Effects of Distance to Market, Season and Family Wealth on Pastoral Dairy Marketing in Ethiopia

Peri-urban dairy marketing was studied on the semi-arid Borana Plateau in 1987. Dairy sales contributed 20% to pastoral household income annually, and this was controlled by the women. Dairy sales peaked in the wet season and declined 83% in the dry season. Households within 10 km of market sold 16 times more than those 21–30 km away. Poor households sold 85% less than wealthy households, but dairy marketing was relatively more important for the poor. Dairy marketing contributes to food security by enabling regular purchase of grain at favourable terms of trade and delaying sales of livestock capital