Uganda’s livestock sector accounts for about 17% of agricultural value added and 4.3% of gross domestic product (GDP). Fifty-eight percent of households depend on livestock for their livelihoods. Most of them are subsistence-oriented smallholders (FAO 2019). Uganda has 14.5 million cattle, 17.4 million goats, 4.4 million sheep, 57.8 million poultry, and 7.1 million pigs (UBOS 2021).
Demand for animal-sourced foods is on the rise, with market transactions largely in urban areas, as self-consumption is dominant in rural areas. However, production and productivity remain low, and farmers continue to get low prices for their products. This is attributed to poor quality and shortage of feed especially during the dry seasons, livestock pests and diseases, poor genetics, environmental and climatic changes, and limited access to knowledge and advisory services. Source ILRI
