Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research Livestock and Fisheries Research Strategies Poultry, Fisheries, Apiculture and Sericulture (2016 -2030)
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
Livestock and Fisheries
Research Strategies
Poultry Fisheries Apiculture
and Sericulture
(2016 -2030)
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
Livestock and Fisheries
Research Strategies
Poultry Fisheries Apiculture
and Sericulture
(2016 ndash 2030)
___________________________
copy EIAR July 2017 rsaquo=OacuteUrsaquo= 2009
Website httpwwweiargovet Tel +251-11-6462633 Fax +251-11-6461294 POBox 2003 Addis Ababa
Editing and design Getnet Assefa
i
Table of Contents
Foreword
iii
Acknowledgments v
1 Poultry Research Strategy 1
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 3
Executive Summary 5
1 Introduction 9
2 Importance of Poultry Production 12
3 Assessments of External and Internal Environments 23
4 Strategic Issues Facing the Poultry Research 40
5 Research Themes and Strategic Interventions 44
6 The Next Steps 59
7 References 60
8 Annexes 64
2 Fisheries Research Strategy 69
a) Capture Fisheries
69
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
71
Executive Summary 73
1 Introduction 75
2 Importance of Capture Fishery in Ethiopia 80
3 Situation Analysis 88
4 Stakeholder Analysis 96
5 Benchmarking 98
6 Strategic Issues and Interventions 99
7 The Next Steps 107
8 References 107
9 Annexes 109
ii
b) Aquaculture Research Strategy 115
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 117
Executive Summary 119
1 Introduction 121
2 Importance of Aquaculturehelliphellip 124
3 Situation Analysis 130
4 Stakeholder Analysis 139
5 Benchmarking 141
6 Strategic Issues and Interventions 142
7 The Next Steps 149
8 References 149
9 Annexes 151
3 Apiculture Research Strategy 153
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 153
Executive Summary 157
1 Introduction 159
2 Importance of Apiculture Sub-sector 164
3 Assessments of External and Internal Environments 178
4 Strategic Issues Facing the Apiculture Research 202
5 Research Themes and Strategic Interventions 207
6 The Next Steps 223
7 References 224
4 Sericulture Research Strategy 229
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 231
Executive Summary 233
1 Introduction 235
2 Importance of the Sericulture Sub-sector 240
3 Assessments of External and Internal Environments 245
4 Strategic Issues 257
5 Research Themes and Strategic Interventions 260
6 The Next Steps 274
7 References 275
8 Annexes 277
iii
Foreword
In the years ahead agriculture awaits a daunting task of feeding burgeoning
population in a resource constraint world and under the influence of
climate change while keeping society and environment safe Agricultural
research undoubtedly plays a key role for agriculture to fulfill its
objectives This however cannot be addressed through impromptu or with
only a short-term research plan Therefore while addressing instant
problems agricultural research needs to anticipate future needs as todayrsquos
research will guide tomorrowrsquos solutions and approaches in farming and
agri-business This is especially important in view of lag between
conceiving and maturity of research uptake by users and ultimate
translation into development
This national programthematic area-based strategy was therefore drawn
within the context and in conformity with the need and evolving national
and global emerging trends while taking advantage of the current and
emerging opportunities The strategy is framed in alignment to among
others Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the various
Ethiopian Ministries Growth and Transformation Plans(GTPIIs) EIARrsquos
GTPII National Agricultural Research roadmap Climate Resilient Green
Economy strategies and of course under the rubric of the countryrsquos medium
term vision to become a middle income country by 2025
While the strategy is lopsided on primary sector (production end) research
attempt was also made to establish relevant links to the value
networkschains research to the extent it can be stretched
The strategy development was initiated by and is a special contribution of
EIAR to the Ethiopian National Agricultural Research System As such
the strategy has been developed in close consultations with a wide range
of stakeholders Such a broad-based participation of key stakeholders is
thus believed to ensure shared responsibility and ownership of the strategy
EIAR has a strong conviction that the strategy will serve a vital document
that will specify the contribution of the research programtheme to the
overall achievement of the objectives of Ethiopian NARS serve as a
framework to guide the research program planning and implementation
be used to track record of results and as a reference that can be monitored
iv
and reviewed and for mobilizing in resources from national andor
international sources By having a long-term strategy we specifically aim
