Dairy value chain was analyzed combining, analytical and participatory tools to identify and prioritize constraints and to come up with strategic interventions in Wolayita zone, Ethiopia. Information at zone, woreda, and kebele and actors level was collected through discussions and individual expert contacts. In addition, group and focus group discussions were conducted with representatives of value chain actors. Rapid market appraisal technique was used with butter traders at four major market centers. Random samples of 398 dairy farmers, 198 consumers, 79 butter traders, and 53 hotels/restaurants were surveyed. Analytical tools including descriptive statistics, total gross marketing margin and farmer's gross marketing margin were used. Dairy farmers were found producing mean milk yield of 8 litres per day, out of which 27.8% was used for home consumption, 58.2% used to sale to market outlets and 26.6% used for value addition. About 27.9%, 22.1%, 9.4% of the milk produced per day was sold to consumers, hotels/restaurants and cooperatives, respectively. Hotels/restaurants purchased on average 52.6 litres of milk per day with average price of 5.5 birr per liter and sold with average price of birr 5.9 per liter. Traders purchased on average 53kg of butter per day with average purchase price of birr 54.49 per kg and average sale price of birr 59 per kg. Consumers purchased milk and butter with average price of birr 4.9 and 53.63 birr per liter and per kg respectively. Shortage of feed, low cattle productivity and genetics, inadequate extension services, inadequate institutional support and veterinary services were major constraints. Fodder trees and mixed tree legume protein banks, efficient breeds selection that adapt to the environment, appropriate technical and institutional support and capacity improvement are important steps to improve smallholder dairy value chain. Increased dairy product availability at affordable prices and promotional activities are necessary to increase consumption levels.

This project seeks methods of improving the quality of livestock data. It supports the Global Strategy on Agricultural and Rural Statistics, and focuses on production-level livestock: specifically the measurement of production and productivity at household level.
The project seeks opportunities to improve livestock data collection methods across a range of species. It also addresses the definition of target variables, methods of collection, procedures for benchmarking, and institutional organisation surrounding livestock data collection.
The fieldwork for the project features several stages:

• Consultation – identifying species and variables for which measurement of production and productivity are most important, and identifying mechanisms by which field tests can be carried out (Feb 2015)
• Gap analysis – identifying gaps between an "ideal system" and the current reality, and proposing changes that can be tested. This includes a review of existing questionnaires and other collection mechanisms (Feb-March 2015).
• Communications – formulating new variables and measures, and designing new collection methods which can be tested in selected locations (Feb-April 2015).
• Testing – field-testing of new collection methods, which can occur alongside existing collection procedures or independently (April-August 2015).
• Review and validation – examination and discussion of results, and their application in future data collection (through to early 2016).

The field work for the project offers an opportunity to test and improve existing or new activities in livestock data collection, and to improve mechanisms for benchmarking performance.

The study was undertaken with the objective of assessing factors affecting milk market participation and volume of supply in Wolaita zone, Ethiopia. Out of the total 32,972 households, 398 households were selected using simple random sampling methods. Data were collected using discussions, rapid market appraisal, observation and formal survey. The data generated were analyzed using both descriptive and Heckman two-stage selection econometric models. The results revealed that out of an average 8 L of milk produced per day, 4 L were supplied to markets. The probit model results indicated that age of household head, dairy farming experience, milk yield per day, milking cow ownership and landholdings size played a significant role in milk market participation. Second-stage Heckman selection estimation pointed out that milk yield per day, dairy farming experiences and number of members in a household significantly affected volume of milk supply. Age of a household positively and significantly affected the probability of milk market participation. Dairy farming experiences of a household negatively and significantly affected milk market participation and volume of supply. The number of milking cows owned by a household positively and significantly affected probability of milk market participation. Milk yield per day impacted positively and significantly milk market participation and volume of supply. The policy implication is that old aged household heads should be educated through extension services to enhance milk market participation. Moreover, integration of crossbred cow, upgrading milk production potential of local cows, among others should be used to increase milk yield per day per household and hence milk market participation.

Sheep production is an integral part of the subsistence crop-livestock based livelihoods of the Ethiopian highlands and plays a crucial role in economic development and poverty reduction. This study analyzed determinants of intensity of market participation of smallholder sheep keepers in Western Ethiopia. Data were generated from the rural households in their villages in Horro Guduru locality, Western Ethiopia. Poisson model was employed to examine factors determining the level of sheep keepers' market participation. The results of the empirical analysis show that flock size, family-size, educational background, experience, access to market information and access to veterinary service are decisive factors determining the household's level of market participation. This study highlights the need to expand market information and veterinary services to sheep producers and capacity for their delivery. It also magnifies essential changes that need to happen in the management and marketing of sheep at farm level in order to generate higher and sustainable income for sheep producers in the region.

This study investigates the purchase behavior of sheep traders in Kajiado County in Kenya. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first investigation on sheep traders by the use of Best-Worst technique. A face-to-face questionnaire was undertaken in three livestock markets (Kiserian, Bissil and Mile 46) involving 108 traders. The results indicated that sheep traders are also involved in other types of animal trading, essentially cattle and goats. Income from sheep trading represents slightly less of the half of total incomes, with some differences between livestock traders' groups (markets). Traders are generally involved in other business activities among the value chain essentially such as livestock production, fattening and slaughtering. Four attributes with different levels have been utilized to describe the Best-Worst experiment: sheep age, sex, breed and price. All sheep traders assign higher importance to the sheep breed. This is essentially the case of Dorper pure breed and Dorper x Red Maasai cross breed. Price attribute was the second most important factor for sheep traders with higher preferences for the two extreme price levels. Sheep age and sex were found of least importance for traders. Providing sheep smallholders with the appropriate animal breed characteristics will enable them match market demand and increase their incomes. This is one of tasks of ILRI Kapiti experimental farm.

We conducted a survey to evaluate the growth of goats and sheep under communal grazing, and to determine the relationship between weight, heart girth, shoulder height, and body condition score in Kweneng, Central and Kgalagadi districts, Botswana. The same animals were measured on two separate occasions, approximately one month apart, to allow growth rates to be recorded. Significant differences in growth rates between the three case study districts were found for both goats and sheep. Amongst the goats measured, gains in height and weight were significantly greater in the Kweneng district, while gains in heart girth measurement were greatest in the Central district. In the case of sheep, weight gain was significantly higher in the Central and Kgalagadi districts, increases in girth measurement were significantly higher in the Central district, and shoulder height gain was significantly greater in the Kweneng district. Statistical tests were used to determine the relationships between animal weight and the other measures taken for goats and sheep. Heart girth in both goats and sheep was shown to be a significant predictor of weight across all three districts. Likewise, shoulder height proved to be a statistically significant predictor of animal weight for both goats and sheep, across each district. The data therefore suggest that heart girth and shoulder height have potential to act as proxy measurements of weight in both goats and sheep, potentially providing smallholder farmers with a cost-effective way of estimating small-stock productivity.