Market opportunities and business models for scaling feed and forage innovations in Ethiopia’s mixed farming systems

Livestock are central to mixed farming systems in Ethiopia, especially in the densely populated Sidama Region, where shrinking landholdings, declining grazing areas, and seasonal feed shortages severely constrain productivity. Farmers depend heavily on low-quality feed sources, maize stover, natural grazing, and enset byproducts, resulting in low milk yields, poor animal condition, and high dependence on purchased feed. At the same time, demand for livestock products is rising, and peri-urban dairy systems increasingly rely on forage biomass supplied by smallholders. These pressures underscore the need for scalable, land-efficient forage solutions (Leta 2024).