1. Fodder marketing in Ethiopia: a synthesis of case studies in Oromiya and Tigray Regions Duncan A.J.1, Ergano, K.1, Hailesellassie, A.2, Muleta, M.3, Hagos, T., Yehlaeshet T4. & Assefa T.3 1 International Livestock Research Institute, P.O Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2 Tigray Agricultural Research Institute 3 Oromia Agricultural Research Institute 4 Tigray Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development Introduction Results Livestock are part of a mixed subsistence farming complex in Amounts of fodder being marketed by retail are relatively the highlands of Ethiopia. Livestock provide: minor e.g. Inputs (draught power, transport, manure) Alamata: 25 tonnes/week Saleable outputs (milk, manure, meat, hides and skins, wool, Atsbi: 20 tonnes/week hair and eggs) Wukro: 9 tonnes/week As systems intensify in pockets towards more market- These amounts are a fraction of the estimated 1000 tonnes oriented production, we would expect to see emergence of a DM/day being consumed by livestock in each woreda. commercial fodder/feed trade. This study used rapid market Amounts marketed wholesale are more difficult to quantify appraisal methods to assess the fodder market in case study since transactions take place on farm. Prices of fodder are increasing (Figure 1) Methods Based on recall, prices have risen dramatically in recent years The research was conducted using rapid market appraisal Straws are fetching 1.52 Ethiopian birr per kg (RMA) methodology This reflects both feed scarcity and a move to market orien- The study was conducted in the Atsbi and Alamata woredas tation of Tigray and in Adaa and Mieso woredas of Oromiya Straw sales at Debre Zeit market appear erratic and opportun- A range of participatory data collection techniques such as istic. Prices appear relatively stable and do not relate to sea- individual interviews, group discussions, focus group inter- son, volume or straw type (Figure 2). views, key informant interviews, in-office discussions, ob- servations on farms and in market places Fig 2 Volume and price of cereal straws in Debre Zeit market during different months. Conclusions The fodder market in case study areas is nascent but shows signs of growth Retail fodder sales are opportunistic As market-oriented production increases we expect the fod- der market to become more prominent. Fig 1 Indicative prices for different fodder types (ETB/kg) in the study woredas. Prices are ad- justed for inflation figures published on www.indexmundi.com