FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES
WOLKAYITE IRRIGATION FEASIBILITY AND DETAIL DESIGN PROJECT
VOLUME V AGRICULTURE
PART IV: LIVESTOCK
JULY 2009
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS & TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
P.O. Box 2561, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tel. 251-11-6614501/6631890 Fax: 251-11-6615371 E-mail: w.w d.s.e@telecom.net.etFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
1)   Project Executive Summary
2)   Main Report
3)   Vol. I Survey and Investigations
•     Part I      Soil Survey
•     Part II     Land Suitability Evaluation
•     Part III Annexure to Soil Survey
•     Part IV Geological and Geotechnical Investigations
4)   Vol. II Water Resources
•     Part I     Hydrology
•     Part II     Hydrogeology
5)   Vol. Ill Head Works & Feeder Canal
•     Part I     Report
•     Part II     Drawings
6)   Vol. IVA Irrigation & Drainage Network
•     Part I       Report
•     Part II      Drawings
7)   Vol. IVB Canal Structures
•     Part I      Report
•     Part II     Drawings
8)   Vol. V Agriculture
•     Part I      Agronomy and Agriculture Planning
•     Part II Agriculture Mechanization
•     Part III Agriculture Marketing
•     Part IV Livestock
9)   Vol. VI Environment and Socio-Economy
•     Part I Socio-Economy
•     Part II Environmental Impact Assessment
•     Part III Organization and Management
•     Part IV Financial and Economic Analysis
10)   Vol. VII Natural Resources
•     Part I      Forestry
•     Part II     Energy
11)   Vol. VIII Infrastructure Development
•     Part  I     Public Health
•     Part  II     Settlement Planning
•     Part III    Physical Infrastructure
12)   Vol. IX Cost Estimate
13)   Vol. X Fishery Study
14)   Vol. XI Watershed Management Study
Livestock
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD
iFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayrte Irrigation Feasib&ty and Detad Design Project________________________________________________ ______Liwesiocfc
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................ V
LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................... V
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................ ■■VI
1. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................1
1.1. National Livestock Development Strategy............................................................ 3
1.2. Objectives of the Livestock Study........................................................................... 4
1.3. The Scope....................................................................................................................... 4
1.4. Methodology of the Study........................................................................................ 4
1.4.1.    Reconnaissance Survey........................................................................................4
1 4.2. Households level survey........................................................................................... 5
1.4.3. Review and Secondary Data Collection................................................................... 6
1.4.4. Data Collection and Analyses................................................................................... 6
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT AREA............................................................................ 6
2.1. Location..........................................................................................................................6
2.2. Kebeles and Human population in the Command Area............................................ 7
3. LIVESTOCK RESOURCE IN THE PROJECT AREA............................................................ 8
3.1 General........................................................................................................................... 8
3.2 Cattle........................................................................................................................... 11
3.3  Sheep.............................................................................................................................13
3.4. Goats............................................................................................................................ 14
3.5  Equines......................................................................................................................... 15
3.6  Poultry........................................................................................................................ 16
3.7. Camels.......................................................................................................................... 16
3.8.      Beekeeping (Apiculture)...................................................................................... 16
3.9.      Improved Livestock...............................................................................................17
4. FEEDS RESOURCES IN THE PROJECT AREA................................................................18
4.1. Natural grazing......................................................................................................... 18
4.2. Crop Residues............................................................................................................ 20
4.3. Crop Aftermaths....................................................................................................... 20
4.4. Hay................................................................................................................................21
4.5 Other Feed Sources.................................................................................................. 22
4.6. Water Resource for Livestock..............................................................................22
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
11FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project___________________________________ _______________ Livestock
6. CONSTRAINTS OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN THE PROJECT AREA.................25
6.1      Effect of Drought..........................................................................................25
6.2.     Livestock Disease............................................................................................ 26
6.3      Lack of Trained Personnel........................................................................... 27
6.4      Climatic Limitations......................................................................................... 28
6.5      Cultivation Expansion.................................................................................... 28
6.7      Lack of Forage Conservation Techniques.................................................30
6.8      Lack of Adequate Extension Service.......................................................... 30
6.9      Human Population Growth............................................................................ 30
7. LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES...........................................................31
7.1 The Availability of Adapted Livestock Types.....................................................31
7.2. The Strategic location of the Project Area.................................................. 31
7.3.  Good Experience of livestock Rearing in the Study area...........................31
7.4. Institutional Involvement....................................................................................32
8. LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT NEEDS IN THE PROJECT AREA................................ 33
9. LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES................................................................35
9.1. General Strategies.............................................................................................. 35
9.1.1. Nutrition.............................................................................................................. 35
9.1.2. Animal health......................................................................................................36
9.1.3. Genetic improvement......................................................................................... 36
9.2. Project area Specific Strategies..................................................................... 36
9.2.1. Nutrition.............................................................................................................. 36
9.2.2. Animal health......................................................................................................37
9.2.3. Genetic Improvement.........................................................................................38
9.2.4. Extension............................................................................................................39
9.2.5. Marketing............................................................................................................40
9 2.6. Training and research........................................................................................ 40
9.2.7. Credit................................................................................................................. 41
9.3. Development Priorities....................................................................................... 41
9.3.1.    Command area...............................................................................................42
9.3.1.1. Private farmers............................................................................................42
9.3.1.2. Cooperatives............................................................................................... 42
9.3.1.3. Commercial farming.................................................................................... 43
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
111FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project____________________________________________________Livestock
9.4. Livestock Products Processing Units........................................................... 44
9.5. Development Approaches.................................................................................. 45
9.6. implementation Schedules................................................................................. 46
9.7. Resources Required........................................................................................... 46
9.7.1. Physical resources............................................................................................46
9 7.2. Human resources............................................................................................. 47
9.8. Project Costs and Benefits.............................................................................. 47
9.8.1. Project Costs..................................................................................................... 47
Grand total.............................................................................................................. 48
9.8.2 Project beneficiaries and benefits......................................................................49
9.9. Organisation and Management.......................................................................... 50
9.10. Criteria for Success......................................................................................... 50
9.11. Estimated Household Budget.......................................................................... 50
9.11 1 Existing Situation..............................................................................................50
9.12. Under the Project............................................................................................. 52
9.13 Impact of irrigated Agriculture and Cropping pattern on Livestock Production....................................................................................................................53
10. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION................................................................ 60
10. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION................................................................. 60
10.1. Conclusions......................................................................................................... 60
10.2. Recommendation................................................................................................. 61
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................... 62
ANNEX I. LIVESTOCK........................................................................................................ 63
ANNEX 2. RESULTS OF LIVESTOCK HOUSEHOLD SAMPLE SURVEY DATA WITH
RESPECT OF THE PROJECT........................................................................................... 72
water works design and supervision enterprise
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTSAND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
1VFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project____________________________________________________ Livestock
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Human Population of Kebeles fully or partially located inside Project
command Area............................................................................................................. 7
Table 2. Populations of livestock in Tigray Regional State, Western Zone,
Wolkayite Woreda and command Area.................................................................. 8
Table 3. Average number of animal species owned per household in the command
Kebeles as analysed from the household survey questionnaire.................... 9
Table 4. Average income of HHs earned from sale of livestock (in Birr)............. 9
Table 5. Livestock population of the Kebeles located in the project command area
(DATA OBTAINED FROM EACH KEBLE OFFICES)...................................................................................... 10
Table 6. Major livestock holding per household in the Kebeles located in the
PROJECT COMMAND AREA, AS SUMMARISED FROM THE KEBELES' DATA........................................ 11
Table 7. Movement of livestock for grazing in the project area..........................18
Table 8. Description of farmers using or not using crop residue in the command
Kebeles........................................................................................................................20
Table 9. Small scale dairy development-estimated cost.......................................... 48
Table 10 Estimated Project Costs for small-scale fattening............................... 48
Table 11.estimated Project Costs for improved forage production................... 49
Table 12. Proposed crop calendar, cropping pattern and percent cropping intensity
DURING THE RAINY SEASON, DRY SEASON AND EXTENDED RAINY AND DRY SEASON.................. 59
LIST OF FIGURES
Fig. 1. Income of HHs earned from livestock................................................................9
Fig. 2 Photo showing mature cow...................................................................................12
Fig. 3. Photo showing mature ox....................................................................................12
Fig 4. Photo showing a flock of sheep in the vicinity of the project................... 14
Fig. 5 Photo showing a flock of goats inside the project area............................. 15
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
VFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Projed
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Livestock
The agriculture sector in Ethiopia plays  a vital role in the economic  development, contributing about 46% of the gross  domestic  product (GDP); 90% to the total export earnings  and over 70% of the raw materials  to the agro-industrial sector through linkages  with manufacturing and other service related sectors. The sector also accounts for about 85% of the national employment mainly in the rural areas.
The people residing in the Wolkayite areas  derive most of their sustenance from keeping livestock  and to a small extent from growing crops  such as  sorghum, sesame, finger millet etc, and most feed are natural forage rather than cultivated fodders  and pastures. In most cases the bulk of their working time and energy is spent in looking after livestock rather than in other economic  activities  and carrying capacities  are comparatively  better than elsewhere.
In order to improve the living standard of the people, the Ethiopian Government gives emphasis  to develop the agriculture sector in general and the livestock  sub-sector in particular by  assisting and supporting farmers  and interested investors  to promote production using modern irrigation schemes  The Wolkayite Irrigation Development Project is  one of the recent projects, which is  being undertaken for feasibility  study  and engineering design. The total irrigable area is about 23768 ha
The objective of the present study is to maximise the project benefits  by proposing plans for development of livestock, which fits  most appropriately  into the climatic, ecological and socio-economic  conditions  and integrate the same with irrigated agricultural development plan in the project area. This  will help in achieving some of the goals  of broad national planning like food security, generation of employment, earning foreign exchange, improving living standard of the people.
The study  methodology  includes  document review, discussions  with community representatives  and experts, household survey  questionnaires; primary  and secondary data collections,
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
The proposed Irrigation Project is  situated in northwest Ethiopia in Wolkayite- Woreda below elevations  of about 930 masl bordering with Kafta-Humera Woreda to the west, to the Tekeze River to northeast and to Adi Arkay Woreda to south.
Feed for livestock  in the project areas  is  derived mainly  from grazing natural pasture including forestlands, bush and shrub lands. Proper feed conservation practices  such as in the form of hay  or storing straws  are not largely  practised. The rapid increase of human population has  forced the farming to reserve more land for crop production, and the areas  available for animal grazing is  diminishing. The incidence of various  types  of animal diseases  is  common in the project area and the development of vetennary services is poor.
The majorities  of rural households  in the project area reside in areas  far away  from all weather roads  and as  a consequence they  could not benefit from selling livestock products  such as  (fresh milk, cheese and eggs) and live animals  produced in surplus. Livestock market prospects and other associated benefits are discussed in the report.
Water is  important resource in the project area and should be used ingeniously  and carefully. Improvement in availability  of water for livestock  production has  a vital implication on food security  and environmental safety  The main sources  of water in the area are annual rainfall, perennial rivers  and springs. Drinking water requirements  for different livestock are discussed in the report.
The farming system in the project area is  mainly  mixed-crop-livestock. Despite the high contribution of the livestock  in the project area, no significant changes  have occurred in high performing genotypes  and adopting better livestock  management practices  for increased animal productivity. During the fieldwork  discussions  on priority  intervention have been held with various  key  informants  including community, farmers, experts  and local authorities. The conclusion drawn was  that the potential of livestock  production is untapped and productivity  could be increased through introduction of improved breeds, improved forage production, better feeding and good management practices.
Different  scales  of  fattening  and  dairy  production  in  private  and  producer’s  cooperatives will be established using the local animals while commercial cattle fattening and dairy,
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION V.1 TH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT LTD.FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Uvestod
and poultry  farms  will be established using exotic  and/or improved genotypes. Major benefits of the farm are incomes derived from sales of finished live animals, milk and eggs, ample employment opportunities to the local community, higher per capita meat and milk  consumption and significant positive impact on the environment that will be ensured through substituting communal grazing by  stall feeding of fewer but high yielding animals.
The Agricultural Rural Credit and Saving Institutions should expand their services to the rural communities and thereby overcome the constraints of lack of capital and financial risk
The irrigation area will occupy some of the dry season grazing currently used by the livestock  owners. The project should demonstrate on how to support the livestock industry parallel to the crop production to assist in its development towards better levels of people's  life. This  could be achieved through teaching the use of supplementary feeding and weed control methods training of the community in breeding, performance recording, fodder production and feeding, management, conservation and utilization, establishing transportation, communication and marketing infrastructures  in the project area and with the other neighbouring Woredas as well as regional and central livestock market routes.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS ANO TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayitc Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
1.INTRODUCTION
The agriculture sector in Ethiopia plays  a vital role in the economic  development, contributing about 46% of the gross  domestic  product (GDP); 90% to the total export earnings  and over 70% of the raw materials  to the agro-industrial sector through linkages  with manufacturing and other service related sectors. The sector also accounts for about 85% of the national employment mainly  in the rural areas. In years  of good weather, the sector produces  nearly  all the country's  food requirements  consisting of cereal crops, pulses and edible oil crops.
Livestock  in Ethiopia are an essential component of the overall farming systems  serving as  a source of draught power for the large majority  of the rural population, which is engaged in farming. Added to that, livestock  supply  farm families  with milk, meat, manure and serves  as  source of cash income, transport and employment. Various estimates  show that the livestock  sub-sector contributes  12-16% of the total and 30- 35% of agricultural GDP, respectively. The sector’s  contribution to national output is underestimated because traction power and green manure as  fertilised are not valued. Contributing 12-15% of total export earnings, the sub-sector is  the second major source of foreign currency  through export of live animals, hides  and skins. The sector also employs  about one-third of the country’s  rural population. Therefore, livestock  can serve as a vehicle for improving food security, poverty reduction and promote rural livelihood.
Species  of livestock  of Ethiopia that contribute most to food and agriculture of the country  are cattle, sheep, goats, camel, donkeys, horses, mules  and chicken. The country  has  the largest livestock  population and the highest draft animal population in the continent. There are approximately  35 million cattle, 39 million sheep and goats, 8.6 million equine, 1 million camels, and 55.4 million chickens  in the country  (FAO 1999). Generally, sheep are the predominant livestock  in areas  over 3000 metre above sea level Cattle are very  common below 3000 masl. Livestock  are most common in the 1500 to 2800 masl range. Camels  and goats  are prominent domestic  animals  in the lowlands below 1500 masl. Chickens  are ubiquitous  in all production systems. Despite the large number of livestock, there has  been a decline in national and per capita production of livestock  and livestock  products, export earnings  from livestock, and per capita consumption of food from livestock  origin since 1974, in comparison to other African countries.
WATER WORKS DESIGN ANO SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
IFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
There is  an increasing demand for the agriculture sector to produce more food to feed the rapidly  growing human population, produce adequate raw materials  for the agro industries, and export to earn foreign exchange. This  has  led to intensification of crop and livestock  production particularly  in the high potential areas  where land scarcity  is  a major problem due to the high human population pressure. The intensification has  been through use of high yielding crop varieties  and improved livestock  breeds, fertilisers, various  agro-chemicals  for both crop and livestock  enterprises, and intensive livestock rearing systems  among others. These efforts  have resulted in positive impacts  including increased yields, employment, food security and income.
