give priority to keeping oxen rather than other livestock. The report presents a test of this specific implication of the ox argument.It concludes that the ox argument cannot explain the patterns of livestock distribution found. Interpreting data on oxen on the basis of the ox argument is misleading: it is much more fruitful to search for distinct livestock systems and variation in economic strategies
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