to focus efforts and fast-track desired outputs as well as achieve research
priorities consistency and sequencing
Indeed laying down a 15 years plan seems a time too distant to accurately
predict But by scanning and analyzing the national and global trends and
possible future scenarios and signals we believe we have captured at least
the coarse portrait of the future Despite this however we by no means
claim that it is a complete document Rather our assumption is that the
strategy will serve a live document and remain dynamic to respond to new
and emerging problems that can be periodically reviewed and refined in
the light of new developments The full text of the original strategy is much
more elaborated than this abridged version and can be retrieved from the
EIARrsquos archive at httpwww eiargovet
On behalf of EIAR and my own I would like to extend my sincere thanks
to all those who invested their time and energy and in one way or
another took part in the process of developing the Research Strategy
Fentahun Mengistu (PhD) Director General EIAR
v
Acknowledgements
These research strategies of poultry captured fisheries aquaculture
apiculture and sericulture were prepared by a core team of the different
research programs of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
(EIAR) and researchers from the national research system including the
regional research institutes and universities in their respective fields The
strategies were enriched into its current shape taking into account the
comments given by stakeholders during two stakeholdersrsquo consultation
meetings organized by the institute The financial support of the RESARP
project in this process is duly acknowledged
The following researchers are highly acknowledged for taking the lead and
commitment in preparation of the strategies
1) Etalem Tesfaye Emebet Moreda Tadios Habte Wondmeneh
Esatu Akliku Negusie Alemayehu Amare and Tekaleigh Yirgu
(poultry research program)
2) Adamneh Dagne Aschalew Lakew Kibru Teshome Megersa
Endiebu Yared Tigabu Zenebe Tadesse and Abebe Cheffo
(aquaculture and fisheries research program)
3) Amsalu Bezabeh Alemayehu Gela and Gemechis Legesse
(apiculture research program)
4) Abiye Tilahun Kedir Shifa and Metasebia Terefe (sericulture
research program)
1
Poultry Research Strategy
(2016 ndash 2030)
3
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
AGRA Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa ATA Agricultural Transformation Agency CGIAR Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research CSA Central Statistical Agency CSA Climate Smart Agriculture CRGE Climate Resilience Green Economy DZARC Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center EBI Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute EARI Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute EMDIDI Ethiopian Meat and Dairy Industry Development Industry EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FAOSTAT Food and Agriculture Organization Statics GDP Gross Domestic Product GIS Geographical Information System GMP Genetically Modified Product GTP II Growth Transformation Plan II HACCP Hazard Analytical Critical Control Point ICT Information Communication Technology ILRI International Livestock Research Institute IFP Improved Family Poultry Kcal Kilocalories KMT Knowledge Management Technologies LMP Livestock master plan MAS Marker-Assisted Selection MoFED Ministry of Finance and Economic Development MHC Major Histocompatibility Complex MoLF Ministry of Livestock and Fishery NABC Netherlands-Africa Business Council NARC National agricultural research center NVI National Veterinary Institute PHL Post-Harvest Losses PEST+ Political Economical Socio-cultural and Technological PANVAC Pan-African Vaccine Control RARIs Regional Agricultural research institute RIR Rhode Island Red SNP Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms SPP Specialized Poultry Production SWOC Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Challenges USAID United State of Agency International Development VDFACA Veterinary Drugs and Animal Feed Administration and Control Authority
5
Executive summary
The accomplishment of National Poultry Program vision and objectives
allied with Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute(EARI) in
strengthening Ethiopian poultry industry over the next decade will depend
on its ability to attain itself and readily respond to urging demand of
poultry technologies in line with socioeconomic strata of the country
environmental and policy strategy information and knowledge An
endeavor to face the challenges and proficiently to deliver outputs that are
in part with national and regional economic drives for the technological
innovation and adoption EARIwith the National poultry Program is
developing this research strategy cognizant by its visionandmission
alliedwith the governmentrsquos development policy plan The National
Poultry Program Research is among EARIrsquos core commodities of highest