Livestock  production systems  of the country  are characterized as  mixed crop-livestock, agro-pastoral, pastoral, peri-urban and urban. Production systems  are distributed in different basins of the country (IBC, 2004). More than 95% of the country's livestock are kept in low input/traditional production systems  fully  depending on natural resources  and limited supply of inputs, thus, resulting in low survival, reproductive rate and outputs.
However, livestock  productivity  and production as  well as  per capita consumption of livestock  products  in Ethiopia are, on the one hand, even far below the neighbouring East African countries. Ethiopian national per capita meat and milk  yields  from cattle of 108.4 and 198.6kgs  respectively  are much lower compared to 130 and 470kgs  for the Sudan and 163 and 703kg for Kenya Similarly, Ethiopian national per capita meat yield from sheep and goat of about 10 and 8kgs, respectively are much more lower compared to the yields from similar species in the other countries (MoARD, 2006a).
On the other, contribution of agriculture sub-sector to the growth has, generally, been declining from an average of 0.9% p.a. over the period of 1962 - 1992 to 0.3% p.a. over the period of 1992 - 2003 (PASDEP, 2005 in MoARD, 2006a). As  a result, Ethiopia is facing widespread poverty, hunger, and malnutrition and deteriorating environmental conditions. Therefore, the major concern for the agriculture sector is  to respond to the demand-driven production, while ensuring sustainable management of natural resources. Besides, like any  other agriculture sectors, the future emphasis  of the livestock  sub-sector will have to concentrate on increased livestock  productivity  per animal and per unit of input. Cognizant of the above needs, the Government of the Federal Democratic  Republic  of Ethiopia (FDRE) has  been taking coordinated efforts and is acting vigorously to increase production and productivities of various economic
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
2FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
sectors  of the country. Some of such measures  include the need for the launching of PASDEP (MoARD. 2006b), Livestock  Development Master Plan (MoARD. 2006a) and of numerous  measures  that are since recently  being taken towards  boosting the storage of water for such activities  as  irrigation, hydro-power generation and supply  of domestic water in different basins of the country.
Wolkayite Irrigation Project is  one of such undertakings  of the Government of FDRE that lies in Tekeze River Basin (TRB) and is primarily meant for the development of irrigation. Integration of livestock  development schemes  into the project will, therefore, help to realize the efforts  of the Government towards  poverty  alleviation, food self-sufficiency and sustainable development.
1.1. NATIONAL LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
The development strategy  of the sector encompasses, animal feed & nutrition, animal breeding/production, animal health and marketing. The overall objective of the livestock sub-sector is  to develop and utilise the available resources  and increase its  contribution to the social and economic development of the country.
The specific objectives are to:
>   Insure self sufficiency in the production of animal and animal products
> Improve the nutritional standard of the population through the domestic provision of high quality  protein rich in animal products  and improve the incomes and living standards of the people
>     Create  employment  directly  through  investment  in  animal  production  sector  and their products
>   Earn foreign exchange through export of live animals and animal products and
>     Encourage  the  production  of  necessary  raw  material  inputs  for  the  livestock industry.
Most of the grazing lands  in the country  have reached their maximum livestock  carrying capacity  given the traditional systems  of management. Therefore, the only  way  forward is  to increase sustainable productivity  rather than the absolute number of animals. Thus: the aim should be the enhancement of individual animal productivity, a goal that can only  be achieved by  addressing the major constraints  limiting livestock  productivity. The three main constraints  of livestock  productivity  in the country  are shortage of quality 
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
3FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
feed   &   poor   feeding   system,   absence   of   genetic   improvement   of   the   capacity   of indigenous livestock and rampant diseases.
1.2. OBJECTIVES OF THE LIVESTOCK STUDY
The objective of the Wolkayite Irrigation Project is  to maximise the project benefits  by preparing plan for development of livestock, which fits  most appropriately  into the climatic, ecological and socio-economic  conditions  and integrate the same with irrigated agricultural development plan in the project area. This  will help in achieving some of the goals  of regional planning like food security, generation of employment, earning foreign exchange, improving living standard of the people.
1.3. THE SCOPE
The present study mainly covers the following:
•    Assess the existing livestock resource base in the project area
•    Develop appropriate crop-livestock development interventions in line with
irrigated agriculture in the project area,
1.4. METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
The methodology  of data and information collection on the livestock  and livestock resources  of Wolkayite Irrigation Project areas  involved various  steps. It involved a short stay  reconnaissance survey, households  level survey, discussions  with relevant stakeholders, officials  and experts  in the project area, review of literatures  and secondary  data from the relevant institutions  at federal, regional, zonal and Wolkayite- Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development of office.
1.4.1. Reconnaissance Survey
A short field trip was organized in the first instant to conduct a reconnaissance survey to the Wolkayite Irrigation Project area by  a Team of experts  comprising two one local and one expatriate Agronomists  and Livestock  Expert before the households  level survey. Using this  opportunity  and appropriate channels  found in the area, namely: Western Tigray  Zone and Wolkayite- Woreda administrations, the team made on-site observations  of the command area, identified and delineated representative Kebeles located in the command area. The Team also gathered data and information that would help to identify  gaps  that would eventually  help to design the methodology  for the
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
4FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Impalion Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Liveslock
household level survey  from the Woreda office. The Team also made random contacts with some farmers  residing in the command Kebeles  and made discussions  on agronomy  and livestock  development interventions  associated with the planned irrigation project.
1.4.2. Households level survey
After carrying out the reconnaissance survey, data collection tools  have been prepared The devised methodology  comprised of formulation of questionnaires  for the households level survey  and preparation of leading checklists  to discussions  with the concerned experts  that are found at Woreda and Keble levels. The questionnaires  prepared were discussed with the Project Office and Agronomy  Expert to avoid redundancy  and proper resource utilisation. After certain revisions  of the contents  of all the questionnaires  and checklists  it was  finally  agreed that the questionnaires  on Agronomy  and Livestock  be merged together with certain flow and be printed as  single entity. Then, using the prepared questionnaires the households level survey was conducted.
Before the commencement of the actual households  level survey, the Team went through certain steps  that were legally  and technically  necessary  to the success  of data and information gathering. The Team got a legal permission from the Woreda Administration to hire enumerators  from the Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development and DAs  from Kebeles  located inside the command area. Then together with the Woreda experts  four Kebeles  namely, Laelay-myhumer (83 households), My-Timket (67 households), My-Cha (59 households  and Tsebri (65 households) have been selected for the household survey, the total households  being 274. Size of samples  of interviewees  was  determined based on factors  such as  household and population size and the extent of homogeneity in sources of livelihood exhibited between Kebeles.
The enumerators  have been trained to properly  fill out the questionnaires. After delivering the training clarifications  and discussions  have been held with the enumerators  and pre-testing was  conducted on randomly  selected farmers; and then certain refining was made.
The other task of the Team was, therefore, approaching the chairman of each Kebele to access  the lists  of the selected farmers  of the respective Kebeles, wherefrom the respondents of the households level survey were randomly selected. Using the lists of
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
5FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
UveslocX
the respondents so identified, then the enumerators conducted a household surveys by going from one house to the other. The whole process of enumeration was backed-up by close follow-up of and technical assistance from the Team members. The chairman of each Kebele also availed the interviewees  with whom the experts  conducted discussion on issues pertaining to the subjects simultaneous to households level survey by the enumerators.
1.4.3. Review and Secondary Data Collection
Secondary  data and information related to livestock  and livestock  resources  of the project command area have been reviewed during the study  period The review included, technical reports, annual reports, websites, as well as unpublished data and information that were found mainly at Woreda levels. Moreover, discussions with the relevant experts  working in the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Wolkayite- Woreda, Tigray Region Agricultural Research Institute (TRARI) and Bureau of Agriculture & Rural Development of Tigray  Region (BoA&RD) provided not only important data and information but also to the importance of additional reviewing.
1.4.4. Data Collection and Analyses
Household data have been collected from the project command Kebeles, namely Laelay-Myhumer, My-cha, My-Timket and Tsebri. The data have encoded and carefully synthesized during. Subsequently development of optimum options and compilation of the feasibility report of the livestock resources component of the project was made.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT AREA
2.1. LOCATION
The Wolkayite irrigation Project is situated in northwest Ethiopia in Wolkayite- Woreda below elevations of about 930 mask The area is bordered with Kafta-Humera Woreda to the west, to the Tekeze River to northeast and to Adi Arkay Woreda to south. The gross command area is some 45959 ha out of which 16728 ha are unsuitable for cultivation. The total area to be irrigated is 27039 ha
The catchment and reservoir areas lie in Tigray and Amhara National Regional States while the command area lie in Tigray NRS. The proposed project area is traversed by
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT LTD
6FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Destgn Project
Livestock
dry  weather  road.  The  Gonder-Humera  and  the  Humera  Endaselassie  road  (via  Shiraro) are also very essential to reach the project command irrigable area.
2.2. KEBELES AND HUMAN POPULATION IN THE COMMAND AREA
The areas  that fully  and partially  lie in the Wolkayite Irrigation Project area are five Kebeles, namely; Delessa-Kokuah, Lailay  May  Humer, May-Geba, May  Timket and Tsebri with an estimated total population of 20805 summarised from the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of Wolkayite- Woreda. There are other Kebeles  with extension of their land in the command area. But it was  reported that most of these people live outside the command and move as  transhumance to the command area. It was  also learnt that most of those people currently  residing inside the command area have been moved from other areas  of Tigray  Region and settled by  the Regional Government to ensure food self-sufficiency. Although there exists  different settlement of the residents  intermingling of original settlers  and newcomers  is  common. Mixed crop livestock farming is their main source of livelihood.
Table   1.   Human   Population   of   Kebeles   fully   or   partially   located   inside   Project
command Area
Population
No
1
Name of Kebele
Remark
Male
Female
Total {Household
Laelay-May Humer
2201
2301
4502
1243
Fully located inside command
2
May-Timket
1952
1989
3941
906
Fully located inside command
3
Tsebri
1560
1597
3157
961
Fully located inside command
4
May-Geba
3154
3019
6173
1435
Most of the areas located inside command area
5
Delesa-Kokuah
1477
1555
3032
406
Partially located inside command area
Total
10344
10461
20805
4951
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
7FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
3. LIVESTOCK RESOURCE IN THE PROJECT AREA
3.1 GENERAL
Species  of livestock  that contribute most to the food and agriculture are cattle, sheep, goats, camel, donkeys, mules  and chicken. To give highlights  populations  of different species  of livestock  that are found in Tigray  Regional State, Western Zone of the Regional State, Wolkayite Woreda and project command area are presented in Table 2 below:
Table 2. Populations  of livestock  in Tigray  Regional State, Western Zone, Wolkayite
Woreda and Command Area
Species
Location
Tigray Regional
State5
Western
Wolkayite-  Woreda
2
Command Kebeles
1
zone
Cattle
3,040.760
1.148.649
215899
35765
Sheep
935.349
113,422
513
185
Goats
1,465,741
538,900
79628
14074
Poultry
2,258,897
936,736
166690
28803
Donkeys
303,412
75,376
7869
745
Mules
10,417
1,697
506
179
Horses
5,111
1300
19
-
Camels
13,661
2,493
240
-
Sources  -  Dept,  off  Animal  Husbandry  and  Fisheries  Resources  of  the  BoARD  of  Tigray  Regional  Slate. 2006
2 - Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of Wolkayite Woreda. 2007
Compared with other ruminant livestock  species, cattle are the most important in the area The proportion of cattle population in the command area to that of the region, zone and Woreda are about 1.2% and 3.11% and 16.17%, respectively. The data show that when sheep population is  compared within the zone important proportion (36%) is  found in the project command area while that of goats  is  about 17%. Spatial and temporal discrepancies of data on population figures  for the given species has also been reported from different data sources. The household data collected from the Kebeles  in the command area show that the proportion of cattle is  the highest in the population of livestock species per household (Table 3).
WATER WORKS DESIGN ANO SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
8FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
Table 3. Average number of animal species  owned per household in the command
Kebeles as analysed from the household survey questionnaire
Sex
Type of species
Male
Female
Total
No of HHs owning the
species of livestock
A of the livestock owners
Cattle
5.5
7.7
13.2
218
95
Camels
0.0
0.0
0.0
12
4.5
Donkeys
0.2
0.3
0.5
55
20.5
Horses
0.1
0.2
0.3
49
18 3
Mules
0.0
0.0
0.1
4
1.5
Chicken
4.9
179
66 8
Haney bee
colony
0.3
43
16.0
Data were not available for chickens  and bee colonies  in the command Kebeles. Compared with other livestock  species, the contribution of cattle in the household economy  in the command Kebeles  is  also significant (Table 4 and Fig. 1). Compared with sheep the contribution of goats  to the household economy  is  also important showing the suitability of the area for goat rearing (cf.Fig.1).
Table 4. Average income of HHs earned from sale of livestock (in Birr)
Young
males
Young
females
Mature
female
Castrated
Uncast rated
Total
%
Cattle
208.6
222.4
344.8
258.7
197.8
973.7
81.3
Sheep
14.8
0.0
0.0
3.7
0.0
14 8
1.2
Goats
102.0
54.4
36.5
185.1
13.3
206.2
17.2
The above data has been obtained from the kebeles located in the command area during the household survey Compared with cattle and goats, the income obtained from other types of livestock was reported to be very low.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
9FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Fig. 1. Income of HHs earned from livestock
Livestock
j-
/
ill In
II
The major proportion of the command area lies in mid-highland to lowland areas.
Agriculture is by far the most dominant economic activity in the area. The major crops grown in the area include sesame, sorghum, maize and cotton. Over 90% of the whole agricultural activity is constituted by small-scale mixed farming wherein livestock are the most important components of the economic activity. Thus, as elsewhere all species of livestock that contribute most to the food and agriculture are reared in the area.
Data obtained from the project Kebeles show that there are 35765 cattle, 14074 goats, 185 sheep, 745 donkeys, and 179 mules. The Livestock population of the five Kebeles mentioned in section 2.2 is presented in Table 5 below:
Table 5. Livestock  population of the Kebeles  located in the project command area
(data obtained from each Keble offices)
Name of
Keble
Population
Remarks
Cattle
Goats
Sheep
Donkey
Mule
Poultry
HH
Laelay-May Humer
9528
4468
54
95
4
9111
1243
May-Timket
6358
2773
-
150
35
4660
906
Tsebri
6296
2899
58
170
10
2719
961
May-Geba
7429
1600
57
230
80
3314
1435
Delesa-
Kokuah
6154
2334
16
100
50
8999
406
Total
35765
14074
185
745
179
28803
5747
There is also significant proportion of poultry in the command area and donkeys and mules. During the data collection there were no horses and camels reported in the area
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
10FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayrte Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock.
showing probably  the unsuitability  of the area for horse and camel husbandry. But during the fieldwork  there were few camels  in the project area serving for transporting goods  and people both in the rural and urban areas. There were no exotic  types  of livestock reported in the area except some chicken types.
The   livestock   holding   per   household   in   the   project   area   has   been   estimated   and presented in Table 6 below:
Table  6.  Major   livestock   holding   per   household   in   the   Kebeles   located   in  the  project
command area, as summarised from the Kebeles’ data
Name of Keble
Livestock holding per household in the command Kebeles
Cattle
Goats
Sheep
Lailay-May Humer
7.55
3.6
0.04
May-Timket
7
3 06
May-Cha
8.99
2.68
0.03
Tsebri
6 55
3.02
0.06
May-Geba
5
1.11
0.04
Almost  all  species  of  livestock  that  are  kept  by  rural  community  in  the  project  area  and its surroundings are indigenous.
3.2. CATTLE
Begait, Arado and Medence (Begait x Arado crosses) are the cattle breeds reared in the
project area. According to the information obtained from the experts working in the
Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of Wolkayite Wordea, the major purposes 
of rearing cattle are to generate meat, milk, and cash through sales and as reserves 
against crop failures. To certain extent, they are also kept for prestige.
The local breeds of cattle are used for meat, draft and milk, but are not yet characterised and specialized for specific  purposes. The cattle are large and heavy  in size with a mixture of colours  and either horned or polled. Through sire evaluation and breed improvement, they  could offer the beef industry  hardy  cattle with rapid growth and good muscling
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
I1FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasixfity and Detail Design Project
Livestock
Figure 2 Photo showing mature cow
Figure 3. Photo showing mature ox
Similar  to  any  mixed  crop-livestock  farming  system  of  the  surrounding  areas,  oxen  are used for ploughing of crop fields in the project area According to the respondents dunng
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION VU1TH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT LTD.
12FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
discussions,  most  of  the  farmers  use  oxen  to  plough  their  field  that  are  owned  by  the households. While some of the farmers use rented oxen to plough their fields
Average number of cattle per household in the project command area is  10.06 heads. It was reported and observed in the field that the herd constitutes more number of females than male cattle. Farmers also reported that they keep bulls aside for breeding purpose.
Average ages  at sexual maturity  of female and male cattle are 30 and 32 months, respectively. Weaning of calves  is  not practised in the area. As  reported by  farmers average calving interval and daily  milk  yields  are 14 months  and 3.5 litres, respectively while that of the length of lactation is about 7 months Out of the three cattle breeds, the Begait are known to be higher performers  so that they  are mostly  used breeds  in the area.
The hitherto livestock rearing venture of the project area is of low input system
However, there are some indications for the gradual commencements of fattening in the
Project area.
There are other signs  of modernization of livestock  production in the area. According to the experts  working in the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of Wolkayite Woreda, dairy  improvement and fattening using Begait cattle breed is  underway. To that end, the envisaged irrigation project will help farmers  grow improved forage crops  and watering livestock.
3.3. SHEEP
According to information from the experts  working in the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of Wolkayite Woreda and the locals, sheep are the least most important livestock  species  to the livelihood of the local community. The sheep breeds  of the area are Begait, Nubian and their crosses. The former is  the dominant sheep breed reared primarily  to generate income and meat. Moreover, the sheep are kept as  reserves against crop failures.
Average  number  of  sheep  per  household  in  the  project  area  is  0.042  heads.  Greater proportion of the entire sheep flock is constituted by ewes, out of which about half are
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT LTD.
I3FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
suckling mothers  The majority  of the flocks  lie in the age between 5 and 10 months. The age proportion males and females in age groups between 5 and 10 months were in the order of 10% and 40%, respectively, showing the importance of females  for breeding. Average numbers  of males  and females  in other age groups  show similar pattern.
Figure 4. Photo showing a flock of sheep in the vicinity of the project command area
Similar to cattle there is no weaning practice, however, average ages at sexual maturity of male and female lambs were reported to be are 4 and 5 months, and 7 and 8 months, respectively. Average age at first lambing is  about 12 months  while that of the lambing interval is  about 6-7 months. Average litter size was  reported to be about 1.2 lambs Some respondents reported that they keep aside rams for the breeding purposes.
3.4. GOATS
Begait, Nubian type as well as the crosses from the two are the dominant goat breeds reared in the project command area. Goats, in the project area, are reared for meat and to some extent for milk  production. While the Nubian types  are mainly  used for milk production, their daily milk yields, according to the information obtained from the experts
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
14FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayrto Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
working  in  the  Office  of  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development  of  Wolkayite  Woreda  and some locals, can be as high as 1 or more litres.
Average number of goats  per household is  3.844 heads. About 80% of heads  of the flock  of the households  is  constituted with does, out of which about half of them are suckling mothers. Average number of male and female goats  that are found within the age categories  of 0 - 6, 6 - 12 and 12-24 months  vary  in number, but greater proportion was  found for the age group of 12-24 months  of age, probably  showing the importance of breeding males in the flock.
Figure 5 Photo showing a flock of goats inside the project area
Similar to cattle and sheep, no weaning is  practised for goats. But average ages  at sexual maturity for male and female goats of the project area have been reported to be about 5 months. Similarly, average age at first kidding and the kidding interval are 12 and 7 months, respectively.
3.5. EQUINES
