PRODUCTION AND MARKETING SYSTEMS OF SHEEP AND GOATS IN ALABA, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA MSc THESIS TSEDEKE KOCHO KETEMA UNIVERSITY OF HAWASSA, AWASSA APRIL, 2007 PRODUCTION AND MARKETING SYSTEMS OF SHEEP AND GOATS IN ALABA, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA TSEDEKE KOCHO KETEMA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND RANGE SCIENCES, AWASSA COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES HAWASSA UNIVERSITY AWASSA, ETHIOPIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ANIMAL SCIENCES (SPECIALIZATION: ANIMAL PRODUCTION) APRIL, 2007 APPROVAL SHEET 1 OF THE THESIS SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES HAWASSA UNIVERSITY This is to certify that the thesis entitled Production and Marketing Systems of Sheep and Goats in Alaba, Southern Ethiopia, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of masters of sciences in Animal Sciences with specialization in Animal Production of the graduate program of the Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Awassa college of Agriculture, and is a record of original research carried out by Tsedeke Kocho Ketema ID No AWR/3007/97 under my supervision, and no part of the thesis has been submitted for any other degree or diploma. The assistance and help received during the course of this investigation have been duly acknowledged. Therefore I recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the thesis requirements. Dr. Girma Abebe ------------------------------- ------------------- Name of major advisor Signature Date Dr. Ayele Taye --------------------------------- ------------------- Name of co-advisor Signature Date Dr. Azage Tegegne --------------------------------- ------------------- Name of co-advisor Signature Date Dr. Berhanu Gebremedhin --------------------------------- ------------------- Name of co-advisor Signature Date APPROVAL SHEET 2 OF THE THESIS SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF HAWASSA We, the undersigned members of the Board of Examiners of the final open defense, by Tsedeke Kocho Ketema have read and evaluated his thesis entitled “Production and Marketing Systems of Sheep and Goats in Alaba, Southern Ethiopia” and examined the candidate. This is therefore to certify that the thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Science in Animal Sciences with specialization in Animal Production, Awassa College of Agriculture. ………………………. ……………………… ……………………. Name of the Chairman Signature Date ………………… ……………………… ……………………… Name of Major Advisor Signature Date ………………… ………………………. …………………………… Name of Co-Advisor Signature Date ………………… ………………………. …………………………… Name of Co-Advisor Signature Date ………………… ………………………. …………………………… Name of Co-Advisor Signature Date …………………. …………………………. …………………………. Name of Internal Examiner Signature Date ……………………….. ……………………… ……………… Name of External Examiner Signature Date Final approval and acceptance of the thesis is contingent upon the submission of the final copy of the thesis to the Council of Graduate Studies (CGS) through the Department Graduate Committee (DGC) of the candidate’s major department. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS God, Your eternal mercy, love and protection through Your Son Lord Jesus Christ made all this possible and “I will praise You, O Lord, with my wholeheart” (Psalm 9:1). I would like to express my sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks to my major advisor, Dr. Girma Abebe, UH, for his meticulous guidance and couragement throughout the study period. His continuous urge to appropriately recognize the smallholder circumstances were very crucial all over the study period. I’m also thankful to my co-advisor Dr. Ayele Taye, UH, for his readily available supports. My co-advisors, Dr. Azage Tegegne and Dr. Berhanu Gebremedhin, IPMS/ILRI provided thought provoking comments and insightful suggestions and I’m enthusiastic to them. Dr Azage was the key person to obtain the financial grant and again I’m indebted to him. My thanks are due to Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS/ILRI) project for the financial and facility supports to the study. My thanks are also due to Areka Agricultural Research Center, Southern Agricultural Research Institute for granting me the study leave. Alaba Special Woreda OoARD and Alaba PLW of IPMS project provided versatile supports during the field data collection and are duly acknowledged. Feyedu Fekadu, Esayas Petros, Meseret Arega, Teshome Yohannes, Ashebir Kedir, Temesgen Demboba, Desalegn Teshome, Ibrahim Degu and Geremu Kedir conducted the household survey and on-farm monitoring and are sincerely accredited. Kebele administrations and DAs in the study sites provided immense assistances during the data collection and duly iii appreciated. Sheep and goat owning farmers shared us their time, thoughts and generosity and I’m very grateful to them. My thank goes to Muluhiwot Getachew of IPMS for her understanding and timely settlement of budget and logistics. Abebe Shiferaw of IPMS at Alaba PLW provided valuable supports and is duly acknowledged. Yasin Getahun of IPMS mapped the study area and market locations and is duly recognized. I’m grateful to Asebech Eshete of ILRI InfoCenter for her service as a bridge to ILRI’s documentations and for her sympathetic helps. My sincere thanks goes to Yoseph Mekasha for his continuous advices and encouragements. My several friends, colleagues and family, too many to list here, were behind my effort and God bless you all! My dad Kocho Ketema and caring mama Almaz Dilbo inspired and fulfilled all my needs all through my way and with love I thank you. iv DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is my original work and that all sources of material that are used for this thesis have been duly acknowledged. This thesis have submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an MSc degree at the University of Hawassa and is deposited at the university library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the library. I solemnly declare that this thesis is not submitted to any other institution anywhere for the awards of any academic degree, diploma, or certificate. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable with out special permission provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Request for this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the dean of the School of Graduate Studies when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interest of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the Author. v TABLE OF CONTENETS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................... iii DECLARATION .........................................................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENETS .........................................................................................................vi DEDICATION......................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVATIONS ..............................................................................ix LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES/ILLUSTRATIONS ....................................................................................xi LIST OF TABLES/FIGURES IN THE APPENDIX ............................................................... xii ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................. xiii 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................1 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..................................................................................................3 2.1 Population and genetic diversity of sheep and goats in Ethiopia.......................................3 2.2 Importance of sheep and goat in smallholder systems.......................................................4 2.2.1 Special features of sheep and goats.............................................................................4 2.2.2 Contribution of sheep and goats to food security and household economy................5 2.3 Performances of smallholder sheep and goat production ..................................................7 2.3.1 Small ruminant production system .............................................................................7 2.3.1.2 Mixed crop-livestock farming system..................................................................8 2.3.1.2 Agro pastoral and pastoral system .......................................................................8 2.3.2 Flock productivity.......................................................................................................8 2.4 Description of smallholder sheep and goat production system..........................................9 2.5 Sheep and goat marketing system....................................................................................10 2.5.1 Structure and performance of small ruminant markets.............................................11 2.5.2 Marketing of small ruminant skins ...........................................................................15 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS...........................................................................................18 3.1 Description of the study area ...........................................................................................18