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Ethiopia Livestock
Livestock production plays an important role in Ethiopia's
economy. Estimates for l987 indicated that livestock
production contributed one-third of agriculture's share of
GDP, or nearly l5 percent of total GDP. Hides and skins
constituted the second largest export earner, averaging
about l5 percent of the total export value during the period
l984/85 to l988/89; live animals averaged around 3 percent
of the total value of exports during the same period.
Although varying from region to region, the role of
livestock in the Ethiopian economy was greater than the
figures suggest. Almost the entire rural population was
involved in some way with animal husbandry, whose role
included the provision of draft power, food, cash,
transportation, fuel, and, especially in pastoral areas,
social prestige. In the highlands, oxen provided draft power
in crop production. In pastoral areas, livestock formed the
basis of the economy. Per capita meat consumption was high
by developing countries' standards, an estimated thirteen
kilograms annually. According to a l987 estimate, beef
accounted for about 5l percent of all meat consumption,
followed by mutton and lamb (l9 percent), poultry (l5
percent), and goat (l4 percent).
Ethiopia's estimated livestock population of about 78.4
million in l988 was believed to be Africa's largest. There
were approximately 31 million cattle, 23.4 million sheep,
l7.5 million goats, 5.5 million horses and mules, l million
camels, and 57 million poultry. Livestock was distributed
throughout the country, with the greatest concentration in
the highlands, where more than 90 percent of these animals
were located. The raising of livestock always has been
largely a subsistence activity.
Ethiopia has great potential for increased livestock
production, both for local use and for export. However,
expansion was constrained by inadequate nutrition, disease,
a lack of support services such as extension services,
insufficient data with which to plan improved services, and
inadequate information on how to improve animal breeding,
marketing, and processing. The high concentration of animals
in the highlands, together with the fact that cattle are
often kept for status, reduces the economic potential of
Ethiopian livestock.
Both the imperial and the Marxist governments tried to
improve livestock production by instituting programs such as
free vaccination, well-digging, construction of feeder
roads, and improvement of pastureland, largely through
international organizations such as the World Bank and the
African Development Bank. The Mengistu regime also opened
veterinary stations at Bahir Dar, Buno Bedele, and Debre
Zeyit to provide treatment and vaccination services.
Cattle in Ethiopia are almost entirely of the zebu type and
are poor sources of milk and meat. However, these cattle do
relatively well under the traditional production system.
About 70 percent of the cattle in l987 were in the
highlands, and the remaining 30 percent were kept by nomadic
pastoralists in the lowland areas. Meat and milk yields are
low and losses high, especially among calves and young
stock. Contagious diseases and parasitic infections are
major causes of death, factors that are exacerbated by
malnutrition and starvation. Recurring drought takes a heavy
toll on the animal population, although it is difficult to
determine the extent of losses. Practically all animals are
range-fed. During the rainy seasons, water and grass are
generally plentiful, but with the onset of the dry season,
forage is generally insufficient to keep animals nourished
and able to resist disease.
Most of Ethiopia's estimated 41 million sheep and goats are
raised by small farmers who used them as a major source of
meat and cash income. About three-quarters of the total
sheep flock is in the highlands, whereas lowland
pastoralists maintain about three-quarters of the goat herd.
Both animals have high sales value in urban centers,
particularly during holidays such as Easter and New Year's
Day.
Most of the estimated 7 million equines (horses, mules, and
donkeys) are used to transport produce and other
agricultural goods. Camels also play a key role as pack
animals in areas below l,500 meters in elevation.
Additionally, camels provide pastoralists in those areas
with milk and meat.
Poultry farming is widely practiced in Ethiopia; almost
every farmstead keeps some poultry for consumption and for
cash sale. The highest concentration of poultry is in Shewa,
in central Welo, and in northwestern Tigray. Individual
poultry farms supply eggs and meat to urban dwellers. By
1990 the state had begun to develop large poultry farms,
mostly around Addis Ababa, to supply hotels and government
institutions.
Data as of 1991
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