Community based small ruminant breeding programs in Ethiopia: Progress and challenges

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2020.106264Get rights and content

Highlights

  • In Ethiopia, one tire village based breeding scheme has been resulted in progressive genetic gain and profit in mixed crop livestock and sheep barley production systems.

  • However, in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities and farmers that have larger flock sizes even in the mixed production system are resisted the scheme because of restricted freedom in flock movement, fear of losing independency in decision- making and lack of interest in mixing their own flock with others.

  • The progressive results of the scheme are significantly different among sits due to the differences in commitment and relationship among implementers as well as governmental services.

  • Uncontrolled mating system, difficulty of pedigree and performance recording, year round lambing/kidding pattern, unwillingness of farmers to keep all young rams/bucks until the time of selection, incompatible cooperative society proclamation, shortage of incentives for participant farmers are identified as main challenges of the program.

Abstract

In Ethiopia, small ruminant breeding programs has been shifted from central nucleus scheme to community based breeding programs considering the past genetic improvement approaches and their suitability to the Ethiopia's production system. One-tier community-based breeding program (CBBP) is currently active breeding strategy implementing with farmers having a common interest to improve and share their genetic resources. Reviewing the progressive results and faced obstacles with their possible solutions is crucial to the breeding plan for its strengthening and adoption in non-participantareas/breeds and other commodities. Community based breeding program has been operated successfully in smallholder goat/sheep producers in mixed crop livestock production system. However, in pastoral and agro-pastoral communities and farmers that have larger flock sizes even in the mixed production system are resisted because of restricted freedom in flock movement, fear of losing independency in decision making and lack of interest in mixing their own flock with others. Moreover, the progressive results of CBBP’s are significantly different among sites due to the differences in commitment and relationship among the CBBP implementers as well as the regional governmental services. Expanding of the CBBP’s in the existing sites as well as in new sites/breeds is still in the gradual form. Small flock sizes, uncontrolled mating system, difficulty of pedigree and performance recording, year round lambing/kidding pattern, keeping higher proportion of breeding males than the recommended male to female ratio, poor institutional support, weak organization of farmers’, incompatible cooperative society proclamation to the CBBP, shortage of incentives to participant farmers are identified as main challenges of the CBBP. Thus, strengthening and careful implementation of CBBP bylaws, reconsidering the cooperative society proclamation and government services is crucial to improve productivity of small ruminant and thereby the profits of farmers in the CBBP’s. Applying restricted breeding season may create great opportunity to increase availability of candidate breeding ram/buck and to eliminate correction factor for kid/lamb season of birth. Optimizing the number of CBBP’s per targeted breed is essential to obtain better genetic gain via efficient utilization of skilled manpower that engage in the CBBP’s rather than gradual increments of CBBP’s. Capacitating the existing reproductive technologies like AI and estrus synchronization (ES) in the CBBP is essential foraccelerate genetic gain, to record accurate pedigree information, and to disseminate the superior gene into non participant farmers. Designing and implementing compatible breeding strategy that initiate individual farmers with larger flock size in the pastoral, agro-pastoral as well as in the mixed production systems may achieve higher genetic gain, profit and sustainability of the proramme.

Introduction

Ethiopia is endowed with different agro climatic zones favorable to support huge livestock population with great diversity. Sheep and goat are among the most important species distributed in all agro ecological zones and different landscapes with immense contribution in the national, rural and pastoral economy. According to CSA (2018), there are 31.3 million sheep and 32.74 million goats. Studies made on the small ruminant revealed the presence of highly significant within breed genetic variation (Gizaw et al., 2007; Hassen et al., 2012; Mekuriaw, 2016), which could result into a huge productivity improvement if properly tapped. However, in most cases the flock size of individual farmers is far below the effective population size of selection.

Small ruminant genetic improvement can help to improve the livelihood of the producers via increasing meat and milk production and number of animal that might be ready for market either in commercial or seed stock. However, implementing breeding schemes in developing countries is difficult due to the infrastructure and institutions required for collecting information and the time required for realizing genetic improvement (Van-Arendonk, 2011a). The success of genetic improvement programs in developing countries is generally not determined by the anticipated rate of genetic gain, but by their compatibility with the breeding objective of the farming system and the involvement of farmers (Kosgey et al., 2006). Considering the past genetic improvement approaches and their suitability to the Ethiopia's condition choosing an approach that better fit to the production system is required and breeding programs shifted from central nucleus scheme to community-based breeding programs (CBBP) (Gizaw, 2015). CBBP is essential to:mobilize the community as one breeding unit; engage all necessary livestock improvement packages; adopt recording pedigree information of flocks in each household; and initiate farmers in regular selling of breeding stock and commercial stocks. It is focused on indigenous stock and consider farmers' needs, views, decisions and active participation, from inception through to implementation, and their success is based upon proper consideration of farmers' breeding objectives, infrastructure, participation, and ownership (Sölkner et al., 1998; Haile et al., 2011; Mueller et al., 2015).

