Improved sheep fattening with youth entrepreneurship focus results in improved beneficiary incomes and fatter sheep

 Background problem

Financial feasibility analysis of the fattening interventions in the highlands of Ethiopia has shown that fattened rams using commercial techniques accrue higher net profit compared to those fattened in a traditional way. Despite this evidence, there has been minimum progression by farmers towards commercial-based fattening. Common issues faced by farmers practicing sheep fattening include feed scarcity, poor husbandry practices, disease prevalence, labour shortage, and poor market access.

Interventions

To improve farmer incomes from sheep fattening, this project employed an entrepreneurial, community approach leveraging youth as influencers to scale up adoption of improved sheep fattening technology and practices.

• Youth groups: were formed with the objective of training youth on improved sheep fattening methods and entrepreneurial skills development. Youth groups were overseen by Community-based breeding Program (CBBP) cooperatives and mentored by a champion farmer. Youth groups are further supported by Communities of Practice (CoP), which develop actionable ideas, knowledge and policies to promote innovations in sheep fattening. CoPs are composed of researchers, key sheep value-chain actors, Government experts, and administrators. A total of 485 youth participated in youth groups across 29 sub-villages, within 6 districts of the 2 regional states of Amhara and SNNPR.
• A start-up package: including a fattening ram, salt-lick block, a feed and water trough was provided to each youth.
• Open field days: Organized by the youth groups, field days served to disseminate improved fattening methods to farmers in their communities. Activities included trainings, experience exchange, and sheep vaccination, deworming, and castration services.

Outcomes 

• Increased entrepreneurship: Out of 485 youth group  members, at least 412 youth have increased ram numbers from 0-1 to more than 6 rams per fattening cycle, and 437 youth are undertaking 3-4 fattening cycles per annum, up from 2.
• Fatter sheep: Fattening weights of rams have increased from between 56-122g/day to 94-198g/day (44-67%)while utilizing only locally available feed resources.
• Higher income: Participating youth were able to sell sheep from between ETB 1200-2500 to ETB 2200-4000, an increase of 45-70% higher price than sheep fattened by traditional methods, and their incomes increased by ETB 15000 ($500) on average in the first year.

• Increased entrepreneurship: Motivational, participatory trainings on entrepreneurial skills development encouraged a change in mindset towards market orientation among youth:
  • In December 2018, a Business Development Advisor consultant held both a three-day Training of Trainers and a one-day youth group training at village level.
  • The main objectives of these entrepreneurial trainings were to (1) familiarize trainees on fundamental entrepreneurial skills, (2) enable participants to understand, learn and practice business models of the TAAT project, (3) understand the basic terms of business and business plan development, and (4) familiarize trainees on entrepreneurial behavior.

• Fatter sheep: Trainings provided to youth groups and open field days provided farmers with both the knowledge and services to improve sheep fattening.
  • At the kebele level youth groups were trained on short-term fattening; ram selection for fattening; feed resource identification, processing and optimal utilization; importance of clean drinking water; improved husbandry practices which encompasses ear-tagging, castration, vaccination, deworming, use of feeding troughs, housing especially on sewage disposal, disease prevention and disease control in view of parasites and deworming; record keeping of weights and financial records.
  • A total of 14 field days were organized by youth groups across the 3 sites, attended by 1530 farmers (1025 male, 505 female) and 119 experts. These field days provided an additional platform for dissemination and demonstration of improved sheep fattening practices, as well as free castration, deworming and vaccination services.

• Higher income: Due to the success of the entrepreneurial training and positive results of sheep fattening, participating youth were able to sell sheep from between ETB 1200-2500 to ETB 2200-4000, an increase of 45-70% higher price.