Sheep Production System and Farmers' Perception towards Dorper Crossbred Lambs in Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia
Keywords:
Crossbreeding, Dorper crossbred, Gubalafto, Kalu, PerceptionAbstract
The study was conducted to assess the production system and farmers' perceptions of Dorper crossbreds in Eastern
Amhara, Ethiopia. Data on the sheep production system and farmers' perceptions were collected using participatory
rural appraisal in Kalu and Gubalafto districts. According to this survey, the average landholding in Kalu and
Gubalafto districts was 0.75 and 0.55ha per household, respectively. The average number of sheep per household in
Kalu (0.64TLU) was higher than in Gubalafto (0.42TLU). In the districts, sheep were virtually kept under low-input,
traditional management systems; sheep production was entirely dependent on local sheep, and pure breeding was
common. However, following the introduction of the Dorper sheep, few farmers were found to participate in
crossbreeding activities. The primary goal of keeping sheep in Kalu and Gubalafto was to generate income with
indexes of 0.31 and 0.32, respectively, followed by social security with the same index (0.24). In Kalu and
Gubalafto, in approximately 77.3 and 68% of cases, respectively, children were found to be involved in
sheepherding. In the Kalu district, feed scarcity and disease ranked first and second, respectively, with indexes of
0.40 and 0.27. In Gubalafto, feed scarcity ranked first with the same index (0.40), and still, the disease ranked second
with a lower index (0.23). Because of their fast growth, all farmers expressed a strong desire to keep Dorper
crossbreds. Farmers also reported that the 25% Dorper crossbreds had a high market demand and price due to their
larger body size. In conclusion, to use Dorper sheep properly and increase the profitability of sheep producers,
effective ram dissemination and breeding strategies need to be designed by considering the current production
system and the farmers' needs.
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