Ethiopia is the leading country in afric in terms of livestock numbers with over 70 million cattle, over 95 million sheep and 8 million camels.
Sixty percent of Ethiopia’s territory is lowland, home to 18 million pastoralists who rely on extensive rangeland livestock systems. Forty-four percent of the livestock are in these systems, while the rest are in the highlands. Livestock contributes 19% of the country’s GDP and up to 45% of the agricultural GDP. Despite this, the economic impact of the livestock sector has not yet reached its potential.