Asses  are reared in Wolkayite Irrigation Project area. They  are reared for transportation of goods, water, firewood and even human. One of the most turgid donkey breeds of the country, namely: Sinnar breed is  reared in the area. However, there exist no data and
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCI AT ION WITH INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
15FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
information on their performance. Both Jennet and Jackass are said to reach sexual maturity at about four to five years of age with productive life of ten to thirteen years and birth interval of twenty months. The donkeys are well adapted to the range condition and survive fairly well under the long dry seasons and drought conditions.
3.6. POULTRY
Poultry are popular in the project command area. Settled farmers and town dwellers rear poultry for egg production for sale and consumption Data on the number of poultry were available from the Kebeles in the project command area and the figure is 28803, which is about 6.6 chickens per head. The poultry includes cocks, cockerels, pullets, laying hens, non-laying hens and chicks. According to this information, over 80 percent of the total poultry were found in the rural areas while the share of urban areas is about 20 percent.
Average egg laying period per hen was reported to be about 18 days while average number of eggs laid per hen per egg-laying period was about 11 eggs in the area. Egg laying period and number of eggs laid per period were reported to be higher in urban than rural areas. This indicates that more effort should be done to advise and train rural farmers to engage themselves in poultry production, so that in the future, the sector would benefit members of the rural community.
3.7. CAMELS
Camels observed in the project area are not indigenous to the area. The majority of
those that have been observed during the fieldwork have been introduced to the area
from Afar for different economic activities such as transportation and riding. Almost all of the camels observed were male camels and there is a need to expand breeding of
camels in the surrounding areas. There exists no data on the performance of camels in the area.
3.8.    BEEKEEPING (APICULTURE)
Beekeeping is  commonly  practised in the area To give information on the general condition of beekeeping some highlights  are presented. There is  information that traditional beekeeping with the use of local hives is practiced in the project command Kebeles. There are also wild bee colonies particularly around hills. The bee colonies are mostly found in tree crevices, stone holes, and termite mounts. There was no report on
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
16FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
modern hives, but data were available on the number of traditional hives  and the total number across  all Kebeles  located inside the project command area is  847 and per household holding is 0.15 hives.
The climatic  condition and vegetation around the project command areas  are conducive for the development of apiculture provided that community  members  in the area are persuaded and engaged in honey  production process. If the community  members  are supported with modern beehives  and appropriate management system, the community might benefit much more from selling of honey  and wax. It is  quite common that bees need constant water sources  and they  usually  can fly  a maximum of 3 km per day  in search of flower and water. In effect permanent rivers  such as  Minmine, Kalima Rivers, springs  and water from the proposed dam are ideal sources  of water for apiculture development. There are also different flora flowering at different seasons  of the year in riverine that can make the honey  harvest more frequent per year. To exploit this resource, the community  should be advised and provided with the necessary equipments
The approach in the beekeeping project should include credit and loan components. To properly  exploit this  resource, the community  should be provided with modem hives through credit at reasonable price. The objective should have to see the beneficiaries supplied with the cash or credit resources  to ensure that they  would start the business directly. The financial source can be used for purchasing of comb foundation presser, honey  extractor, wax  extractor, etc. The credit and loan component aims  at helping farmers  particularly  engaged with beekeeping and honey  production. In the prevailing condition, it is  also assumed that the respective Woredas  AG & RD Offices  will take the overall responsibility  of the beekeeping activities, as  this  activity  doesn't require sophisticated equipments  and high skilled personnel. If modern hives  and good management system is  provided to the farmers, the community  might benefit much more from selling of honey and wax.
3.9.   IMPROVED LIVESTOCK
Thus  far except for traditional mode of production, there are no crossbreeding and/or exotic  breeding programs  undertaken in the area According to verbal reports  only  few improved chickens  have been introduced to the area, however, their distribution was limited due to lack of feed and chicken diseases.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
17FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
4. FEEDS RESOURCES IN THE PROJECT AREA
4.1. NATURAL GRAZING
In the Wolkayite Irrigation Project area, communal grazing is  the most important form of natural grazing. The native range resource of the project command area extends through out and is  closely  associated with most of the planned irrigable area. Native range occurs  on the slopes  of the vast drainage network  of the project area, small to large tracts  of rough or rocky  soils, and arable lands not yet in cultivation. In some spot areas, there are large, nearly  continuous, native range areas  inside the project command area that extend to hillsides  and escarpments. Though there is no estimate on the size of the natural grazing land, it is  best utilised during the green grass  period of and yearlong particularly  by  mature livestock. Although suited for cattle, the diversity  of herbs  and shrubs  also makes  the area highly  suited particularly  for goats  and to a certain extent for sheep and equines. Farmers  reported that greater proportion of communal grazing areas is located within their respective Kebeles.
Table 7. Movement of livestock for grazing in the project area
Grazing area
No of respondent
%Share
With in Kebele
77
35.2
Outside Kebele but with in Woreda
54
24.7
Outside Kebele & Woreda
43
19 6
Combination of the above
45
20.5
Total
219
100.0
Table 7 indicates that most grazing places are located within the Woreda and Kebeles As reported by  farmers, the distances  of the areas  from the homesteads  are, however, variable with the average distance of 2-5 km. Farmers  also indicated that access  to the privately  owned grazing areas  by  livestock  of others  is  restricted. However, no serious conflicts  resulting from the use of these areas  by  the livestock  of others  has  so far not been reported.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
“ 18FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
There exists limited form of movement of farmers of the area to other communal grazing areas that are located outside their Kebeles in order to search for feed and water during the dry season (March-mid June). It was reported by farmers that feed shortage in the area becomes more critical in May. It has been found that some farmers move into different Kebeles  in search of grazing areas  that are found within their territories. However, it has been observed that the project area is rich in natural pasture and other feed resources (trees and browses) compared to other areas. Comparatively, the area can still be considered rich in feed resources than most of its neighbouring Kebeles. Compared to the movements that are made out of their Kebeles by the farmers of the area into other Kebeles in search of feed and water for their stock, the movement into these Kebeles from other Kebeles within their Woreda as well as from other Woreda is much more higher. According to verbal information in most cases communal grazing areas of the project area are open to free access to any livestock that come from different areas of the region.
Composition of vegetation of the communal grazing areas  is  variable. According to previous studies in area, some are predominantly covered with grasses consisting of Themeda, Hyperrhenia, Andropogon and Cenchrus. Others are covered with mixture of grasses and trees like acacia. Livestock keepers bum the vegetation during the dry season mainly to avoid old vegetation and allow the re-growth of young and palatable grasses during the next rainy season.
Even though its role is not significant, some farmers in the area also practice private grazing. Despite private ownership, no noticeable feed resources developments have been conducted in the areas. These areas, it was learnt, serve as additional grazing areas to communal ones.
Data and information on the vegetation biomass as well as contribution of grazing to the overall feed requirements of the Project Command area are not available. According to information from the Woreda experts participated in the household survey, contribution of natural grazing to overall animal feed requirements of the area is about 80%. The per hectare dry matter (DM) yield of the area can be estimated at 2 tonnes With this amount of per hectare DM yield and other estimates, namely: DM/ha yields from cereal residues,
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD
19FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
pulses  residues  and aftermath grazing of 1.5, o.5, 0.4, respectively, there seems  that there is deficiency in DM, protein and energy to support the available livestock population throughout the year.
4.2. CROP RESIDUES
Contribution of crop residues to the overall feed requirements of livestock is variable from area to area. In some parts  of the country, their contribution can be higher than 50% (MoARD, 2006), but about 35% in Tigray Regional State (Dept, of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Resources of BoARD of the region).
Table 8. Description of farmers using or not using crop residue in the command
Kebeles
Description
No of respondents
% Share
Farmers using crop residue
204
94.4
Farmers not using crop reside
12
5.6
Farmers not responded
52
Total
216
100.0
About 20% of total crop residues fed to livestock in the project area is of sorghum finger millet and maize residues  and to very  small proportion that of teff straw. Insignificant proportion is  also obtained from sesame and cotton (Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Wolkayite Woreda). It has been leamt from farmers that considerable number of rural farmers  are efficiently  using crop residues  to feed their stock. It is  also indicated that most of the farmers  use the entire residues  to feed the animals  and construction material.
4.3. CROP AFTERMATHS
Crop aftermath contributes  certain portion to the overall animal feed requirements  in the project area. According to information obtained from the experts  of Wolkayite Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development Office, the contribution of crop aftermath to the overall feed requirements of animals in the project Kebeles is insignificant and the estimated per hectare DM yield of the crop residue is inconsiderable. There exists no well-documented
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
20FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Uve stock
data  and  information  specific  to  the  yield  of  crop  aftermath  and  feed  contribution  to livestock in the project area
However, farmers  reported that crop aftermaths  are important feed sources  of the livestock  next to natural pasture and crop residues  especially  immediately  after crop harvest. At normal conditions, after the harvest of crops, aftermath fields  are first grazed by the livestock of the field owners for few days or a week, and then are left open to free access
4.4. HAY
Hay  is  one of the important components  of animal feeds. It can be made from natural grasses  and legumes  or from improved pasture. Quality  of hay  is  affected by  the combination of such factors  as  composition, age at harvesting, procedures  of haymaking, storage and composition with which it is  fed. Contribution of hay  to overall animal feed requirements is variable from one area to the other.
Some farmers  in the project command area practice haymaking Hay  is  made from grasses  and legumes  that grow naturally  within the communally  owned areas  of respective Kebeles.
According   to   information   obtained  from   experts,  farmers  feed  their   animals  with  feed particularly during the dry season.
When pasture growth is  restricted, it is  necessary  to provide some type of stored feed for grazing animals. If it is  properly  stored, hay  can meet the nutritional requirement of most classes  of livestock. Hay  fits  well with a grazing program because accumulated forage can be cut for hay  during periods  of excess  growth, thus  maintaining waste Harvesting excess  growth also results  in the subsequent production of young, tender forage re-growth for later grazing.
Studies  show that the potential biomass  production of unimproved forages  is  estimated at 2-3t/ha which could be conserved in the form of hay  and used when scarcity  of feed occurs. In the proposed command area improved grass-legume mixtures such as
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
21FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite I mg a (ion Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Alfalfa, Cowpea, Lablab, Rhodes  and Panicum species  can give up to 40 t/ha under improved management. However, when considering the economics  of hay  production, it is  important to realise that a large proportion (usually  30 to 40 percent) of the expenses per ha involved in hay production are fixed costs.
The fodder bank  development program should be supported by  the TSFP in terms  of physical development for the feed improvement so that the pastoralists  should not create the likely resistance with the project.
4.5 OTHER FEED SOURCES
Milling by  products  are good sources  of animal feed in the area. Farmers  of the project area are aware of the need for supplementing their animals  with these feed resources. However, feeding of milling by-products is limited to urban areas due to the scarcity of the feed and high cost. In some cases oil cakes bought by per quinta) prices that are as high as  Birr 120 are feed to weak  animal. Similarly, weak  animals  are supplemented with the by-product of the local beer.
Development of molasses-urea block  may  well be relevant if the raw matenals  are locally  available. It is  however improbable to have molasses  at this  time in the project area. In the future, the place for their central manufacture would be near the project area where raw material supply, demand and transport facilities  are relatively good If the technology  is  proved to be simple enough, manufacture can be dispersed to areas  of high demand in the region at large and in the project Woredas to suit local needs.
4.6. WATER RESOURCE FOR LIVESTOCK
Water is  essential to all classes  of livestock. It is  vital to the life of the animal that the water level in the body is maintained. An animal will die more rapidly if deprived of water than if deprived of food.
The animal obtains its water from 3 sources, drinking water, water in the food, and water produced by the metabolic reaction in the cells. Food water at certain times of the year
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION with INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
22FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
may  contribute a significant proportion of the total water intake for example: early season grass may contain 30% dry matter & 70% water and an animal consuming 40 kg of grass would therefore take in 12 kg dry matter and 28 kg water. In the dry season when grass contains about 10% water and 90% dry matter an animal will consume about 10 kg of grass equivalent to 1.0 kg water and 9.0 kg dry matter, and therefore, a bigger proportion of the daily water requirement will have to be supplied by drinking water. At normal circumstances, the water requirement of sheep/goats, cattle and camels, respectively range from 3-20, 30-90, and 36-91 litres of water. Lactating animals require more water than non-lactating animals
In areas where livestock are given restricted access to water and are watered either once daily or every second day it is essential to ensure that there is adequate trough space for all livestock  and that they  are given sufficient time to satisfy  their water requirement. Restriction of water intake, which may happen at communally used places, may result in reduced dry matter intake. Reduction of dry matter intake can lead to reduction in performance.
The quality  of livestock  water supplies  is  also important in obtaining optimum performance. Unsuitable drinking water may cause stock to weaken or die and may interfere with reproduction. Animal products, milk  in particular, may  become contaminated so that it becomes unacceptable for human consumption. The quality of livestock water supplies is usually assessed from the total soluble salts content (TSS) of the water. Water that has marginal levels may become unsatisfactory in hotter weather because stock drinks more and the salinity of some waters may increase (such as pan waters) due to evaporation. An animal’s tolerance to the TSS content of water varies according to species, age, physiological state, contribution of food water and other factors.
Ideally water should be available to all stock at all times to ensure adequate intake and therefore optimum performance.
The main sources of water in the project command area are annual rainfall, permanent rivers and springs. Interviewed farmers responded that over 96% of water source for
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
23FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
livestock is from rivers. On average they drink their animals at least once in a day. The major perennial rivers  are Minmine and Kalima, which are located inside the project command area There are also many  other rivers, which provide water for people and animals  during the long dry  seasons. The other source of water in the area includes ponds  and springs. Swampy  areas  and subsidiary  streams  are also used for domestic and livestock  watering. Water can also be available to animals  from temporary  sources. Animals  could drink  torrents, which only  carry  water during short periods  of the rains, and pools  that form in depressions  left after water flow has  ceased. In this  case, the year-round availability  of commendable water in the project area will create the possibility  to offer year-round drinking facilities  for livestock  along the perimeter of the project For example at intervals  of about 1 km, concrete-drinking troughs  with a permanent flow-through system can be constructed The costs  have to be borne by  the project. It, should however, be borne in mind that such facilities in this arid environment tend to aggravate the degree of overgrazing and the resulting erosion. In addition sanitary hazards should also get due consideration.
As reported during the fieldwork there are bout 32335.9 TLUs in the command Kebeles. Therefore, the total water requirement is  about 473863.8 litres  of water per day (15,796.46 litres  of water/month or about 15.8m2). This is calculated for the dry season, since livestock can get enough from surface water during the rainy season.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
24FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayrte Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
6. CONSTRAINTS OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN THE PROJECT AREA
6.1 EFFECT OF DROUGHT
Periodic  drought is  a characteristic  of the project area. Even in normal rainfall years, there are localised parts  of the surrounding areas, which suffer from drought. Droughts are cyclical and appear to be increasingly frequent. It is often perceived that the trend of livestock  population would consist of a' boom and bust" cycle with long periods  of gradual herd growth punctuated by  drought induced losses  as  per experiences elsewhere in the country. The boom and bust cycle is  characteristics  of the area, although the area is  often under “vicious  cycles” of herd growth followed by  drought induced livestock  losses. Livestock  losses  would occur when high stocking rates  were combined with large rainfall deficit. According to verbal reports  of the inhabitants, in the past, serious  droughts  used to occur every  30 years. But this  does  not hold true for the last 25 years. Based on the available information, three serious  droughts  have occurred in 1973/74, other fairly  serious  ones  in 1980 and in 2002. Evidences  showed that, the droughts  that took  place during these years  entailed the decimation of their livestock The information indicates  that during drought the most affected animals  are cattle followed by sheep, goats and donkeys.
The influence of drought on human, livestock, species  composition of the pasture and dry  matter yield is  tremendous  The consequence of drought is  manifested through overgrazing. Because of drought, rangelands  deteriorate the spread of undesirable and prevalence of unpalatable plants  dominates. During the long dry  season and dunng drought times, people are short of milk, - their staple diet, because their animals  cannot produce sufficient milk  under such adverse conditions. In drought times  there may  be no milk at all Consequently, there is a need for a substitute food. Mostly maize is the major substitute food If the communities  cannot produce what they  need, they  have to look  for it in the market. However, during the period of severe demand for grain, the price of grain, and the price of livestock, which are sold to finance the purchase of grain tends to move in inverse proportion to each other. Therefore, one of the major effects  of drought could be to reduce term of trade. During drought, demand for grain rises and purchasing
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
25FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
power   of   the   community   decline.  At   the   same  time   shortage  of  milk   occurs,   while supplies of grain decreases as they are bought and consumed.
When there is  herd loss  and reduced livestock  price people get poorer Improving human welfare under such circumstances  should focus  on creating a vicious  cycle based on more timely  livestock  sales, alternative investment of revenues, and subsistence economic  diversification. Efforts  to regain some measure of system stability in response to drought could also involve rehabilitation and management of key resources  and thus  restoration of traditional mobility  patterns. This  would help communities to be able to respond to crisis in adaptive, traditional ways.
The major mitigating measures  include conserving livestock  feed such as  grass  hay, crop residues  and silage for dry  season use. Thus  farmers  should be encouraged to be engaged in such activities.
6.2. LIVESTOCK DISEASE
Livestock diseases have numerous negative impacts on productivity of herds i.e. death
of animals, loss of weights, slow growth rates, low yield, poor reproductive performance, decrease in physical power and the likes. There have been many ways of fighting against diseases and among these, vaccinations (preventive measures) and treatments (curative measures) are the major ones. However, no efficient fight against disease or
disease prevention is possible if descriptive data on prevalence of disease, deaths,
vaccinations and treatments are not available The availability of these data is also very important to set-up strategies that can assist in preventing and controlling diseases, by 
and large in improving veterinary services of the area. Hence, it was considered
desirable to collect information on vaccinations, treatments, diseases, and deaths of
animals during the field trip.
According to information from the Woredas  Agriculture and Rural Development Office, compared with the livestock  population size and distribution in the project area, the supply  of livestock  drugs  and veterinary  services  is  generally  inadequate. As  a result programs  for vaccination against communicable diseases, treatment of common livestock ailments and protection against parasites have poor performance records.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
26FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
Infectious  and parasitic  diseases  consequently  cause death and debilitation to a significant number of animals. Added to that, the frequent movement of livestock  within the Woredas  and across  the borders  for various  reasons  is  contributing to the transmission of diseases  Animal health problems  in the area are generally  exacerbated by  drought. Bacterial, viral, protozoal, internal and external parasites  are livestock  health problems  that hamper livestock  productivity. Among cattle, Anthrax  and Blackleg, occur sporadically, LSD and mapsurellosis also appear following climatic changes.
