Ethiopia, with the largest livestock population in Africa, plays a crucial role in the region’s agricultural landscape. According to the CSA (2021) livestock sample survey, the country boasts 70.3 million cattle, 42.9 million sheep, 52.5 million goats, and 8.1 million camels. The livestock sector significantly contributes to the agricultural GDP (45%), total national GDP (18.7%), and foreign exchange earnings (16–19%) (Behnke and Metaferia 2011).
Indigenous livestock genetic resources, diverse agro-ecologies, and a growing domestic demand provide opportunities for dairy development in Ethiopia. However, obstacles such as genotype-related constraints, feed resource challenges, inadequate access to services and inputs, and low technology adoption hinder the sector. Systemic issues like an inefficient marketing system, lack of clear policy support, limited access to finance, weak regulatory frameworks, poor rural infrastructure, high post-harvest losses, and weak value addition further constrain dairy development. Source ILRI
