A multi-stakeholder participatory pilot study of the data demands of the future Ethiopian dairy sector.

:  This paper describes a pilot study undertaken in 2018, to determine the key data needs of each of the different Ethiopian dairy sector stakeholder groups.  The study aimed to characterise the emerging trends of dairy product production, processing, retailing and consumption in Ethiopia, and to identify and characterise current and future data needs of different stakeholders. :  The study undertook a mapping of the interactions between different stakeholders in the dairy sector, and an interactive evaluation of the institutional data repository and access options.

Importance of livestock diseases identified using participatory epidemiology in the highlands of Ethiopia.

Livestock are a major cornerstone for livelihoods of smallholders in the highlands of Ethiopia. However, infectious diseases are a key constraint in livestock production affecting productivity and food security. This study aimed to understand livestock producers' perception on importance and epidemiology of livestock diseases.

The impact of gender-blindness on social-ecological resilience: The case of a communal pasture in the highlands of Ethiopia.

We studied how the failure to take into account gendered roles in the management of a communal pasture can affect the resilience of this social-ecological system. Data were collected using qualitative methods, including focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and participant observations from one community in the highlands of Ethiopia. The results show that women are excluded from the informal institution that defines the access and use rules which guide the management of the communal pasture.

Assessment of reproductive performance of Begait cattle in in-situ and ex-situ sites and in different production systems in northern Ethiopia.

Retrospective studies were conducted in Kafta-Humera and Wukro areas of Tigray region of Ethiopia. A retrospective study was carried out on 12 herds consisting 2144 Begait cattle from pastoral and agro-pastoral areas to assess herd composition and calf-crop. To evaluate the reproductive performance, 210 cows were selected randomly from pastoral, agro-pastoral, confinement and crop-livestock production systems.

Estrus response and fertility of Menz and crossbred ewes to single prostaglandin injection protocol.

Natural lambing in sheep in Ethiopia occurs throughout the year in a scattered manner negatively affecting survival and growth rates of the lambs born during the unfavorable season of the year. Thus, controlling the time of mating artificially using exogenous source of hormones is considered as one of the ways to mitigated problems related to haphazard lambing. To this end, an experiment was conducted to evaluate efficacy of prostaglandin-based estrus synchronization protocol in local and crossbred ewes.

Influences of non-genetic factors on early growth of Adilo lambs under smallholder management systems, southern Ethiopia.

Stagnant early growth and mortality are the major impediments for sheep production in southern Ethiopia. We evaluated the effects of non-genetic factors on early growth performance of lambs in Halaba district with 467 lambs owned by 60 households. Body weights (kilograms) of lambs at birth, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 days were 2.

Rumen degradability characteristics of normal maize stover and silage, and quality protein maize silage-based diets offered to cows.

Rumen degradability characteristics of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) of normal maize (NM) stover (T1)-, NM silage (T2)- and quality protein maize (QPM) silage (T3)-based diets were studied using three rumen-fistulated Boran × Friesian non-lactating cows (371 ± 32.00 kg) in 3 × 3 Latin Square Design. Cows were supplemented with a similar concentrate mix.

Socioeconomic characteristics of urban and peri-urban dairy production systems in the North western Ethiopian highlands.

In order to evaluate the socio-economic characteristics of urban and peri-urban dairy production systems in the North western Ethiopian highlands, a field survey was conducted which included 256 farms. It is concluded that urban farmers tend to specialize on dairy production and support the family income from non-agricultural activities, while agricultural activities other than milk production forms an additional source of income in peri-urban farms. The specialization of urban dairy producers includes the more frequent use of crossbred cows with higher milk yield.

Feed intake and production parameters of lactating crossbred cows fed maize-based diets of stover, silage or quality protein silage.

Thirty-six Boran × Friesian dairy cows (392 ± 12 kg; mean ± SD) in early parity were used in a randomised complete block design. Cows were blocked by parity into three blocks of 12 animals and offered normal maize (NM) stover (T1), NM silage (T2) or quality protein maize (QPM) silage (T3) basal diets supplemented with a similar concentrate mix. Feed intake, body weight and condition changes and milk yield and composition were assessed.

Performance and limitation of two dairy production systems in the North western Ethiopian highlands.

In order to characterise the dairy production systems as well as the productive and reproductive performance of dairy cows in the study area, a total of 256 and 54 dairy farms were used for survey and monitoring data collection, respectively. Based on breed, land size, feed and market accessibility, two major dairy production systems were identified: a rather specialized, urban, and a peri-urban dairy production system. Urban farmers owned larger herds but farmed less land, and sold a greater proportion of liquid milk than peri-urban farmers, who processed more milk.