As  has  been observed in the fields  of the project area, concentration of livestock  at watering points  and dry  grazing grounds  could intensify  the spread of communicable and parasitic  diseases, which often cause higher losses  than the forage or water shortages alone.
Animal health interventions  in general are often decried because they  are perceived as merely  adding to pressure on limited grazing resources. However, an improvement in animal health can result in up to thirty  percent improvement in herd productivity  as healthy  animals  make better use of grazing. Basic  health surveillance and control measures are also essential if the area is to expand their livestock markets.
6.3 LACK OF TRAINED PERSONNEL
As  it been observed there isn't a single staff member specially  trained in livestock breeding and range management at the Woredas  Agricultural and Rural Development Office. In an area where the majority  of its  people depend solely  on livestock, specially trained manpower in animal breeding and range management disciplines  is  much under represented.
Implementers  of livestock  breeding and forage improvement practices  require a comprehensive understanding of livestock  genetics  and management. Thus, the concerned governmental authorities  should start preparing themselves  to train people who would try  to make a difference in livestock  breeding and modern management interventions. The training should be planned to address  the needs  at both sub professional and professional levels.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
27FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
6.4      CLIMATIC LIMITATIONS
Livestock
Rainfall is  the key  factor influencing primary  productivity  and livestock  grazing patterns in the area The variability  within and between rainy  seasons  result in important differences  in forage production and consequently  in the management strategy  of livestock, since almost all management decisions  are based on the availability  of fodder in direct relation to the availability of precipitation.
The rangelands  in the project area represent livestock  production. Linder rainfed condition the growing period may  be sufficient for perennial grasses  and shrubs. But during below average rainfall years  the effect on livestock  is  quite serious. Hence improved forage production under irrigation should be pre-planned.
6.5      CULTIVATION EXPANSION
The major dry  season grazing retreats  in the project area have been converted into private farms, which are limited to cropping of different crops  particularly  sesame production The contribution of sesame by-product and aftermath to livestock  feeding is not significant. Thus, the situation has  a negative impact on the productivity  of the range and livestock. It may  be impossible to stop crop production but it won’t be difficult to direct it so that it can have positive impacts  on livestock  production. Otherwise, the incursion will continue to have serious  repercussions  on the livestock  production system and the dependent population in particular and the economy at large.
It is  true that the community  may  lose access  to the grazing lands  located within the project command area. Because of cultivation expansion within these areas  human population pressure on the remaining land will increase.
After the start of the irrigation project, due to conversion of communal grazing into irrigation livestock  numbers  may  exceed the point where saturation leads  to tragic events  of overgrazing with low productivity  rates. Maintaining an optimum level of livestock  number is  the crucial element in good management of rangelands. The problem requires  serious  attention in the long run. Detailed studies  need to be conducted in relation to socio-economic  and ecological implications  prior to any  step to
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
28FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
WoIkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
its  abolishment.  The  positive  and  negative  effects  of  the  practice  should  be  weighed carefully. Hasty actions may lead to undesirable consequences.
Based upon the expected feed resource and number of total livestock  in the project area, feed balance can be calculated. When the relative accuracy  of the available data referring to both livestock  population and feed resources  is  considered, it may  appear presumptuous  to attempt a feed balance calculation. Nevertheless, such an attempt can provide useful estimates of the feed consumed by each main category of animal and the respective importance of the major source of feed. For easier comparison, the tropical livestock unit is used. This corresponds to an animal weighing 250 kg. The feed balance calculation entirely  depends  on natural pasture, as  feed resources  other than this  in the area are very negligible. It is also assumed that, in view of the very low performance the different kinds  of livestock, requirements  for production of meat and milk  can be neglected.
As the contribution of crop residue to the total feed in the project area is very little feed balance is  calculated on the basis  of natural pasture. It is  estimated from the literature that in the area, on the average about 2t/ha/year of dry  matter yield can be obtained from one ha of grazing land In the command Kebeles  the total area covered by  bush land, shrub land and grassland is  some 16500 ha. This can give about 33164 tonnes of dry matter feed on annual basis. The total TLU calculated from Table 5 is some
32335.9. One TLU requires  about 2.4 t/year for maintenance Therefore, the feed requirement for the total TLU is  77606.16 t/year This  shows  that there is  a clear feed deficit in the project command Kebeles  when calculated on annual basis. Therefore, the livestock in the area must be kept at least at maintenance level. In most areas, close to maximal carrying capacity  of the ranges  has  achieved during years  of average rainfall and, in particularly  dry  years  starvation prevails. In fact the amount of pasture is determined in space and time by  the annual rainfall, which becomes  difficult for the livestock  keepers  to match the supply and demand. During such periods, there is  neither drought-related de-stocking/restocking strategy  nor, feed conservation tradition in the proposed project area. Therefore, unless  feed is  increased and conserved, shortage of feed entails decimation of livestock. Above all. the amount of feed reserved in such
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
29FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
areas   would   determine   the   size   of   the   breeding   stock   available   for   post-drought reconstitution.
6.7      LACK OF FORAGE CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
The community  in the proposed project area are not as  such well practising either to cutting grass  to feed livestock  directly  or conserve it for future use. The people are used to cutting grass  for the construction of accommodations  purposes  and in few instances for feeding their livestock  Thus, it is  evident that every  year a considerable amount of forage gets  wasted, which otherwise could have been conserved in the form of hay  for future use. There is  therefore, an urgent need to encourage the community  to conserve feed properly, manage and utilise.
6.8      LACK OF ADEQUATE EXTENSION SERVICE
Appropriate extension service for the community is yet to be developed. In fact some
attempts are being tried to contact the rural community in order to introduce them to
modern way of livestock management and disease control. But it is hard to comment
on how much success it has achieved due to limitations of baseline data.
6.9     HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH
The growth of population in towns  and the limited source of other employment opportunities  are posing pressure on the size of natural grazing lands. The absorptive capacity  of the shrinking rangelands, in the absence of dramatic  technological innovations  that will increase the productivity  of the land, is  static  or declining through environmental degradation. In relation to the planned irrigation project, the need to restrict population growth, however, may  not be appreciated but a few resources  could be devoted to family planning.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENT AL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTO.
30FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
7. LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
7.1 THE AVAILABILITY OF ADAPTED LIVESTOCK TYPES
It is  a good thing to have livestock  that are well adapted to the prevailing climatic conditions  and vegetation types. These consist of cattle and sheep, which are mainly grazers, goats, which are grazers  and browsers. There are also wild animals, although not many, which feed at various  levels  of vegetation. All these animals  help not only  in converting forage into valuable meat and milk  which otherwise would have been wasted but also in keeping the ecosystem in balance.
In this  environment, natural selection has  conferred adaptation qualities  on livestock breeds  in the area, which should not be neglected (resistance to stress) with good body size. Now these characteristics  are very  complex  as  regards  their genetic  determination and are quantifiable with great difficulty. Despite the availability  of well-adapted livestock types in the area, genetic improvement of populations is still difficult due lack of attention and limited knowledge on the genetic  aspects  and qualities  of the existing livestock which requires  high investment. Effort should be made to separately  evaluate the genetic  and environmental effects  and the contribution of genetic  and environmental effects be quantified.
7. 2. THE STRATEGIC LOCATION OF THE PROJECT AREA
The livestock  resources  are located adjacent and close to the highly  demanding population for livestock  and livestock  products. These are the densely  populated areas of the Tigray  and Amhara central highland and the Sudan. This  can have a great stimulating effect on the proper use of the livestock  resources  in order to produce the quality and quantity of livestock that the different markets demand.
Although there are no figures  to quote that the available livestock  enable to produce the amount of meat and other livestock  products, it is  considered to be high and supports  a relatively  high human population. The area has, however, one big disadvantage in that they  are not yet market oriented. Thus, they  have to be supported with market information.
7.3. GOOD EXPERIENCE OF LIVESTOCK REARING IN THE STUDY AREA
Livelihood livestock  keeping is  very  common in the project area The community  obtains mainly milk and meat. Similarly cash income from the sale of animals is the second most reason for raising livestock.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
3lFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
The human carrying capacity  of the land is  maximised by  emphasising milk  rather than meat in the diet. Milk  has  a higher caloric  value than meat and can, therefore, support more people per animal. The emphasis  is  then placed on producing ample or at least maximal supplies of milk.
Though many  of the livestock  reared in the area are milked, yield per species  and individual animal is very small and is not enough even to satisfy the daily requirement of a person. Compared with the total livestock  population in the Kebeles  under study, the amount of milk  should have been surplus. Milking many  livestock  therefore compensates the deficit. In the time of the field trip, it has been observed that there was no surplus  milk  available in the local market. Therefore, this  indicates  that milk production has  to be improved either through crossbreeding/ and/or selection combined with proper management
Meat is  consumed at household levels  for feasts  and holidays. Each family  slaughters sheep and goats  individually  while close neighbours  and related family  slaughter cattle commonly  for sharing among themselves  Livestock, especially  cattle and goats  are supplied to highlands  for draught and meat purpose. Live animals  mainly  of goats  and cattle are flown to Shire and as  far as  Mekele and to neighbouring Sudan either legally or illegally on foot. It is believed that the Sudan re-exports the surplus to other countries.
7.4. INSTITUTIONAL INVOLVEMENT
German Technical Assistance (GTZ), World Vision, Catholic  Church. Land O’Lake Relief Society of Tigray (REST), BoARD and Mekele University are some of the institutions that are involved in livestock  and livestock  development related activities  in Tigray  Regional State. Some of the activities  conducted by  the institutions  are watershed oriented forage development, water management, production of forage seeds, establishment of milk collection centres, introduction of bulls, breed improvement, and research and training Similarly, federal institutions  such as  MoARD are involved in various  livestock development and conservation activities of the regional state. But these institutes have no activities  in the Wolkayite command area. Hence there is  a need to extend efforts  in livestock development to the Wolkayite Irngation command areas.
WATER WORKS DESIGN ANO SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTO.
32FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
UveslocX
8. LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT NEEDS IN THE PROJECT AREA
Livestock  development in the Wolkayite Irrigation Project area, will contribute to multifaceted efforts  that are geared by  the government such as  poverty  alleviation, food security and alleviation of protein deficiency.
Livestock  development in the area will provide a high quality  animal protein and energy rich meat and milk. It will diversify  the production of food items, that in-turn will play catalytic  roles  in the periods  of food shortages  and income generation during failures  of crops  and other sources  of income It will also serve as  reliable source of quality  meat and milk  as  well as  their products  not only  to the residents  of the area but also to the nearby  consumer areas  at affordable price. It will increase/diversify  the choices  of the consumers  to the food on their tables  at comparably  affordable prices. Moreover, it will play a very significant role in the national GDP and foreign currency fetching.
Livestock  development  in  the  Wolkayite  Irrigation  Project  area  will  play  a  pivotal  role  in creation of employment opportunities and better income.
Through increasing production and productivity  of the livestock  per unit area and animals, and reducing the pressure of the stock  on the natural resources  thereby, livestock  development in the Project Area will contribute towards  sustainable use and conservation of natural resources of the area.
To meet the above, the following livestock development interventions must be met.
-    training and extension
applied research, monitoring and evaluation selection, breeding, diseases, water and watering, value addition to the products, and feeds  resources  and feeding
-    access to credit
-    provision of marketing infrastructures and information
-    gradual development infrastructures such as feeds processing units
-    establishment of demonstration centres
-    provision of on- farm and on-job training
-     provision of technical guidance, and
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
33FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
Population pressures  both in the urban and rural Ethiopia is  increasing alarmingly. This overall population increase suggests  that overall food supply  has  to increase greatly; higher urbanisation would mean a shift in dietary  preferences  towards  higher quality food items such as meat, milk and eggs.
The  following  are  some  of  the  other  important  opportunities  existing  to  the  livestock development in the Wolkayite Irrigation Project Area
i.      Economic liberalization policy of the government favouring, among several
others, for easy licensing to exporters and abattoirs
ii.      Large and diverse livestock and natural resources base of the area
iii.      Proximity of the area for export of outputs to potential consumer areas
iv High potential to integrate with irrigation
v.      Existence of limited know-how and interest to commercial farming, as well as 
practice of milk collection, and
vi.        Inclusion  of  plan  for  the  establishment  of  nucleus  breeding  centres  for  Begait cattle  and  goat  breeds  in  their  localities  as  well  as  semen  production  centre  at Mekele   in   Agricultural   Policies   and   Targets   for   a   Plan   for   Accelerated   and Sustainable   Development   to   End   poverty   (MoARD,   2006b)   as   part   of   genetic improvement  strategies  of  the  country  to  eventually  achieve  targeted  meat  and milk yields within the plan period.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WUH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
34FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
9. LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
9.1.  GENERAL STRATEGIES
Livestock  development strategy  aims  at improving the living standards  of the farmers  by increasing the per animal and unit area productivity  of livestock  rather than by  increasing the size of the livestock  population. Reduction in livestock  numbers  would be useful, although difficult to implement. Improving per animal productivity  and its  implications  for grain production, especially  by  irrigation and other components  of the farming system would need to be studied further. The general strategy is multi-pronged in that it provides for improvement in nutrition, health management, breeding, general husbandry, marketing, credit and research. The strategy allows for the delivery of input packages but the main thrust would be on nutrition, health and genetic improvement.
9.1.1. Nutrition
According to the recent report by  MoARD (2006b), animal feed is  one of the four inputs that rank  to in limiting animal productivity  in Ethiopia. Accordingly, the report sets  the following major strategies  to address  the feed shortage at the national levels  during the plan periods between 2006 and 2010.
i.      Development and expansion of improved pasture
ii.      Improving feed qualities of crop residues
iii.     Clearing of invasive and alien bushes and weeds from rangelands
iv.        Encouraging  of  farmers  in  the  mixed  crop-livestock  areas  to  grow  perennial forages in their backyards, around their farm plots and soil bands as well as non farm lands delineated for natural resources conservation
v.       Diminishing  practice  of  communal  grazing  system  and  distribution  of  these  lands as crop lands to be owned and managed privately
vi.     Adoption of zero grazing and keeping animals at backyards
To  the  realization  of  the  above  strategies,  water  development is, among  others, the key component that has been given due emphasis.
WATERWORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
35FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
9.1.2.   Animal health
Livestock
A number of infectious, parasitic  and zoonotic  diseases  existing in the country  in general pose serious  economic  loses. Besides, the vast fertile area of the country  is  unavailable for livestock and crop production, due to shortage of infrastructure and inappropriate water supply. Some of the major areas of interventions for the plan periods of 2006 to 2010 to overcome the above (MoARD, 2006b) are;
i.      Control of trans-boundary and other important diseases
ii.      Control of tse tse fly and traypanomiasis
iii.      Control of external parasites of sheep and goats
iv.      Improving supply of quality drugs
v.      Improving disease surveillance and exchange of information
vi.      Capacity building of diagnostic laboratories, clinics, health posts
vii Strengthening quarantine and inspection services
viii. Quality control of products and biological, and
ix. Human resources development
9.1.3.   Genetic improvement
Genetic  improvements  of the local animals  in their environments  by  devising clear strategies as well as the use of exotics and their crosses are other important components required to raise production and productivity of livestock.
9.2.  PROJECT AREA SPECIFIC STRATEGIES
9.2.1.   Nutrition
In the project area, animal feeds  are poor in quality  and quantity, until now attempts  to develop improved forages have been hampered by the water shortage. In the presence of irrigation water and by the use of aggressive extension service of the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Woreda on one hand and Project office of Command Area (to be established) as well as the respective agricultural research centres in the region on the other, prevailing severe shortage of feed will be reversed. The strategies  adopted to do so will be parts  and parcels  of the national livestock  feeds  and feed resources development strategy that are suitable to the area.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
36FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Some of the most important strategies are;
1.  improving qualities of crop residues by urea treatment
Livestock
2.    incorporating  of  production  of  improved  grass  and  legume  species  into  irrigation scheme   (e.g.   Sudan   grass,   Elephant  grass,  Vetch,   Lablab,   Alfalfa,   Cow   pea, Sorghum .Maize, Rhodes, Pigeon pea etc)
3.    Encouraging command area farmers to grow perennial forages in their backyards, around  their  farm  plots  and  soil  bands  as  well  as  non-farm  lands  delineated  for natural resources conservation (e.g. Sesbania, Leucaena, Lucerne)
4  Encouraging  farmers  in  the  upstream  catchment  to  grow  perennial  forages  in  their backyards,  around  their  farm  plots  and  soil  bands  as  well  as  non-farm  lands delineated for natural resources conservation (e g. Sesbania, Leucaena, Lucerne)
5.    Substituting  communal  grazing  system  and  distribution  of  these  to  be  owned  and managed privately
6.  Adoption of zero grazing and keeping animals at backyards
9.2.2.  Animal health
A number of infectious, parasitic and zoonotic diseases have been reported in the project area. These include Bovine mapsurellosis, Anthrax  and Black  leg. Trypanosomiasis  is one of the problems of bovine of the area. According to animal health experts in the area Contagious  Caprine Pleuropneumonia is  the only  disease of Ovine and Caprine that has so far been diagnostically  proved to exist in the area. Therefore, numerous  lists  of infectious, parasitic  and zoonotic  diseases  obtained from the Woreda experts  are not included in this report.
It is  known that malnutrition predisposes  animals  to disease With higher levels  of nutrition, however, productivity  increases  and livestock  become important sources  of income.
As  a regular exercise it is  expected that within the vicinity  of the project area there should be veterinary  clinics  and health posts  to serve as  livestock  health facilities and improve the livestock health conditions in the area. The responsibility for these
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
~ 37FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkaylte Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
services  will be given to the respective Woredas  Agricultural and Rural Development Offices  It may  be a mistake to associate the word disease only  with the infections caused by  micro organisms, such as  bacteria and viruses  Disease, however, is  any disruption of normal health. Disease may  be caused by  injury, poor nutrition and poison (both plant and chemical). Whatever be the cause, prevention of disease is the first objective to be considered. It is  therefore, reasonable to ensure better level of nutrition than to give emphasis  to veterinary  aspects. Further investigation on the type and intensity  of livestock  diseases  in the project area should be carried out by concerned regional bureaus.
9.2.3.  Genetic Improvement
Genetic  improvements  of the local animals  in their environments  as  well as  the use of exotics and their crosses are other important components required to raise production and productivity of livestock. Except advising of farmers to use Begait cattle, sheep and goats breeds  and to some extent Nubian goat breeds, no other genetic  improvement activities have so far been introduced in the areas.
Inclusion of plan for the establishment of nucleus  breeding centres  for Begait cattle and goat breeds  in their localities  as  well as  semen production centre at Mekele by  the Government of FDRE in its  Agricultural Policies  and Targets  for a Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development to End poverty  (MoARD, 2006b) as  part of genetic improvement strategies  of the country  to eventually  achieve targeted meat and milk yields  within the plan period can play  a role to accelerate genetic  improvement of the livestock of the area
