Analysis of Sheep Value Chain in Kaffa Zone, Southern Ethiopia

The objective of the study was to identify major marketing routes, value chain actors and distribution of costs and margin of sheep value chain in Kafa zone southern Ethiopia. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), key informant interviews and visual observations were used to collect primary data. A total of 120 farmers were interviewed. Bonga sheep one of indigenous breed that found in Southern Ethiopia of Kafa, Bench Majji, Sheka, Dawuro, Konta and South west part of Oromia region. It is one of the most prolific fat-long-tailed and fast growing breed in the country. Introduction of value adding management practices and market linkage is the most important aspect of enhancing the livelihood and source of income for smallholder farmers in the zone. The core functions in the sheep value chain of the zone are input supply, production. Smallholder farmers are the main suppliers of the animal and sale at any time when immediate income is required. The sale fast growing young animals, mainly males, are sold or slaughtered for home consumption at as early as five to eight months of age. The major sources of sheep that where sheep are channeled to four different directions: Boka to Sherada, Gojeb,Shebe ;Gojjeb to Jimma town through Sherada and Shebe; to Amaya, Dawuro and Woliyita through Tello and to Bonga through Merra and finally from Gojjeb to Addis Abeba, Kombolicha and Mekele during New year, Easter and Christmas. The analysis of costs and margins along the different sheep market channels also shows that the proportion of final sheep price that reaches producers from traders of Boka/Adiyo, Bonga, Gojeb,Tepi, Shebe and Jimma markets were 91.42%, 74.8% ,79.3%,87.4%,77.21%and 74.85%, respectively. Keywords: - Fattened sheep, market routes, producers, rams and value chai