Community-Based Breeding Programs and upscale strategies for sheep and goats in Ethiopia

Abstract

Community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) for sheep and goats have been operating in Ethiopia for a decade and genetic progress in growth and reproduction traits has been observed together with other socio-economic benefits, although at a pilot scale. The Ethiopian government has identified CBBPs as strategy of choice for genetic improvement of small ruminants. To make impact to the lives of large number of rural poor, CBBPs need to scale. Therefore, scaling up of CBBP is necessary to see large scale and continuous gains across Ethiopia. Complementary interventions like animal health, feeding and market intervention are also needed to address challenges and to enhance farmers’ livelihoods from small ruminants’ genetic resources. The Ethiopian government and the private sector need to invest in strategic areas around CBBPs to make the programme work for the poor and be sustainable in low‐input systems. Scaling up strategies should be an essential component of the pilot design.