In addition to the local animals  genetic  improvement strategy  of the Wolkayite Project Area should also take into consideration of using pure and/or crosses  higher yielding exotic  breeds  that can suit to the area. The strategy  that will be devised to raise cattle milk yields, should for example, consider introduction of Jersey breeds and Buffaloes
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTSAND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
38FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
9.2.4.   Extension
Livestock
Outside the crop irrigation areas, the provision of grazing reserves, through stock exclusion and deferred grazing, and advice on appropriate grazing movements  and duration, should be the aspects  of the extension work. The following measures  should be introduced:
•       Culling    unproductive    stock:    This    involves    the    culling    out    or    selling    of unproductive   animals   (old   and   non-breeding   animals)   at   appropriate   time   to improve  feed  shortage  and  relieve  grazing  pressure.  Culling  would  include  old cows,   sheep,   goats   and   all   male   animals   that   are   not   needed   for   breeding purpose  or  work.  By  culling  and  selling  out  the  surplus  animals  extra  income would be obtained which can be used to buy household needs.
•     Teaching  the  use  of  supplements  and  hay  and/or  silage.  There  will  be  plenty  of crop-by   products   (stalks)   from   the   cultivated   fields.   These   by-products   could serve, as a good source of energy and farmers should be made aware on how to ensile  stalks  and  feed  to  their  animals.  Such  sources  of  feed  can  assist  in relieving  the  rest  of  the  range  from  grazing  pressure.  In  addition  to  stalks,  grass hay  can  be  made  from  the  irrigated  pasture.  Training  in  hay  making  technique should be given to farmers.
•      Weed  or  Bush  Control.  Bush  encroaching  invading  the  grazing  lands  in  the Project    Area.    Therefore    the    following    methods    are    recommended    to    be undertaken.
a)    Mechanical   control:   This   involves   removing   the   bush   by   bulldozers   or   hand cutting.
b)    Burning.  This  is  the  cheapest  method  of  brush  control,  but  its  applicability  is limited  to  a  bush  with  a  dense  grass  below  bush,  which  serves  as  fuel  to  carry fire.
c)    Chemical  application:  This  requires  the  application  of  suitable  chemicals  to  bush from   the   air   by   plane   and   or   sprayers   from   the   ground   Both   the   costs   of chemicals and application may prohibit from using it in such areas.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD
39FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
d)          Biological control: This method involves the use of browsing animals and insects such  as  cochineals.  Cochineals  are  effective  in  controlling  cacti.  They  kill  the plant by feeding on it. It is worth noting that such insects should be crop specific
A   combination   of   mechanical   action   (hand   cutting)   and   biological   control   (using browsers)  would  be  advisable.  The  economical  and  risk  free  method  for  the  control  of this  plant  is  to  put  it  to  some  useful  purposes.  To  start  with  the  plant  should  be  cut  at ground level during late December every year just before its pods fully mature. After it is cut  the  leaves  and  pods  should  be  allowed  to  dry.  The  dried  leaves  and  pods  of  some plants are highly palatable and should be fed to livestock.
Therefore,   extension   package   of   the   Woreda   should   be   capacitated   to   help   the government in achieving its policies and programs of poverty reduction in general.
9.2.5.  Marketing
According to MoARD (2006a), 70% of Woredas' capitals of the country operate managed livestock  markets, trading often on one or two day  a week. Livestock  market in the Wolkayite Project area is  very  limited. The nearest livestock  market is  Shiraro and Humera towns. However, the towns  have no established livestock  and livestock  products market. There exists also no specific marketing days to livestock and livestock products in the towns. Therefore, the strategy of the envisaged livestock development should address the issue of livestock and livestock products marketing critically. The strategy should deal for the establishments of formal markets, formal market routes with the required facilities, pricing policy, and strong local, regional and national net working and exchange of information on livestock and livestock products marketing
9.2.6.  Training and research
With a wide variety  of forage crops, pilot level farm trials  should be carried out under irrigated conditions  The aspects  to be studied should include farming practices, inputs and mechanization. Extension work should also form a vital part of the pilot programme, which will be conducted at Agricultural Training Centres  in the region with fodder crops and crop residues. Livestock production research will concentrate on feeding, genetic
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
40FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
improvement and health. On-farm training of farmers should also be a vital component of training to upgrade the know-how of farmers the basics of animal husbandry.
9.2.7.  Credit
The strategy should deal with organizing of credit delivery systems that will enable private farmers, cooperatives  and investors  to purchase inputs  to pursue with the envisaged livestock development schemes.
9.3. DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES
Livestock development in the Wolkayite Irrigation Project Area will have several priorities. Some of the priorities will be conducted simultaneously while the other will be conducted one after the other.
The basis  for the setting of the priorities  and their relative schedule, levels  of intensification are data and information presented in preceding sections  of this  report. Below is additional information to make note in this regard.
In the project area, there exist no clear land use policy  and guidelines  that are concerned with land use and leasing. In most cases  cultivated in the area is  owned privately  except the communal grazing places. But in some cases  the landowners  are subjected to renew the licences of lands so leased at a yearly basis. This, according to the information obtained from the local farmers  of the area may  have negative implication on land and land resources  management. The problem has  since recently been recognized by  the local and regional governments  and lasting solutions  are being worked out. The solution involves  blocking of lands, according to suitability  and topography, into three categories  (blocks  with areas  s  10 ha, 10 - 100 ha. > 100 ha). Blocks  of the first category  will be leased for private local farmers  while those in the second and third categories will be leased to farmers who will be organized in the form of cooperatives  and investors, respectively. The lease period to all of the categories  will be 20 years. All areas  of the project will lie under the administration of land system. Based on the above, the following livestock  development priorities  have been set. However, priorities that are believed to achieve large-scale commercialisation within
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
41FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
short  to  medium  need  to  be  studied  in  detail.  Cooperative  and  commercial  farms  will  be established in a sequential manner within reasonable time interval.
9.3.1.  Command area
9.3.1.1.  Private farmers
Priorities  set for the rearing of livestock  for farmers  in this  group should rely  on keeping of very  few Begait milking cows, Begait and Nubian shoats, poultry  and one or two donkeys  at the backyards. Except the donkeys, high yielding exotics  and/or crosses should gradually  replace the other species. The primary  purposes  of livestock  rearing by these farmers will be for family consumption. Extra young and culled animals will be sold to the market. Backyard poultry rearing will also be practiced to generate, egg, meat and cash
Animals  are stall-fed strictly. Major sources  of feed are improved forages  grown in parts of their plots, weeds  collected from crop fields  and crop residues. Qualities  of residues will be improved by such measures as under-sowing of cereals with legumes
In  the  medium  to  long  terms,  private  local  farmers  should  be  encouraged  to  form  a  sort of cooperatives to run market oriented livestock venture.
9.3.1.2.  Cooperatives
Priorities  set for the rearing of livestock  for farmers  in this  group should rely  on medium scale dairying and fattening, keeping in mind at the planning stage, of its  eventual target towards commercialisation.
The entire target of the venture should be oriented towards  markets. Overall capacity  of the personnel involved in commercial dairying and fattening should be upgraded through on-farm training, technology  transfer and other means  in the short to medium terms. Then, the initial stocks  will eventually  be replaced by  high yielding pure exotics  and/or their crosses. Milk  should be sold whole to the dairy  farms  wherein it will be processed into various  end products  of international standard. Extra young animals  and culled ones will be sold to the market
Major  sources  of  feeds  of  animals  of  cooperatives  will  be  improved  grasses,  legumes and fodder that will be grown at portions and/or edges of their irrigable land, crop
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD,
’    42FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
residues the qualities of which will be improved by such methods as urea treatment, and concentrates. Cooperative will have veterinary  facility  that will oversee livestock  health centrally.
Requirements  for  animal  and  animal  products  by  the  members  of  the  cooperatives  will be satisfied privately by rearing extra animals at backyards.
9.3.1.3.   Commercial farming
In the project area, commercial scale dairying and fattening will be attractive areas  of investment. They  could be conducted by  groups  of individuals, cooperatives  or private investors.
From the out set, dairying and fattening will be started with the clear objective of commercialisation. Therefore, the farms  should have veterinaries  facility  that are fully equipped with necessary  drugs, vaccines, highly  trained as  well as  sufficient manpower and other facilities  required for such levels  of intensities  of farming. Large-scale poultry should also be considered at the medium term.
To learn by  doing commercial dairy  and fattening will start with reasonable number of heads, at the medium scale level, which however, will be upgraded to the large scale based on the availability  of inputs, the level of managerial know-how, facilities  to value addition and markets  to the products. At every  phase of production of both ventures, efficient record keeping is important.
Dairying
At the initial stage, dairying will be started with selected Begait breeds. Overall capacity of the personnel on areas  of commercial dairying will be upgraded through on-farm training, technology  transfer and other means  in the short to medium terms. Then, genotypes  that will be selected for higher yields, as  well as  crosses  or pure exotics breeds  that will suit best to the area will be gradually  introduced. Simultaneously, feasibility  of introducing Jersey  and buffaloes  will also be evaluated. Feasibility  of dairying using the Nubian goat breeds  of the area and gradual introduction of best suiting exotic  and/or their crosses  will also be studied. A demonstration site should be established close to the command area.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTSAND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTO.
43FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Imgation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Fattening
Uvesxock
Fattening in the command area will be started with both large and small ruminant local breeds. At the initial phase of fattening cattle, best performing meat type or types out of the local cattle breeds will be used. Along with the dairy sector, the overall capacity of the personnel on areas of commercial fattening will be upgraded through on-farm training, technology transfer and other means in the short to medium terms. Then, substitution of initial stock with the combination of the pure and/or crosses between other local and exotic beef types and their crosses will be part of the farm plan. The same procedures will also be followed to select small ruminants that will serve as parental stocks to the long term fattening. In addition to animals that are indicated above, fattening farms will also use culled animals from dairy farms and those that will be bought from the surrounding areas.
Poultry
After upgrading the know-how of personnel for poultry production along with those of dairy and fattening or shortly thereafter, poultry production using suitable breeds to the area will also be commenced. The long-term level of intensity of the farm will go through the procedures that are stated in sections 9.3 1.1 and 9.3.1.2. Veterinary facilities to fattening and dairying will be centrally organized to include poultry health aspects. At least one dual-purpose poultry farm will be established in the medium term.
9.4. LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS PROCESSING UNITS
One of the most important objectives of the Wolkayite Livestock Development Projects is fetching of better income from sales of livestock and livestock products. To do so. aggressive strategy should be formulated that would enable the products of the farm not only to penetrate into the zonal, regional and national livestock and livestock products markets but also remain competitive. This, among others, is achieved gradually by value addition on the farm products. Therefore, livestock and livestock products processing activities  such as  freeing of the production environment from known diseases, production of lean and organic  products, hygienic  handling and transportation of products, packing, canning and refrigeration are some of the prerequisites required of
WATER WORKS DESIGN ANO SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS ANO TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
44FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
the  envisaged  Livestock  Development  Project.  Similarly,  improving  the  quality  of  access to marketing facilities will be essential to attain the objective in a sustainable way.
9.5.  DEVELOPMENT APPROACHES
Envisaged livestock  development activities  in the command area of Wolkayite Irrigation Project should be approached simultaneously  at different phases. Initial activities  should start along with designing of physical structures  of irrigation. The approach should begin with acquiring of sufficient sizes  of plots  of lands  and water sources  to grow improved grasses  and legumes. Other activities  that should be approached at different phases  are the following;
1.    Setting  up  of  different  teams  of  man  power  that  will  be  involved  in  selection  of initial  parental  stocks  that  will  be  used  for  each  venture,  identification  of  improved forage and legumes that will suit best to irrigation in the area
2.   Selection of location of areas best suited to each venture
3.  Acquisition of licenses to construct farm structures and other infrastructures
4.     Capacity   building   in   areas   of   feeding,   animal   health,   general   husbandry, recording,    forage    seeds    and    seedlings    production,    and    gradually    products handling, processing and transportation
5.     Establishment   of   local   centres   for   improved   forage   seeds   and   seedlings production
6.    Over/under  sowing  of  cereal  with  legumes  in  the  upstream  catchment  areas  to improve livestock feed quality
7.  Gradual transformation of communal grazing lands into private grazing plots
8.   Gradual prohibition of migration of animals into and out of the areas
9.   Organizing timely on-job training and research
10. Creation of strong links and collaborations with the research centres located in the region and other regional and international stakeholders
11. Bringing into the respective farm structures of the selected animals
12. Improving qualities of crop residues,
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
45FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Lrvestock
13. Establishment of livestock products by-products processing units in the nearby towns, and
14. Establishment of strong net work of information
9.6. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULES
Livestock development activities of private farmers will commence along with other irrigation activities. Development of Cooperatives  and commercial farms  will be implemented in three phases.
1.  Preparation phase: This phase involves activities required during the initial period till the animals are brought into respective structures.
2.  Adaptation phase: This involves periods required to adapt animals to stall feeding until the farms are fully operational. Capacity building in most of the areas of productions will be conducted during this phase.
3.   Operational phase: This phase starts with full commercialisation of respective farms. In this phase, more and better performing animal breeds and/or crosses have already been under production, and managerial know-how will be at their level best.
9.7. RESOURCES REQUIRED
9.7.1.  Physical resources
The most important physical resources required are;
i.     parental stock
ii.
iii.
construction materials
seeds and/or seedlings of improved forages
iv.
infrastructures such as roads
v.
Processing plants (abattoirs and milk processing)
vi.
animal products store
vii.
viii.
refrigeration and canning materials 
laboratory, and
ix.     chemicals
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
46FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Delail Design Project
9.7.2.  Human resources
Livestock
A full time manager is  required to oversee the whole activities  starting from the beginning. A committee comprising of animal breeder and animal health will be required to select breeder animals of each species at the initial period. The number of labourers required to transport purchased parental stock will be dependant upon the number of initial animals, distance of the sources of animals, means of transportation and other unforeseen factors. After settling animals into their respective structures, labourers are required to maintain, feed, milk, clean and conduct other routine farm-based activities. Other activities that require include labourers that;
1.          construct holding structures and fences
2 work at forage fields
3.  transport inputs and outputs
4.  work in abattoirs, milk processing units and other value addition facilities
At least a veterinarian and two livestock health assistants are required. Veterinarians are also required to conduct the entire livestock heal associated activities of the proposed development. Moreover, manpower for the abattoir, milk processing units and animal products store will be some of the other components of human resources requirement.
9.8.  PROJECT COSTS AND BENEFITS
9.8.1.   Project Costs
Major costs incurred for livestock development are for,
i selection and purchase of parental stock
ii.     transportation of purchased parental stock to the farm sites
iii.     construction of farm structures
iv.     establishment and development of improved forages
v.     purchasing and transportation of forage seeds and seedlings
vi.     construction of infrastructures such as roads
vii.     construction of, laboratory, abattoirs, chilling, packing, milk processing units, animal products store
viii.     purchasing of refrigeration and canning materials
ix.   purchasing of other breeds of better performance
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
47FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkaytte Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project________ ______________ ____________________________Uveilocfc
x.     maintenance of farm structures, and
xi.     chemicals
Examples of cost estimates for major livestock development plans are presented below: Table 9. Small scale dairy development -estimated cost
Cost item
Total cost Birr
1. Project coordination
Local staff
Office supplies and institutional support
Transport
2. Project components
Fodder production & feeding, breeding &
management
Animal health
Milk marketing
Support to Al & bull stations
3. Technical assistance
Specialists
Personnel related costs
Total cost
Contingency 10%
Grand total
427191.00
208020 00
96376.00
294502.00
1188188.00
336120.00
300560.00
38497200
172496 00
197163 00
3.605,588.00
360.558.80
3,966146.80
Table 10. Estimated Project Costs for small-scale fattening
Cost Item
Total cost Birr
Purchase of oxen @ 1800.00 Birr/head/ cycle
Feed cost for 90 days
Training & Extension service
Veterinary service
Other expenses
Total
Contingency
Grand Total
9,000000.00
1,250.000 00
2.100,000.00
13,750.00
714350.
13,078,100.00
1.307.810.00
14,385,910.00
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
48FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Table 11.Estimated Project Costs for improved forage production
Livestock
Activities
Total Cost (Birr)
I. Investment Cost
- Motor cycles @20,000.00
- Office materials
- Field equipment
B) Seedlings
- Purchase and transport of seed
C) Training
- Technical staff
- Farmers
100,000 00
35,000.00
30,000.00
50,000.00
450,000.00
1,000.000.00
Total Investment Cost
1,665,000.00
II. Recurrent Cost
1 Motor cycle
2 Office supplies
3. Running cost for seed
12,000.00
4.000.00
25,000 00
Total Recurrent Cost
41,000.00
Total cost
1,706,000.00
Contingency 10%
170,600.00
Grand Total
1,876,600.00
Prices  and costs  vary  temporally  and spatially  attributed to combinations  of factors  such as  fluctuations  of prices, estimation of the costs  of the project is  difficult to estimate and need further work
9.8.2.   Project beneficiaries and benefits
The primary  beneficiaries  of the livestock  development are the farming communities located in and around the command and Kebeles  near the Wolkayite Irrigation Project area and region and the country at large
Benefits  from the proposed livestock  development are several and multifaceted. They include increased access  to inexpensive, protein-rich foodstuffs, increased employment
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
49FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
opportunities, increased income and related agricultural developments. Consumption benefits  will also accrue to the region through increased supply  of animal produce. Moreover, production of value added and quality animal products will play greater roles to the GDP of the country  through generation of foreign currency  as  well as  to poverty alleviation.
9.9. ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT
The responsibility  for organization and management of the proposed livestock development will initially  be given to the Department of Animal Husbandry  and Fisheries Resources  (BoARD) of the Tigray  Regional State. It however, should eventually  be transferred to the Project Office to be established within the Command. Staff of the Project Office should comprise members  from the Department of Animal Husbandry  and Fisheries  Resources  of the Regional State (Animal Husbandry  Expert), Animal Husbandry Expert of the Wolkayite Woreda Office of Agriculture and Rural Development, concerned representative from the nearby  research centres, the Woreda administrator, religious leaders, local administration and local beneficiaries.
9.10. CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS
The criteria for success of the integrated livestock projects are;
i.      increased per capita meat and milk and consumption by the population of the area from  the  present  level  of about 6.8kgs  and  22 litres,  respectively  by  50 and 75%, respectively in the next 5-10 years
ii.       increased  household  incomes  in  the  target  population  attributable  to  livestock production
iii.      improved understanding of the livestock resources in the Wolkayite Irrigation
Project area
iv.      Increased employment opportunity for the communities located around the farms.
9.11. ESTIMATED HOUSEHOLD BUDGET
9.11.1 Existing Situation
At the existing situation farmers  don’t make decisions  related to the whole farm such as what crops  to grow, what animals  to raise, what type of system, what inputs  to use and how to market. Farmers simply take into account the family subsistence requirements,
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
50FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayrte Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
marketing opportunities  and availability  of resources  (land and labour). Under the present condition, marketing factors such as prices and costs, profits and revenue, ratio of output to input are not well considered. Hence guess-estimates  are considered to calculate household level budgets.
The major sources of incomes and costs are listed below:
Revenue from sales
1.  Average income from sale of one surplus cattle Birr 1564.00
2.  Average income from sale of goats (2/yr) Birr 446.00
3.  Average income from sale of Asses
Birr 362.00
4.  Sale of hide
Birr 14.00
5.  sale of goat skin
Birr 12.00
6.  sale of milk ©Birr 4/I, 2x2x240
Birr 3840.00
7.  sale of chicken 3/yr @ 25/hd
Birr 75.00
Total revenue/household
Birr 6313.00
Costs
In the area land is  free. Hence cost for land is  not included. It is  also common that mature men and children themselves  look  after their animals  hence there is  no hired labour cost. But few people reported that there is  hired labour in certain seasons. This cost is, therefore, estimated to be Birr 10/day, which is about Birr 3650.00
In livestock  production over 50% of the cost is  incurred on feed. When farmers  were interviewed if they purchase feed, only 10% of the farmers responded for buying feeds. The feed includes  hay  and milling by-products. This  cost is  also estimated to be Birr 15/t/. If a farmer buys 2 tonnes/yr it costs him Birr 30.00
The  other  costs  include  medicines/vaccines,  veterinary  services  and  marketing  costs. These are estimated at Birr 150.00/yr.
Total cost is estimated at Birr 3650.00 + 30.00 4- 150.00 = 3830.00
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
5IFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Net income =total revenue-total cost Birr 6313.00-3830.00 = 2483.00
9.12. UNDER THE PROJECT
Livestock
When the project operates inputs and outputs are expected to increase from alternative farm plans. Under the envisaged project the farmers’ goal is to maximise profit and not necessarily  only  productivity. Determining the farmers'  goal is  good. For example the household may set as a goal increasing income during the dry periods and achieve this by  introducing improved livestock  breeds  and improved forage crops  in addition to cropping.
At this time there will be known costs for labour and other inputs.
Wages  for hired labour for cultivating, watering, harvesting and handling improved forage production and feeding one-man day for 300 days at Birr 20/day = 6000.00. The family members will also be engaged in feeding and management of livestock. This cost is estimated on average at Birr 30.00/day and for 300 days it amounts Birr 900.00.
Other feed costs; (concentrate, salt, minerals) to feed for the young and lactating animals. This cost is estimated in the area at Birr 250/q and for one household 2 quintals cost Birr 500.00
Non-feed costs; veterinary  medicine and drugs, vaccines  per household to treat all animals are estimated at Birr 200.00. Under the project it is expected that almost all animals are in indoor feeding and the incidence of contagious diseases will be less The other costs  will include breeding costs, forage seed costs, milk  hauling/marketing, transportation, taxes etc. This costs are estimated at Birr 500.00/household/yr.
Total cost is 6000.00 + 900.00 + 500.00 + 200.00 +300.00 =8100.00
It is  expected that under the project a family  will have two improved dairy  cows (crossbreds). Each cow is  expected to give 10 litres  per day  which will lactate on average for 240 days. The total milk yield will be 10x2x240 =4800 litres.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
52FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Therefore the major benefits from the project will include:
Increased milk yield
Increased growth rate of kids and calves 
Increased workforce of large animals 
Increased conception rates 
Improved birth intervals
Reduced mortality and morbidity rates 
Increased meat, meat & milk by-products
Manure
The major incomes from the benefits are the following:
Livestock
8 Average income from sale of one culled cattle Birr 3000.00
9 Average income from sale of goats (2/yr) 10. Average income from sale of Asses 11. Sale of hide
12 sale of goat skin
13. sale of milk ©Birr 4/1, 2x10x240
14. sale of chicken 3/yr © 30/hd
Total revenue/household
Net household income =23,278.00-8100 00 = Birr 15,178.00
Birr 600.00
Birr 362.00
Birr 14.00
Birr 12.00
Birr 19200.00
Birr 90.00
Birr 23,278.00
The Benefit Cost Ratio (B/C) = 15,178.00/8100.00 =1.87.00. Therefore for one Birr
expense the farmer will get Birr 1.87.00
9.13 IMPACT OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE AND CROPPING PATTERN ON LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
Since livestock are valued for income and investment purposes, they cannot be excluded from irrigation schemes. The following observations are salient:
(1)  Investment in irrigation development not only attracts an increased human population to the site, but also causes a concentration of livestock from surrounding areas, as migration occurs,  and  encourages  an  increased  investment  in  animals  (if  the  scheme  produces profits).
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
53FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
(2)  Local  natural grazing resources soon become inadequate to support the increased numbers of livestock, initiating processes of degradation
(3)  Irrigated crops offer a potential increase in the amount of crop residues available for livestock, and there are incidental benefits, such as canal-side grazing
(4) Livestock tend to be regarded by project managements as a menace, since they may, if carelessly managed, cause damage to irrigation works, and create coordination problems in integrating cropping cycles with access to residues, thereby damaging crops. (5) These problems tend to be resolved by sending livestock off the scheme for a part or all of the year, supervised by herders
(6) The risks that accompany intensified market integration on irrigation schemes tend to strengthen the perceived value of livestock ownership as a form of insurance as well as a way of investing profits; but intrinsic incompatibilities between capitalised irrigated farming and  under-capitalised  livestock  husbandry  may  result  in  a  low  level  of  crop-livestock integration,  a  physical  separation  of  household  crop  and  livestock  enterprises,  and  a dominant view at the household level of cropping and livestock as alternative economic strategies
Based on field observation and views  of experts  working in the area crop residues provide smaller proportion of the feed intake while about 80% of the feed is  derived from natural grazing annually. It is  also evident that increased human population and land pressures  in the area are likely  diminishing grazing land, deforestation, soil erosion and the farming of marginal land. So the remaining grazing land cannot feed animals throughout the year
It is expected that farmers themselves will cultivate mainly maize and sorghum in their plot of land under irrigation. As a result, there will be sufficient feed from the stalks. The feeding value of stalks is higher than wheat straw. Chopping stalks direct from the fields, after grain removal, into forage trailers for transport to the feedlot could be a possibility and should be encouraged Chopped stalks should be as good as well-conserved hay or Teff straw, could be fed with less waste and could be more easily mixed with other feeds, if any move can be made to more thoroughly mixed rations Trials of feeding
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS ANO TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
54FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayrle Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
chopped stalks have shown this also to be a possibility in emergencies, if there is no cheaper alternative.
The stalks  can be utilised as  roughage for feeding cattle. If mixed with leguminous forage, stalks could be a good source of feed particularly for dairy cattle. Earlier studies reported that unfavourable environmental conditions  were the setbacks  to dairy development in the area However, if the environment is improved in terms of feed, health and management production of milk from such animals could be a profitable way to convert stalks. Under good management, high yielding exotic  breeds  could be introduced in a large-scale especially through cross breeding program. Upgrading local stock to a tropical milk breed such as Sahiwal would be another alternative to boost the milk production in the area
Data from the literature show that under improved cultivation techniques on average from one hectare of land about 3 tonnes of maize or sorghum stalks can be produced. The average livestock holding per household in the command Kebeles is about 5.84 (4.1 TLU) cattle and 2.245 (.22 TLU) goats, the total TLU being 4.32. The number of sheep is insignificant to be included in the analysis. The maintenance DM requirement of one TLU (an equivalent of 250 kg live weight) is estimated to be 3% of body weight or 2.7 tonnes of DM per year or 7.5 kg of DM per day. If each household cultivates at least half ha under irrigation, using double cropping system, there will be at least 6 tonnes of stalks per household per year. This is sufficient to feed at least 2 2 TLU annually on maintenance basis. Therefore, if the stakes are properly managed, there will be surplus feed to livestock in the project area even during dry the dry season
Strengthening of the farming community in fattening project will help as a means of accruing income diversification, as it will link them to market. Fattening results 
elsewhere on roughage-based diet indicates a successful fattening achievement. Provided that appropriate training on the mixing of feeds and feeding techniques and timely market information is given to farmers it is possible to attract the farming communities to enter the business chain.
Basic market information is lacking that will allow the farmers at large know the type of animals that are required for fattening and market. Therefore, information on herd size,
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS ANO TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
55FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
age-weight, sex and type of animals required for fattening and market is important to farmers. Moreover, providing the herders  with chopping machines  and giving appropriate training in using chopping machines  is  essential. This  would open new possibilities for the herders in the project area to improve their present way of living.
In addition to community based fattening program, commercialisation of beef production or ranching units can be encouraged. The transition from community based fattening to commercial type would require a considerable capital input, the full benefits of which would not be felt immediately. Furthermore, where the investment is  made using borrowed funds, loan servicing and repayment would feature in the cash flows of the critical development period. Group/cooperative management could be another alternative for owners of smaller herds.
For commercial and/or group or cooperative management, stalks could also be fed as a mix with other rations for feedlot finishing. The livestock owners themselves as a means of business diversification outside farming can carry out this type of feedlot finishing. In feedlot operation, over 50% of the cost is incurred on feed. Hence, in this case since feed will be available from crop residues and improved green fodder the production of meat and/or mutton is technically and economically possible. However, costs associated with investments, recurrent and revenues should be worked out in detail.
Although small increases in performance through the use of supplementary feeding can be obtained the more intensive finishing of cattle in feedlots  offers  a number of advantages. Intensive finishing of slaughter cattle decreases the time taken to reach a slaughter weight, improves  the carcase quality  and reduces  the amount of grazing consumed thus making it potentially available for more breeding stock. Though feedlot rations contain a high proportion of cereals, grains such as maize can be available from the proposed project area itself.
The proposed net irrigable area of the Wolkayite Irrigation Project is some 27,039 ha of land. This area is normally used for dry and wet-season grazing place plus for some arable land.
The   best  pastureland   tends  to   have   the  best  soils,  though  dry-season   pasture productivity also depends on the spatial distribution of floodwater. The proposed
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
56FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
irrigation scheme will therefore occupy  much of the most productive grazing in the Kebeles under study. The estimated average dry matter yield to be lost due to crop cultivation is about 1.5 t/ha per year Thus, a total of 40,558 5 tonnes of dry forage would be lost each year from the 27,039 ha of dry-season grazing lost for the crop irrigation. On the basis  of dry  matter consumption this  is  sufficient to feed 15,021.6 TLUs. In the command area it is proposed that about 8% or (2,163.12 ha) of the net irrigable area will be allotted to green fodder production. Under irrigation scheme improved forage grasses such as Rhodes grass, Sudan grass, Cenchrus ciliaris and Elephant grass can give a yield of about 40 to 49 t/ha and are relatively easy to manage. Based on this  assumption from the 2,163.12 ha there will be 86,524.8 tonnes  of improved green fodder production, which is sufficient to feed 32,046 2 TLUs annually. The total TLU including equines available in the command Kebeles is 27,015.8. This requires 72,942.66 tonnes of dry matter feed, which is well below the available green fodder production. In the command Kebeles each household is expected to allot about a quarter of land for green fodder production which can give about 10 tonnes of dry matter feed. This is sufficient to feed at least 3 fattening steers or lactating cows on annual basis.
Productive livestock  such as  lactating, pregnant animals, young and fattening stock using grazing or using cut- and-carry system or stored as a hay or silage then can use the improved pasture. Careful consideration should be given to the management particularly if the pasture is used for grazing. Technical assistance and the necessary training on establishment, husbandry and conservation as well as feeding techniques should be given by experienced and skilled extension agents. Each family or village in collaboration with the MoA would select a suitable trainee to manage its own pasture plot. Training would be provided at Farmers Training Centres.
To avoid the likely conflict with households living out side the reach of the project area, motor pumps should be provided to farmers to be used for crop and pasture irrigation. The principle is  excellent and should be effective. But, costs  associated with motor pumps  should be supplied at subsidy  during the first 2-3 years. Unfortunately, no general picture could be obtained, by the time of writing, of the numbers, benefits and costs  of the pumps. Such detail work  would be essential for any  judgement on the relative emphasis to be placed on such structures. The need for them may be argued,
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTSAND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD
57FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Livestock
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project  ______________________________________________ _________ —
but it should be underlined that water supply, not forage availability is the limiting factor
for the fuller utilization of such project.
Considering the integration of crop-livestock, animals provide manure and draught power for cultivation, while crop residues and by-products serve as animal feed. Similarly forages are part of the cropping cycle, and the animals and crops form part of the same production unit. The potential importance of such integrated systems  is  associated with the complementarities of the crop and animal systems resulting in increased total productivity. These forms of integration do exist in smallholdings in the project area. But the selection of what crops and improved forages can be integrated with animals, or what animals can be integrated with crops, will greatly depend on the availability of crop types and animals. A farmer may be able to implement, on his own, a crop-livestock enterprise, if provided with capital, sufficient labour, access to credit and transport system and marketing support. In the project area the catchment, especially the medium and high plateaus and steep slopes, are degraded at various levels, and can be more productive if they are properly conserved. Forage crops play a very important role in soil conservation and at the same time provides nutritionally  useful feed for the livestock  Hence, intensified use of available land is required. Therefore, conservation based intensive forage production should be employed.
The proposed strategy can introduce improved technology in a more intensified manner. No doubt with appropriate support services and programming farmers should be willing to participate more fully Moreover, farmers will maintain diversified production of crops and livestock whereby the risk of dependence on one resource is reduced and at the same time the farmers  will benefit from the complementary  effects  of crops  and livestock production. Such a strategy  will allow farmers  to produce sufficient forage for their livestock and relieve the grazing pressure on either communal or private grazing lands. It is also advised that animals be tethered in the backyards and in the fields to control the grazing more effectively. Live fencing could be used to demarcate forage areas. Such live fences could consist of tree/shrub legumes, which could also be fed to livestock.
Fodder tree species such as Sesbania and Leucaena could also be planted in the irrigated areas as part of the agro-forestry program (continuous production all round the year). They would also provide much-needed fuel-wood.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
58FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
The cropping pattern for improved forages cascades other crops The Table below shows example of forage crops, calendar, cropping pattern and percent cropping intensity during the rainy season, dry season and extended rainy and dry season
For  full  description  of  cropping  pattern  of  food  crops  and  forage  crops  refer  to  the Agronomy Report.
Table 12. Proposed crop calendar, cropping pattern and percent cropping intensity
during the rainy season, dry season and extended rainy and dry season
Sowing
date
Harvesting
date
Crop
period
Pre-sowing
irrigation (mm
Cut off date fo
last irrigation
Remarks
1st June
30th Sep
102
—
10th Sep
Months of May & October are turn around periods
1st Nov.
30th April
161
10th April
Proposed livestock development activities in the envisaged Wolkayite Irrigation Project Area encourage the use of fewer animals that are more productive per unit input. The activities encourage privatisation of grazing lands whereby the areas will be managed more responsibly than was the case earlier when communal grazing was practised. They increase the off-take of the livestock  of the areas  by  purchasing to the proposed slaughterhouses. Because of these, among several others, the envisaged livestock development schemes of the Wolkayite Irrigation Project will have significant positive impacts on the environment Overgrazing, trampling as well as other negative impacts will drastically be reduced, thus helping the environment of the area to regenerate gradually.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS ANO TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
59FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
10. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
10.1. CONCLUSIONS
The  following  conclusions  may  be  drawn  from  the  studies  on  livestock  resources component of the Wolkayite Irrigation Project;
i.      Significant amounts of residues from different cereals, vegetables, fruits and cane  tops  as  well  as  improved  forage  and  agro-industrial  by-products  are likely to be created by the commissioning of Wolkayite Irrigation Development Project.
ii.       The  study  indicated  that  people  have  well  developed  habits  of  livestock rearing  so  as  to  generate  income  and  use  them  as  sources  of  meat,  draft power and milk. Due to shortages of adequate animal feeds and water as well as prevailing diseases and parasites, productivities of livestock have severely been  affected.  Thus,  prices  of  livestock  products  are,  unaffordable,  resulting in ever declining consumption levels.
iii.      There  is  much  scope  for  livestock  development  in  the  area  on  account  of producing   better   quality   quantity   feeds   in   higher   quality/quantity   and availability   of   water   sufficient   for   livestock   watering   requirements,   and people’s  perception  towards  livestock  husbandry.  Many  people  are  already engaged  in livestock  rearing  as  crop-livestock farmers and/or combining with other activities that can work for full time provided there is enough business.
iv.      The level of consumption of meat and milk by the beneficiaries of intervention is forecasted to increase by 50 and 75%, respectively from the present level over a period of 5 to 10 years. This cannot only be achieved but may exceed by  taking  all  round  development  strategies  along  with  value  addition  and modernised marketing.
v.       The  study  also  concluded  that  livestock  development  interventions  in  the Wolkayite Irrigation Project area will not only increase the incomes of the farm owners  in  particular  but  also  will  provide  ample  opportunities  of  employment to the people of the area and its surroundings.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH INTERCONTINENTAL consultants and technocrats pvt. ltdFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
10.2. RECOMMENDATION
Livestock
i.      Construction of livestock market facilities, barns, dips, silos and urea treatment facilities  as  well  as,  selection,  transportation  and  stocking  of  parental  stocks, genetic improvement, diseases control, provision of seeds and seedlings, drugs, training  of  farmers  in  farm  management,  harvesting,  processing,  storage  and transportation of products are to be planned by the Government initiative for the realization of livestock farming in Wolkayite Irrigation Project area.
ii.      Major  benefits  of  the  farm  are  incomes  derived  from  sales  of  finished  live animals, milk and eggs, employment opportunities to the local community, higher per  capita  meat  and  milk  consumption,  and  significant  positive  impact  on  the environment that will be ensured through substituting communal grazing by stall feeding of fewer but high yielding animals with the expectedly increasing per unit inputs that would be achieved through the improved management practices. This needs  to  be  properly  processed,  stored  and  marketed  by  the  help  of  relevant office.
lii. Livestock husbandry can be improved through research and extension linkage in the area for which proper strategy may be thought of
iv.     Livestock keepers need credit on affordable terms to organise the farm business.
v.      For  proper  execution,  monitoring  and  evaluation,  the  Department  of  Livestock and Fisheries Resources of the Regional State may post a technical staff with adequate powers and facilities near the command area of the Wolkayite Irrigation Project  to  be  readily  available  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  people  with technical assistance and scientific support.
vi.       For  the  proper  administration  and  execution  of  the  strategies,  planned  and integrated approach may be taken for all aspects of livestock development so that people may get a one-window service.
vii.      The Livestock Development Section may fall in one unit under the "Command Area Project office". The officer heading the agency may have powers of Head of the Livestock to take administrative, technical and financial decisions to execute the programs in stipulated time.
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL consultants and technocrats pvt. ltdFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
viii.       For fetching better prices to the livestock farmers and foreign exchange for the nation, livestock and livestock products market may be developed in the nearby towns, which may find a door for national and international trade.
ix.      With the view of better processing and preservation of livestock and livestock products,   processing   facilities,   agro-industries   and   cold   storages   may   be established in the area.
