This document describes a cooperative village breeding scheme for sheep farming in Ethiopia. A pilot program was set up in 2009 in two villages to organize farmers into a cooperative breeding group and implement village-based recording, selection and mating. Analysis of 8 years of traditional practices showed little genetic progress in body weights, while the cooperative scheme achieved appreciable genetic improvements, including total lifts of 0.49, 2.29 and 2.39 kg over 8 years for birth, 3-month and 6-month weights respectively. The program demonstrated that genetic improvement is feasible under smallholder systems through cooperative village breeding.

1. A cooperative village breeding scheme
for smallholder sheep farming systems in
Ethiopia
Solomon Gizaw, Tesfaye Getachew, Shenkute Goshme, Okeyo Mwai, Tadelle Dessie
Main message
• Farmers’ traditional breeding practices are
characterized by lack of genetic progress in
productivity.
• Appreciable genetic improvement can be
achieved in village sheep if appropriate
breeding schemes are adopted.
Methods
• A pilot Menz sheep village-based
breeding program was set up in 2009 in
two villages in Menz region.
• The design of the village breeding
program included the following key
elements:
• the villagers were organized as
a cooperative breeding group;
• village-based recording,
selection and mating schemes
were designed.
Pictures
Conclusion
• Analysis of 8 years data from the traditional farmers
breeding practice showed that genetic trends in body
weights of village flocks have stagnated.
• Introducing cooperative village breeding practices is
feasible and appreciable genetic improvements can be
achieved.
Purpose
• The purpose of this project was
to improve the genetic
merit/productivity of Menz
sheep, thereby improving its
economic value to the
community and its survival as a
breed.
• The specific objective of the pilot
breeding program was to
evaluate the feasibility of genetic
improvement under smallholder
farming systems in Ethiopia.
Tadelle Dessie
t.dessie@cgiar.org ● Addis Ababa Ethiopia Box 5689 +251 091 160 3057 ● ilri.org
This paper is part of the 1st author’s postdoctoral research sponsored by ILRI/DAAD; the
project was funded by ARARI.
This document is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution –Non commercial-Share Alike 3.0
Unported Licence May 2013
April 2013
Findings
• Under farmers traditional breeding practices
(Fig. 1), the average annual increments in
body weights at birth, 3 and 6 months were
0.004, 0.11 and –0.12 kg, respectively.
• Village-based selection activities need to
correspond to the peak lambing season to
maximize selection intensity (Fig. 2).
• Under cooperative breeding practices (Fig.
3), the total genetic lift in birth, 3-month and
6-month weights were 0.49, 2.29 and 2.39 kg
over the base generation.
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1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
weight(kg)
Year of Birth
Birth weight weaning weight Six month weight
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1st Generation2nd Generation3rd Generation4th Generation 1st Generation2nd Generation3rd Generation 1st Generation2nd Generation3rd Generation
Birth weight 3 month weight 6 month weight
Weight(kg)
0
50
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Numberoflambsborn
2010 lambing 2011 lambing 2012 lambing
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3