In recent years, CBBPs have been promoted as a tool for economic and livelihood development through genetic improvement of livestock and for conservation of local breeds in developing countries (Haile et al., 2011; Mueller et al., 2015). One-tire community based breeding program has been conducted by governmental and non-governmental institutions for small ruminant productivity improvement and in-situ conservation.There is increased productivity (more births, better growth and reduced mortality), increased income from sheep/goat production and increased meat consumption. Additionally, the cooperatives have been building capitals on the initial revolving funds supported by the project (Haile et al., 2018). Moreover, due to its feasibility to implement in local communities with little funding compared to centralized nucleus schemes, CBBP has attracted global interests and is also being scaled out in many places in Africa (Haile et al., 2019). Although, there is successes stories in the Ethiopian CBBP’s, presence of challenges are obvious.Thus, the objective of this paper is to review the progress of CBBP’s, benefits gained still, constraints encountered in the course of implementation and indicating some possible mitigation strategies for the encountered challenges in the CBBPs.

Section snippets

Study approach

Village based breeding program has been conducted by governmental (Agricultural Research Institute, Ethiopian Bio-diversity Institute, National Animal Genetic improvement institute and Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Redevelopment Office) and non-government organization (ICARDA-ILRI-BOKU, Biosciences for eastern and central Africa through International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI), Livestock and Fishery Sector Development Project). However, most of them are at infant stage i.e there

Conclusion

Community based breeding program has been operated successfully in smallholder goat/sheep producers in mixed crop livestock and sheep barley production systems. However, in pastoral and agro-pastoral communities and farmers that have larger flock sizes even in the mixed production system are resisted because of restricted freedom in flock movement, fear of losing independency in decision- making and lack of interest in mixing their own flock with others.Moreover, the progressive results of

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors whose names are listed immediately below certify that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter.

References (53)

  • S. Abegaz et al.

    Genetic improvement of sheep and goats

  • S. Abegaz et al.

    Optimizing alternative schemes of community-based breeding programs for two Ethiopian goat breeds

    ActaAgrariaKaposvriensis

    (2014)
  • A. Alemu

    On-farm Phenotypic Characterization and Performance Evaluation of Abergelle and Central Highland Goat Breeds As an Input for Designing Community-based Breeding Program. MSc Thesis

    (2015)
  • F.A. Arrebola et al.

    Factors influencing the success of an artificial insemination program in Florida goats

    Spanish J. Agric. Res.

    (2012)
  • H.T. Blair et al.

    Application of new technologies in sheep breeding

    New-Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

    (2007)
  • CSA (Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency)

    Livestock and Livestock Characteristics. Statistical Bulletin

    (2018)
  • G. Duguma

    Participatory Definition of Breeding Objectives and Implementation of Community-based Sheep Breeding Programs in Ethiopia. Doctoral Thesis

    (2010)
  • Z. Edea et al.

    Genetic diversity and population structure of ethiopian sheep populations revealed by high-density SNP markers

    Front. Genetics

    (2017)
  • Ethiopian Cooperative Societies Proclamation No. 985/...
  • FAO

    Current Status and options for livestock biotechnologies in developing countries

  • FAO

    In Vivo Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources

    (2013)
  • T. Getachew et al.

    Herd management and breeding practices of sheep owners in a mixed crop–livestock and a pastoral system of Ethiopia

    Afr. J. Agric. Res.

    (2010)
  • D. Gimenez et al.

    Reproductive Management of Sheep and Goats

    (2007)
  • S. Gizaw

    Breeding Schemes for Sustainable Small Ruminant Genetic Improvement in Ethiopia. Presented at the EIAR/ATA/ICARDA Workshop on Small Ruminant Breeding Programs in Ethiopia, DebreBirhan, 17-18 December 2015

    (2015)
  • S. Gizaw et al.

    Population structure, genetic variation and morphological diversity in indigenous sheep of Ethiopia

    Anim. Genet.

    (2007)
  • S. Gizaw et al.

    Characterization of Indigenous Breeding Strategies of the Sheep Farming Communities of Ethiopia: a Basis for Designing Community-based Breeding Programs

    (2013)
  • View full text