x.      The Government can accelerate all developmental works with the initiative and prioritisation.  To  attain  transparency,  however,  people’s  participation  could  be desirable.
REFERENCES
Dept, off Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Resources of Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tigray Regional State, 2006.
Ethiopian Energy  Committee and CESSEN-ANSALDO/FINMECCANICA Group (1986). Biomass  Energy  Resources  of Ethiopia. Technical Report 1, 83pp.Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2001). FAOSTAT. FAO Statistical Database on Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Nutrition. Rome, Italy.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations  (2006). Livestock's  Long Shadow Environmental Issues  and Options. Rome, Italy, ISBN 978-92-5-105571- 7, 390pp.
Ministry  of  Agriculture  (2004).  Memorandum  on  the  Foreign  Trade  Regime:  Ethiopia, Main Draft Document (Text), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (2006a). Livestock Master Plan Study Phase I Report- Data Collection and Analysis (Draft). Volume I, Executive
Summary. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (2006b). Agricultural Policies and Targets for a Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development to End poverty PASDEP) 2005/6 - 2009/10. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Office of Agriculture and Natural Resource Development of Wolkayite Woreda, 2007.
WATER WORKS DESIGN ANO SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD
62FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Annex I. Livestock
Livestock
I.
General
1.
Do you use oxen to plough all your croplands? (Y/N)---------------- . If yes,
a) how many pairs of oxen do you use? - ---------------------------------------------
b) total number of days in a year you use to cultivate your croplands.
c) what is the size of a plot cultivated by a pair of your oxen/day (ha)9
If no, how do you plough your crop lands (indicate the associated per unit and
total cost, if any).------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Do you use:
a) cows and/or any other species of livestock for ploughing? (Y/N)-------------- If yes, which ones (specify).--------------------------------------------------------------
b) oxen to other activities other than ploughing? (Y/N)--------------------  If yes. which activities? (specify).---------------------------------------------------------------
3. Do you practice any other agricultural activities other than ploughing that
involve your livestock? (Y/N)--------------- . If yes,
a) what are the activities?------------------------------------------------------------------
b) which species and/or groups do they involve?-------------------------------------
c) how many heads are required?--------------------------------------------------------
d) how long will each activity last?-----------------------------—------------------------
II.  Herd Structure, Production and Productivity
1. Herd structure and mean productivities of your cattle
1.1.  Herd structure
a)         number of suckling calves (heads):-------i. males---------- ii. females-----------b) growers (after weaning & before sexual maturity):
i. total (heads)---------------- ij. heifers-------------------iii. steers----------------
c) number of heifers:--------------- i. in-calf heifers------------
d) number of cows (heads):---------- i. milking------------ii. non-milking
e) number of oxen (heads): i. the entire------------------ ii. castrated
f) do you set aside special bull/s for breeding purpose only? (Y/N).------------- If yes,
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
63FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Live slock
how many?----------------------------------------------------
g)         total heads of cattle.-----------------------------------
1.2.  Production and productivities of your cattle
a) age at sexual maturity (months): i. females------------------- ii. males
b) age at first ploughing (months).---------------------------------------------------------
c) age at weaning (months): i. females--------------- ii. males-----------------
d) calving interval (months).------ e) milk yield/day/liter------- f) length of lactation.
2. Flock structure and mean productivities of your sheep
2.1. Flock structure
a) number of lambs (heads): 0-6 months: i. males---------ii. females------------- 6-12 months: i males--------------- ii. females-----------------------------------
12-24 months: i. males------------- ii. females-----------------------------------
b) number of ewes (heads): i. suckled------------ ii. non-suckled--------------------
c) number of rams (heads) i the entire---------------- ii. castrated---------------- -—
d) do you set aside special ram/s for breeding purpose only? (Y/N).------------ . If yes, how many'’ —-————————————————
e) total heads of sheep---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2. Production and productivities of your sheep
a) age at weaning (months): i. males--------------- ii. females-----------------------
b) age at sexual maturity (months): i. males------------ ii. females-----------------
c) age at first lambing (months).--------- d) lambing interval (months)------------
e)         litter size/lambing (No.)----------- -------------- -------------------------------
3. Flock structure and mean productivities of your goats
3.1. Flock structure
a) number of kids (heads): 0-6 months: i. males--------------- ii females---------- 6-12 months: i. males------------- - ii. females---------------------------------
12-24 months: i. males------------- ii. females---------------------------------
b) number of does (heads): i. suckled------------ii. non-suckled-------------------
c) number of bucks (heads): i. the entire----------------- ii. castrated
d) do you set aside special buck/s for breeding purpose only? (Y/N).---------- If yes, how many?-----------------------------------
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
64FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
e)         total heads of goats------------
3.2.  Production and productivities of your goats
a) age at weaning (months): i. males
b) age at sexual maturity (months): i. males
c) age at first kidding (months).-----------------
Lh/eslock
ii. females------- ----- ii. females
d) kidding interval (months)----------- e) litter size/kidding (No.) 4.  The number of other species of your livestock (heads)
a) camels: ii. males--------------- ii females 
iii- total
b) donkeys: i. males-------------- ii- females ——— iii. total
c) horses: i. males---------------- ii- females--------------- iii. total —
d) mules: i. males----------------- ii. females---------------iii. total
g) if any other (specify)-------------------------------------
5. What types of beehives do you use? a) types------------------------------ ------------
b)         advantages and disadvantages by hive types--------------------------- 6 Prices e)ochf micke ajonr l(ivetotst alo)-ck  ----sp---e--ci--e-s ---so---ld per year by your household and their
f) hmoanrekey tbpereicecos lo(Bniirers ). (total)------------- i. the number of times you harvest
honey/year----------------ii. yield of honey/hive/harvest (kg)----------------------
Species
Young males
Young
females
Mature
females
Unsaturated
males
Number
Castrated
males
Price/hd
number
price/
hd
Number
price/hd
number
price/hd
number
price/hd
Cattle
Sheep
Goats
Camels
Asses
chicken
7. Prices of major livestock products sold per year by your household and their
mark prices (Birr)
Species
Skins
Hides
Milk
Butter
Eggs
Honey
Power*
Birr/pc
Birr/pc
Birr/lit
Birr/kg
Others (specify)
Cattle
No./Birr
Birr/kq
WATER WORKS DESIGN ANO SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD
65FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Destgn Project
Sheep
Goats
Chicken
C amplR
.
Equines
* if there is any animal power sold by your household, specify including the unit and total prices.
8. Why do you sell livestock and livestock products?
a) I sell to------------------------------------------------------------------------------ b) I purchase to----------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Do you set priorities to species when you want to sell live animals (Y/N). If yes, how?---------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Where do you sell livestock and livestock products?--------------------------- III.  Feed Resources and Herding
1.  List major sources of your livestock feed in order of importance
g----------------------------------------------------------
2. Location of natural grazing areas to your livestock.
1. within your Kebele only (Y/N).--------------- . If yes,
a) list the names of these areas.-------------------------------------------------
b) months in the year they support your livestock---------------------------
c) distance of these areas from your village (km)----------------------- 2. Both within your Kebele and other Kebeles (Y/N).---------------- . If yes,
a) list the names of other Kebeles and of the grazing areas?--------
b) how far are these areas from your village (km)?------------------------ 3. Have you ever gone, along with your livestock, to other Woredas for search of
natural grazing and/or water to your livestock (Y/N).--------------------- . If yes, a) to which Wereda?----------------------------------------------------------------------- b) how often ?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) how far are they (km)?------------------------------------------------------------------
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
4 Do livestock of others come to graze in your community grazing areas (Y/N). —
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD,FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Imgation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
If yes, which one or combinations of the following? from:
a) areas found within your Kebele-------------------------------------------------------
b) areas found outside your Kebele but within your Woreda--------------------
c) areas found outside your Kebele and the Woreda------------------------------
d) from the combinations of above (mention as a, b, etc.)------------------------
5. Are the natural grazing areas found in your areas owned by some
groups/communities?
(Y/N).----------------- . If, yes,
a) by whom?---------------------------------------
b) how many such areas are found within the area you graze your livestock?
6. Do other communities have any right to graze their animals in areas that are owned by other groups/communities? (Y/N).------------------ . If,
a) yes, to what extent or on what basis of agreement?----------------------------
b) no, where do others graze their stock?---------------------------------------------
c) advantage and disadvantage of the above type of ownership---------------
7 Are the natural grazing areas you used to graze your animals years ago
exhibiting signs
of deterioration (Y/N).------------------------------------ . If yes, a) why?------------------- b) what are the most noticeable signs?-------------------------------------------------- If no, are there any noticeable improvements? (Specify)------------------------
8. Are there any sources of conflicts associated by the use of natural grazing? (Y/N). -If yes, a) with whom?------------------------------------------------------------ b) why?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) how often?------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------
d) how do you solve such conflicts------------------------------------------------------ 9. Do you graze your animals your aftermath crop fields (Y/N).-----------------------
If yes, a) of which crop fields (list from most important to the least)?----------
b) for how many months in the year do they support your livestock?-------- 10. Do you allow the livestock of others to graze your aftermath fields (Y/N).-------
If yes, of whom do you allow? Of:
a)         anybody?------- b) your relatives only?-------------------------------------
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
67FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
c)         your neighbours/community? -------------------------------------------------- d) combination of anyone above (specify, as a, b, etc.) ———————
11. When do you allow livestock of others to graze your aftermath? (after it has
been grazed by your livestock, with your livestock at the same time or in different
12. Do others allow your livestock to graze their aftermath? (Y/N).
If yes, in a way you allow them or differently? (Specify).----------------------------
If no, why not?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Is there any conflict by the use of aftermath grazing? (Y/N).--------------------------
If yes, a) why?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
b) with whom?----------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) how do you solve such conflicts?---------------------------------------------------
14. Do you use crop residues to feed you livestock (Y/N)------------------------------------ If yes, list the major ones in order of their importance below.
a) ------------ b)------------ c)--------- —d)---------- e)----------- —-------- f)--------------
15. Do you feed crop residues to your livestock preferentially? (Y/N)-------------------- If yes, a) to which animals and/or animal classes?-----------------------------------
b) when?---------------------- c) how?-----------------------------------------------------
16. How many months in a year does your crop residue support your animals? —
17. Do you collect all the residues from your field?(Y/N)------------------------------------
18. Do you make any other use out of the crop residues than entirely feeding to your animals (Y/N)---------------------------- . |f yes, specify which residue for which use?
a)------------ b)----------------c)----------------------d)--------------------------- ------------
19. Do you feed any other feed types to your animals other than those stated above?
(Y/N).------------------- . If yes,
a) what are they?------------------------------------------------------------------------------ b) for which animals?------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
c) which of them are purchased? Give the per quintal price in Birr of each? i.-----------------------, per quinta| price--------------------------... ------------------------. per
price--------jji. ------------------------- per quinta| pr|CQ------------------------jv _ per qu|nta| WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
68
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irngation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
price -Do you think supplementary feeding to your animals is feasible? (Y/N). —
If yes, how?--------------------------------------------------------------------
If not feasible, why not?--------------------------------------------------------
21. Do you make hay for your livestock? (Y/N).------------------------------------------------- If yes, a) what is estimated yearly amount? (kgs)
b) for which species and/or groups?-------------------------------------------------------
c) for how many months in a year does it support?
22. Where from do you make hay? From: a) my own land?---------------------------
b) communal land?----------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) combinations of a and b?-----------------------------------------------------------------
d) others? (specify from T1)-----------------------------------------------------------------
23. Do you buy additional hay to your stock?(Y/N).----------------------. If yes,
a) from whom do you buy?------------------------------------------------------------------
b) the amount you buy (kgs)/year----------------------------------------------------------
c) the price per 100 kgs (Birr).--------------------------------------------------------------
24. Do you herd your livestock (during any form of grazing):
a) alone or with other livestock of your community/neighbours?----------
b)    composed   of   different   species   or   species   separated   and   age   groups separated? -
25. Who herd your livestock?
a) father------------------b) mother-----------------
c) children: i. males-------------- ii. females-------------------- iii. both------------------
d) others (specify)----------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV.      Water Resources and Watering Interval
1 What are the main sources of water to your livestock when they are on:
a) natural grazing.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
b) aftermath grazing.------- -----------------------------------------------------------------
c) crop residues, hay and supplement.---------------------------------------------------- 2.  Indicate the watering interval of your livestock species when they are
subjected to different feed resources systems in Table below?
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
69FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
Feed sources
Watering interval (days)
Comments (if any)
Cattle
Sheep
Goats
Camels
Natural qrazinq
Aftermath
Crop residues
Others (specify)
3.  Do you buy water to water your livestock (Y/N).---------------. If yes, price of water perlOO liters (Birr)-----------------------------------------------------
4 Indicate the months and number of months in a year each of your livestock species are dependant upon purchased water, their watering frequency, and amount provided per animal in Table below?
Species
Months
Watering
Quantity        at       each watering
interval (from- to)
Total
(No.)
interval
(days)
time per head (liters)
Cattle
Sheep
Goats
Camels
Others (specify)
5. Is there any conflict in using waters for your livestock? (Y/N).---------------------- . If yes,
a) when?--------------------------- b) with whom?----------------------------
c)  how often?-------------- ----- d) how do you solve such conflicts
V.           Diseases, Parasites and Vet. and Extension Services
1 List economically most important diseases of your livestock in the order of
importance     and locally           used treatment methods in Table below.Species
Diseases
Parasites
Solutions
L^alllC
Sheep
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
70FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
Goats
Camels
chicken
Others (specify)
2. Do you use the veterinary services? (Y/N)---------------- . If yes,
a) how often do you use?----------------------------- - -----------------------------------
b) what type of use?-------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) do you purchase the service or are they free of charge?-------------------------
d) how sufficient are the services?---------------------------------------------------------e) how long and how many hours do you travel to get your animals treated (km-------------— hrs------------- )
3. Do you participate in any extension package or receive any extension service associated with your livestock improvement? (Y/N)-----------------------------If yes, a) what have you received so far?-------------------------------------------------
b) has it helped you to improve production and productivity of you livestock?
c) if you have received them, but has not helped you to improve production and productivity   of   you   livestock   what   do   you   think   are   the   main   reasons?
4 Other comments on the importance/perception of livestock production involving irrigated fields (if any)------------------------------------------------
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
intercontinental consultants and technocrats pvt. ltd.FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayile Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
Annex 2. Results of Livestock Household Sample Survey Data with
respect of the Project
1) Do use oxen for ploughing?
Description
No of respondent
% Share
Yes
265
98.9
No
3
1.1
Not responding
1
Total
268
100
2) Is natural grazing area located within your Keble only?
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
255
95.14
No
3
1.13
Not responding
10
3.73
Total
268
100.0
Distance of the area from your village (km)
Number responded Average distance in km
245
9.5
3) Households moving to other Woredas in search of grazing & water for livestock
Description
Number
% Share
Go to other Woredas
11
4.7
Not going to other Woredas
225
95.3
Not responding
32
0.001
Total
236
100.00
4) Households coming to graze the community grazing area?
Description
Number
Grazing within Keble
% Share
Grazing outside Keble but within Woreda
77
35.2
54
24.7
Combination of the above
Outside Keble & Woreda
5) Are grazing areas owned by other groups in your Keble?
Not responding
43
19.6
Total
45
20.5
219
100.00
Description
Yes
Number
% Sharp
No
20
79
234
92 1
.
Total
14
254
100 00
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS AND TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
7) Do other communities have any right to graze their animals in your areas?
Livestock
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
40
18
No
182
82
Not responding
46
Total
222
100.00
8) Do you graze your animals your aftermath crop fields?
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
235
92.88
No
3
Not responding
15
Total
253
9) Do you allow the livestock of others to graze your aftermath fields?
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
198
88.00
NO
22
9.77
Not responding
5
Total
225
100.00
10) Do others allow your livestock to graze their aftermath?
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
149
No
55.60
84
31.35
Not responding
35
13.05
Total
268
100.00
11) Is there any conflict by the use of aftermath grazing?
Description
Yes
Number
% Sharp
No
28
11 5
207
Not responding
.
88 1
33
Total
0 14
233
.
100.00
12) Do you use crop residues to feed your livestock?
___________ Description Yes_ _______
No
J 2 2
Not responding____ Total
Number
204
12
52
268
% Share
76.1
4.5
19.4
WATER WORKS DESIGN ANdIuPERVISION ENTERPRISE----------
IN ASSOCIATION WTH
intercontinental consultantsand technocrats pvt. ltdFINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Desjgr^Projed
13) What are major crop residues used for livestock feed
Livestock
Description Sorghum      straw Maize straw _________ Finger millet straw
Teff straw_______ Other crop residue
Not responding_______
Total
_____ .
Number
110
60
25
8
60
268
% Share _41 0£
22.38
9.33
1.87
2.99
22.38 100.00
14) How long does the crop residue support your animals?
Description
Number
% Share
1-2 months
62
25.73
3-4 months
126
52.29
5-6 months
14
5.82
More than 6 months
3
1.25
Not responding
36
14.9
Total
241
100.00
15) Do you collect all the residues from your field?
Description
Number
Yes
% Share
No
128
55.17
104
Not responding
44 82
36
Total
.
15 51
232
.
100.00
16) Do you make any other use out of the crop residues than feeding to your animals?
Description
Yes
No
Number
% Share
33.21
89
Not responding
141
38
52.61
Total
14.18
230
100.00
17) Do you feed any other feed types to your animals other than those stated above?
Yes
No
Description
No of respondent
% Share
Not responding
Total
1 ” D° >’0U “"nk •“’’"""•"•■-y 'eMina to your a„imal5 „
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INTERCONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS ANO TECHNOCRATS PVT. LTD.
74FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
Livestock
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
88
32.83
No
136
50.75
Not responding
44
16.42
Total
100.00
19) Do you conserve feed for your animals?
Description
Number
% Share
Yes, residue of sesame
72
26.86
Yes, hay
10
3.73
Yes, leaves of fodder trees
8
2.98
Not responding
178
66.42
Total
268
100.00
20) Do you buy additional hay to your animals?
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
23
8 58
No
206
76.87
Not responding
39
14.55
Total
268
100.00
21) What is source of water to your animals?
Description
Number
% Share
River
190
95.96
Pond & other
6
3.03
Not responding
2
1.01
Total
198
100.00
22) Is there any conflict in using water for your animals?
Description
Number
Yes
% Share
No
7
2.61
194
Not responding
72.39
67
Total
25.00
268
100.00
23) Do use veterinary service?
Description
Yes
Number
% Share
NO
226
31
84 33
Not responding
.
11 57
11
Total
4 10
268
100.00
WATER WORKS DESIGN AND SUPERVISION ENTERPRISE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
intercontinental consultants and technocrats pvt. ltd.FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT
Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project
24) Do you participate in any extension package or receive any extension service
associated with your livestock improvement?
Livestock
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
118
44.03
No
117
43.66
Not responding
33
12.31
Total
268
100.00
25) Do you put special bull for breeding?
Description
Number
% Share
Yes
38
14.18
No
189
70.52
Not responding
41
15.30
Total
268
100.00
26) What is the status of types of livestock ownership in the household?
Type of species
Sex
Male
Female
Total
Cattle
Number
5.5
7.7
% Share
Camels
13.2
0.0
218
0.0
95
Donkeys
0.0
0.2
0.3
12
45
Horses
Mules
Chicken
Haney bee colony
0.1
0.0
0.5
0.2
0.0
55
0.3
0.1
4.9
0.3
20 5
49
4
179
43
18.3
1.5
66.8
16.0
« RCONr,
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
76
E                   WAL
=
0NSlJLTANTS and ,khnijcrais w ltd

