Sheep fattening value chain development in Goma Pilot Learning Woreda (PLW): IPMS experiences

CIDA

Traditionally, most smallholder farmers in Goma and elsewhere in Ethiopia engage in sheep andgoat fattening to generate sufficient income to meet household requirements and other socialobligations. A rapid assessment with IPMS project partners in Goma found that traditional sheepfattening is constrained by inadequate feed supply, low nutritive value of available feedresources, and lack of technical knowledge which resulted in prolonged fattening period and loweconomic return. Accidental death or loss of fattened animals for various reasons is anotherchallenge for vulnerable smallholders, especially if sheep are purchased on credit. Duringdiscussion with various stakeholders, several potential interventions were identified to initiate amore commercially oriented small ruminant enterprise addressing some of the constraints withnew interventions. These included i) reduced fattening periods through supplementary feed usinglocally available cotton seed meal (CSM), ii) piloting a community-based/managed livestockinsurance scheme with 120 target farmers in Kilole PA, iii) introducing an innovative creditscheme through Oromia Credit and Saving Share Company (OCSSCo) for entrepreneurialfattening, and iv) introducing leguminous forage seed multiplication by model farmers.Meetings were held by the district OoA staff in some Peasant Associations to discuss identifiedproblems and potential interventions. Subsequently, one pilot Peasant Association that agreed toinclude women in the program was selected.Other discussions/trainings were also held with farmers and project partners to developcommunity-based livestock insurance scheme and to increase knowledge and skills onsupplementary feeding and forage (seed) production and selection of lambs for fattening.Following the value chain approach, linkages were created with the woreda veterinary servicesand an oil extraction factory in the District capital which produced cotton seed meal; this hadnever been used in the District before. We facilitated the linkage of target farmers with OCSSCo.Data were collected from all 120 target farmers using a questionnaire and group discussion. Thestudy showed that more than 74% of the farmers managed to shorten the fattening period by50%, i.e. from six months to three months. In the course of first cycle, 510 sheep were fattenedof which 15 died. Thirteen (13) were immediately refunded by the community-based livestock insurance scheme and 2 claims were rejected by the livestock insurance capital managingcommittee based on conditions spelled out in the by-laws. Average return from five sheep in onecycle was about Ethiopian birr (ETB)1 450. Loan repayment by women participants was 100%,and some male farmers defaulted. Scaling out is taking place, which includes fattening moresheep per cycle by some entrepreneurial female farmers.