Institutions and policies to implement the Ethiopia livestock master plan

Despite significant progress in increasing livestock production in Ethiopia, analysis of livestock production and consumption by the Livestock State Ministry (LSM) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) show a huge shortfall in the supply of livestock products. Detailed interdisciplinary research provides clear empirical evidence of the potential benefits of a comprehensive livestock master plan (LMP) for Ethiopia. In the absence of investment, these gaps will grow, causing food insecurity and other important economic and social repercussions.

The latest ILRI research brief identifies institutional and policy issues for attention, including… strengthening of targeted policies and practices in the area of animal health, and the dairy, poultry, hides and skins, live animal and meat sectors, breed improvement, and in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas.

The proposed investments of 7.76 billion Ethiopian birr (USD 388.1 million), set out in the LMP, have the potential to improve productivity and total production in key poultry, red meat, milk, and crossbred dairy cow value chains. Using herd and sector models and a baseline assessment of the current state of agricultural development in Ethiopia, the long-term, 15–20 years, potential impact of proposed combined technology and policy interventions was assessed. The findings show that relevant national policies exist but they are held back by a lack of enforcement capacity and the need to update older policies.

A critical dimension to realize these results is an enabling (institutional and policy) environment, facilitating the realization of the proposed investments. The latest ILRI research brief, Institutions and policies to implement the Ethiopia livestock master plan, identifies institutional and policy issues for attention, including:

1. The availability and provision of land for livestock production and processing;
2. Research on secondary production, like processing and food manufacturing;
3. Enhanced capacity in the Ethiopia LSM to undertake the monitoring and evaluation of the impact of new investments, and policy and institutional changes; and
4. Strengthening of targeted policies and practices in the area of animal health, and the dairy, poultry, hides and skins, live animal and meat sectors, breed improvement, and in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas.

Since 2014, the Livestock Resources Development Sector (or Livestock State Ministry) of the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and ILRI have been collaborating to develop an LMP to provide guidance to the government of Ethiopia on future priorities for livestock research and development activities. The LMP project development process was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Beyond the plan itself, the project aims to build the capacity of the government to carry out data-driven, fact-based analytics and planning.

Download the Institutions and policies to implement the Ethiopia livestock master plan and other related LMP materials.

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