Summery

Summary of Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility Report - Livestock

1. Introduction

The Wolkayite Irrigation Feasibility and Detail Design Project focuses on the development of livestock in the project area, aiming to integrate livestock development with irrigated agriculture. The study assesses the existing livestock resources, feed resources, and constraints, and proposes strategies for livestock development.

2. Project Area Description

The project is located in northwest Ethiopia, in the Wolkayite Woreda, with an estimated irrigable area of 23,768 hectares. The area is characterized by mixed crop-livestock farming, with livestock playing a significant role in the local economy.

3. Livestock Resources

The main livestock species in the area include cattle, sheep, goats, equines, poultry, and camels. Cattle are the most important, primarily used for meat, milk, and draft power. The area also has a significant number of goats and poultry. Livestock production is mainly traditional, with low input systems and limited use of improved breeds.

4. Feed Resources

Feed resources in the area include natural grazing, crop residues, crop aftermaths, and hay. Natural grazing is the primary source of feed, but it is under pressure due to expanding cultivation and population growth. Crop residues and aftermaths are also used, but their contribution to overall feed requirements is limited.

5. Constraints to Livestock Production

Key constraints include:

Drought: Periodic droughts severely affect livestock productivity.
Diseases: Livestock diseases are prevalent, and veterinary services are inadequate.
Lack of Trained Personnel: There is a shortage of trained personnel in livestock breeding and management.
Climatic Limitations: Rainfall variability affects forage production and grazing patterns.
Cultivation Expansion: Expansion of crop cultivation reduces grazing land.
Lack of Forage Conservation: Farmers lack knowledge and techniques for conserving forage.

6. Livestock Development Opportunities

Opportunities for livestock development include:

Adapted Livestock Types: Local livestock breeds are well-adapted to the environment.
Strategic Location: The project area is close to high-demand markets for livestock products.
Experience in Livestock Rearing: The local community has extensive experience in livestock rearing.
Institutional Involvement: Various institutions are involved in livestock development activities in the region.

7. Livestock Development Strategies

The proposed strategies for livestock development include:

Nutrition: Improving feed quality and quantity through improved forage production and crop residue management.
Animal Health: Enhancing veterinary services and disease control.
Genetic Improvement: Introducing improved breeds and crossbreeding programs.
Extension Services: Providing training and extension services to farmers.
Marketing: Developing livestock markets and improving market access.
Credit: Providing credit facilities to farmers for livestock development.

8. Project Costs and Benefits

The estimated costs for livestock development include expenses for feed production, animal health, breeding, and infrastructure. The project is expected to increase household incomes, improve food security, and create employment opportunities. The benefits include increased meat and milk production, higher per capita consumption, and positive environmental impacts.

9. Conclusion and Recommendations

The study concludes that there is significant potential for livestock development in the Wolkayite Irrigation Project area. Recommendations include:

Construction of livestock market facilities and infrastructure.
Provision of credit and training to farmers.
Establishment of processing units for livestock products.
Integration of livestock development with crop production.

10. Annexes

The report includes detailed annexes with survey data, livestock population statistics, and feed resource information.