24/11/2017

Engaging smallholder farmers to viable livestock market

Engaging smallholder farmers to viable livestock market

Graduation with Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development (GRAD) project and productive safety net households identified livestock/meat production as a high potential value chain. These households engaged in fattening and raising sheep and goats (shoats) as their primary means of livelihood.

The project promoted use of enclosures, improved feed and veterinary services and, provided training in production techniques to help these communities to produce as per the market requirements.

To address the market issue, GRAD partners put in place systems for collective marketing, including the establishment of livestock marketing cooperatives or enterprises and livestock collection centres and increased the bargaining power of the farmers. These centres enabled smallholder farmers to sell their livestock at a much higher price than the local price.

The lesson from livestock collection and marketing centres revealed that the centres are viable businesses. The facilities can generate meaningful and dependable income, a cumulative present value that exceeds a 20% annual rate of return. It will also benefit families from the additional income generated. A family could earn about USD 130 annual from the sale of five shoats.

Smallholder farmers started to sell their shoats on weight basis

Smallholder farmers started to sell their shoats on weight basis

The lesson from livestock collection and marketing centres revealed that the centres create viable businesses. The facilities can generate meaningful and dependable income, a cumulative present value that exceeds a 20% annual rate of return. It will also benefit families from the additional income generated. A family could earn about USD 130 annual from the sale of five shoats.

Graduation with Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development (GRAD) project was completed in December 2016. It has benefitted 65,000 chronically food insecure households in 16 woredas of rural Ethiopia to come out of food insecurity.

The project was funded by USAID and implemented by a consortium of NGOs led by CARE. SNV provides technical support on value chain development and agricultural extension, and strategic leadership on input and output marketing. GRAD builds on the lessons learned from GoE’s PSNP Plus and the extensive food security programme experience of consortium members.

For more information on the viability of the livestock collective centres click here.