Description

Abstract: The lack of properly functioning markets has been pointed out as one of the key issues underlying the recurrent food crisis in Ethiopia and in other countries in the eastern Africa region. Many issues and constraints need to be tackled to create an efficient livestock marketing system. The absence of livestock market information is one such constraint facing livestock producers in Ethiopia in their efforts to earn a fair return from the sale of their livestock. Access to market information enables these producers to seek out and compare the information available for different market outlets and to realize the full potential profit by getting the best prices. The Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary Standards and Livestock and Meat Marketing (SPS-LMM) program of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station commissioned an assessment of the livestock market information systems in the highland regions of Ethiopia. The main objectives of the assessment was to determine the prevailing status of Livestock Market Information Systems in these areas and subsequently help identify opportunities and constraints towards the development of a unified national livestock market information system in Ethiopia. This brief describes the findings of this assessment study carried out by the Livestock Information Network and Knowledge System (LINKS) project of the Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program (GL-CRSP), in collaboration with the SPS-LMM project.