Livestock keepers in rural Ethiopia are willing to pay for livestock market facilities

Abstract

This brief summarizes the key policy findings of a recent article published by ICARDA scientists. Based on stated preferences elicited from a sample of 360 randomly selected farm householders, the study revealed that temporary holding barns, toilets, veterinary clinic, watering troughs and feed shops are the facilities small ruminant keepers are most interested in central Ethiopia. In relative terms, the farmers are willing to pay a premium of 1.77, 1.74, 1.23, 1.09, 2.0 and 2.27 times higher for holding barns than for watering troughs, feed shops, veterinary clinics, toilets in the markets, fenced market sheds and unfenced market sheds, respectively. The study recommended due consideration of preferences of the farming communities while designing investments in livestock market facilities for the purpose of increasing market participation and income from livestock.