Ethiopia

Ethiopia

CGIAR in Ethiopia

CGIAR has a 40 year history of supporting agriculture transformation in Ethiopia. A study in 2020 from the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment found that agricultural innovations linked to CGIAR research have potentially reached between 4.1 and 11 million Ethiopian households.

ILRI hosts 11 CGIAR centers in Ethiopia and all share many administrative and technical services. It is an excellent example of how CGIAR works together. The ILRI Campus also hosts affiliated partners, including AGRA, ICIPE, Venture 27, BMGF and CIFOR-ICRAF.

What ILRI does

ILRI’s mission is to improve food and nutritional security and to reduce poverty in developing countries through research for efficient, safe, and sustainable use of livestock — ensuring better lives through livestock.

The institute’s research for development agenda addresses the complex mix of challenges and opportunities faced by small- and medium-scale livestock operators who are currently providing most of the meat, milk, eggs as well as staple cereals across the diverse mixed and pastoral husbandry systems of Africa and Asia.

Such enterprises present multiple and synergistic opportunities to meet the rising demand for milk, meat and eggs; while simultaneously improving incomes, livelihoods and nutrition for poor households, strengthening adaptive capacity and resilience (especially to climate change) and alleviating the threats posted by livestock farming to human and environmental health.

The livestock challenge in Ethiopia

Livestock play a crucial role in Ethiopia’s national development, accounting for a quarter of national GDP and 40% of agricultural GDP. They provide opportunities for livelihoods, jobs, inclusion and nutrition. At more than 50 million, Ethiopia’s livestock population is the largest in Africa and 8th largest globally.

However, livestock productivity in Ethiopia remains low. The average dairy farming household in Ethiopia is far less productive compared to other parts of the world. Demand for animal-sourced foods is rising faster than supply, particularly for meat and eggs, with food deficits projected to increase over time unless significant advances are made in the areas of animal feed, health, genetics and policies within the context of a sustainable systems approach.

Moreover, the sector is increasingly vulnerable to recurrent and widespread droughts and other climate-related natural disasters. Enabling smallholder farmers—who currently produce most of the milk, meat and eggs in integrated crop-livestock and pastoral systems—to produce competitively priced, safe, and nutritious livestock products offers opportunities for sustainable solutions to economic, environmental, social and health challenges facing the country.

 

ILR/Zerihun Sewunet
Herding sheep in Menz, Ethiopia

‘The Ethiopia Livestock Master Plan (LMP) that ILRI had supported the development of identified critical strategic areas that need attention. This masterplan is still very relevant today and the Poultry Development Strategy builds on this effort to pay special attention to the poultry sector.’

H.E. Dr. Fikiru Regassa
State Minister
Ethiopia Ministry of Agriculture

How is ILRI addressing these challenges

 

Established in Ethiopia in 1974, ILRI has a rich history of projects that have delivered positive research and development outcomes in the livestock and agriculture sector. Today, ILRI’s research in Ethiopia is focused on:

  • Building pastoral resilience through Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) works to protect livestock keepers from drought-related asset losses, particularly in Ethiopia’s drought-prone arid and semi-arid lands. IBLI triggers payouts to pastoralists and livestock keepers in the event of severe seasonal forage scarcity during the dry season, helping pastoralists purchase inputs and services required to keep animals alive.
  • The forage genebank holds vital genetic resources to improve animal nutrition by conserving, characterizing and maximizing the use of forage diversity. The genebank holds a large collection of forage accessions and related information and makes it available as part of a global system of genetic resource conservation and sustainable use.
  • One Health for Humans, Environment, Animals and Livelihoods enhances the well-being and resilience of vulnerable communities in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist regions of Ethiopia. The project brings together professionals in human and animal health and the environment to achieve better access to human and veterinary health services and sustainable natural resources management.

     

 

  • Tropical Poultry Genetics Solutions (TPGS) works on identifying, developing and testing high-producing and farmer-preferred poultry genotypes and makes them available to smallholder farmers. The project delivers poultry at scale to farmers through its public and private sector partnerships in order to improve household income and nutrition and create more employment opportunities for women and youth.
  • African-Asian Dairy Genetic Gains identifies genetically superior bulls and cows, and supports their multiplication, availability and wider use. It also focuses on capacity building and knowledge sharing to empower farmers to make informed decisions on the health and management of their animals and to take advantage of the latest breeding technologies.
  • Enviro-Cow reduces feed costs and greenhouse gas emissions in smallholder dairy cattle by providing small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with access to feed-efficient and well-adapted cows.
  • Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSI) promotes innovative small-scale irrigation technologies to sustainably increase crop livestock productivity, increase the resilience of smallholder farmers to climatic shocks, strengthen the irrigated fodder value chain, build local capacity and create an enabling environment to increase the adoption of such technologies. The program will boost livestock productivity by 30%.
Namukolo Covic

Namukolo Covic

Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia, CGIAR Ethiopia Country Convenor and CGIAR Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

Tadelle Dessie

Tadelle Dessie

Principal Scientist - Animal Genetics/Breeding

Wondmeneh Esatu

Wondmeneh Esatu

Scientist

Theo Knight-Jones

Theo Knight-Jones

Principal Scientist - Team Leader Herd Health

Olivier Hanotte

Olivier Hanotte

Principal Scientist

Kindu Mekonnen

Kindu Mekonnen

Crop-Livestock Systsems Scientist

Partners

Ministry of Agriculture

Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia

EIAR

Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)

Ethiopia Meteorology Institute

Ethiopia Meteorology Institute

Ministry of Health

Ministry of Health

Agricultural Transformation Agency

Agricultural Transformation Agency

Livestock Development Institute

Livestock Development Institute

Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands

Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands

ILRI also works with regional Agricultural Research Institutes, other federal ministries, universities, regional state government offices, local and international NGOs, donors, CGIAR centers, the private sector, local communities, and their representatives as well as development projects.

Related Publications

Dynamics of improved agricultural technologies adoption: The chicken and maize paradox in Ethiopia

  • Yitayih, Mulugeta
  • Jensen, Nathaniel D.

Ethiopia Forage Seed Consortium: Report on a study of the forage seed supply system in Ethiopia

  • Tolemariam, A.
  • Turner, Michael
  • Duncan, Alan J.

Ownership of small livestock species, but not aggregate livestock, is associated with an increased risk of anemia among children in Ethiopia: A propensity score matching analysis

  • Zerfu, Taddese Alemu
  • Abera, A.
  • Duncan, Alan J.
  • Baltenweck, Isabelle
  • McNeill, Geraldine

Effect of genotype and environment on the productive and survivability traits of lambs under a community-based management system

  • Abebe, A.
  • Berhane, G.
  • Gizaw, Solomon
  • Getachew, T.
  • Haile, Aynalem

Reproductive performance and productivity of local and Dorper x local crossbred ewes under community-based management system, Ethiopia

  • Abebe, A.
  • Berhane, G.
  • Getachew, T.
  • Gizaw, Solomon
  • Haile, Aynalem
ILRI publication cover

Simulated economic and nutritional impacts of irrigated fodder and crossbred cows on farm households in southern Ethiopia

  • Bizimana, Jean-Claude
  • Bezabih, Melkamu
  • Adie, Aberra
  • Kiker, Gregory A.