ABEBE WOLDE GIORGIS
The livestalk sector is an important sector which supports both the agricultural income and the Growth Domestic Production. It contributes about 13 percent of the annual export earnings. However, as Ethiopia has un-delimited long distance boarder with the neighboring countries, the large amount of unregistered cross border trade negatively affects the nation economic gains. Not only had these, cross border trade made the nation to vulnerable to arm smuggling from the neighboring counties which aggravate ethnic violence.
Birhanu Gebremedihin is working in various none governmental international organization as livestalk researcher for the last three decades. He said that, despite the nation has huge resources, the predominant traditional way of cattle rearing practice restricts the sector growth and to be remained subsistence.
At the house hold level, livestalk plays crucial economic role in the lives of pastoralists, agro-pastorals and supports small holder farmers in the high land parts of the country.
As the community is defined in a low income brackets, the sector serves people to cope sever situation induced by climate change and global warming. Traditionally, pastoralists in the peripheral regions are not reached by modern finance system hence, animals used as accumulated capital and movable property.
In time of hard ship, they are exchanged in to money with less optimal price to purchase other vital goods which support their lively hood.
Birhanu further said that, in the small holder mixed farming system, animals provide nutritious food, emergency income enable to purchase farm inputs and gasoline for cooking.
Studies indicate that, the rise of income in urban areas due to economic growth, necessitates demand for nutritious food derived from live stalk such as meat and milk and this implies that, the sector has a potential to support the nation economy as well as cattle raisers.
The government convinced that, the live stalk sub sector plays critical role in the ongoing efforts in poverty alleviation and support the economy. Often its policy in this regard is harmonious through various dimension encouragements in terms of budget, regulation and institutional arrangement and marketing.
Years back the pastoral affairs was given very poor attention in terms of institutional structure as the result, the sector remained backward.
Decade ago regions such as Beneshangul Gumuz,the Southern Nations,Nationalities and peoples regions, Oromya,Afar and Somali regions which have excessive number of pastoral population established Bureau at the regional level which maintain the sector.
The support provided by the government to the sector among others improving veterinary services, promoting credit system, market facilities and strengthening the availability of grazing resource.
The establishment of the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency and its engagement in advising and providing technical support helpful to modernize the sector can be mentioned as exemplary.
In addition, the establishment of the National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center with various projects plays pivotal role for the betterment of the sector.
Nevertheless, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, there are various hurdles which could be mentioned as a bottleneck negatively affected the sector. Both production and marketing is still poor to be suffers from in-efficiency and in-effectiveness.
The productivity of livestalk in the country is among the lowest in the world, the rate of the number of live stalk to herders is dwindling from time to time due to the scarcity of forage and the prevalent of endemic diseases. The mortality rate of the animals is also the highest in the continent.
Various research out puts indicate that, Ethiopia has the largest live stalk population in Africa and according to the 2019 Central Statistics Authority estimation, the sedentary private holdings were about 49 million head of cattle,25 million head of ship,22 million head of goats, and 38 million head of poultry.
However, still the number of animals in the pastoral areas and that of in the highlands are not clearly identified. Some rough estimation indicates that, the pastoral areas account for about 20 percent of cattle, 40 percent of sheep, and 40 percent goats in the country.
Based on the estimation, the nationwide number of cattle population rose to 59 million cattle, 35 million sheep and 31 million goats.
The livestalk subsector character and value depends of the herder’s culture, agro-ecological and regional variation. Particularly the sector role in the rural economy dynamics much differ in pastoral system than in the sedentary farming of the highland parts.
This situation also indicates that, the live stalk mortality and profitability and future prospects as well.
According to Birhanu, at the national level, a large share about 63 percent of the nation cattle is in 3 to 10 year age group and out of this, 36 percent are females and this categorization reflects that the cattle are more productive and valuable in the age group. He also said that, further disaggregation by age would have helped to better understanding of the market aspect of the sector and the purpose of keeping the animals. The usage of cattle also differ one from other.
For example, households in the central high land parts use live stalk for plowing and transporting but pastorals do not have similar usage.
It is proved that, the sedentary farming practiced in the high land parts contribute up to 45 percent of the GDP and behind this contribution, there is the oxen labor but it is still get insignificant attention.
Unlike the modern farming, agriculture seldom uses tractors and combines. It is human and animal labors which play crucial role in production activities.
The other point that should be mentioned with regard to geographic variation and its impact on live stalk is that, the share of female cattle to the economic contribution in the pastoral areas much higher than the sedentary farming areas.
85 percent in Afar,80 percent in Gambela and 78 percent in Somali region because they are mainly the source of milk.
It is clear that though the nation cattle population is the highest, due to underdevelopment and poor cattle rearing system, the sector contribution to the economy is insignificant. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the indigenous cattle specious are known by their poor productivity rate and unless they hydrides with the exogenous improving productivity will not be possible.
Currently the Ministry with the cooperation of public research center producing hybrid animals is undergoing and providing to farmers in the high land parts of the country is continued and some tangible results is witnessed. Animals with hybrid gene give better amount of milk and their reproductive rate also increased. Hence strengthening the venture must be continued. The picture is bellow
The Ethiopian Herald November 21/2021