priority for poverty alleviation itsrequirement to trailoutfit in developing
a long-term research strategy that will guide efforts of the program and the
institutes at large as well as those of the research team to deliver
appropriate technologicaloutputs information and knowledge that would
contribute to the anticipated development of the poultry sub-sector and the
nation at large This research strategyis believed to serve for the next
fifteen years (2016-2030) as a blueprint for the national
poultrycommodity research team to advance their effort in generating and
adopting different broiler layer and dual-purpose technologies for the
fifteen projected outputs
This strategy was drafted by building on the experiences and lessons
gained from first strategy developed in 1999 during tenure of the then
EARO wastracked through the last fifteen years The new draft strategy
was expounded and advanced to take its contemporaryprocedure and
content with the National Poultry Program researcher team through the
EARIrsquos initiative in delivering outputs envisioned by GTP-II period and
livestock master plan This strategy is organized in eight major chapters as
conciselydiscussed as follows
Chapter one-Introduction-A section of background information on the
process of preparation of the strategy brief descriptions of poultry
production systems and their current status the importance of poultry and
poultry products as source of household income food securitylivelihood
and GDP descriptions of the rationale for developing a long-term research
strategy spanning over a period of 15 years and the vision mission goal
6
objectives and guiding principles that the National Poultry Research
Program is pursuing and living up to
Chapter two-Importance of poultry production-This chapter provides
an overview of the importance of poultry production in the Ethiopian
agriculture with respect to agro-ecology genetic diversity production and
productivity of (layer broiler and dual purpose) food and nutrition
economy (including local consumption import substitution and earnings
of foreign currency from the export market) and the role of the poultry for
climate smart agriculture and environmental sustainability (ie sustainably
increasing agricultural productivity and incomes adapting and building
resilience to climate change and reducing andor removing greenhouse
gases emissions)
Chapter three-Assessment of internal and external environment - this
part of the document tries to identify internal and external factors which
influence the conception formulation action and implementation of the
strategy The external factors were analyzed using the Strengths
Weaknesses Opportunities and Challenges (SWOC) framework in
conjunction with critical analyses of PEST+ (Political Policy Legal
Economic Socio-cultural and Technological and Environmental)
dimensionselements In addition to this analysis was also made on the
research and development experience of countries which are known to
have a well-developed poultry sector as a bench mark Assessment of the
internal environment is thus about precise identification and articulation of
strengths and weakness based on critical examination of the existing
resources inter- and intra-disciplinary integrations complementarities and
synergies available technologies information and knowledge and system
organization and implementation The results of critical assessments done
on the external and internal environments were finally formulated into a
SWOC to theme matrix of table where the seven research themes 1)
Genetics and breeding 2) Feed and nutrition 3) Poultry health 4)
Husbandry and management 5) Processing and packaging 6) Research
extension socioeconomics and Gender and 7)Crosscutting themes of
Climate Change and Knowledge Management) were analyzed in depth
Chapter four-Strategic issues facing the poultry research commodity
-this chapter presents strategic concerns that have been synthesized by
straining out from different perspective core ideas with disciplinary themes
including breeding and genetics feed and nutrition poultry health
7
husbandry and management processing and food safety and agricultural
economics extension and gender research with analyses of external and
internal environments of poultry development in the country The
differentprinciples used to select a substantialquality of concernsraised
from the assessment of strategic issues with in lack and skilled power
limited research infrastructures lack of suitable genetic materials lack of
feed quality and safety lack of appropriate poultry disease prevention and
control lack of appropriate technologies for husbandry and management
lack of appropriate technologies for processing and food safety limited
information on socio-economics research extension and gender were the
center of emphasis The strategic enquirieswere schematized in the
sevenkey disciplinary themes indicated above and the crosscutting each
core theme in turn has quite a number of strategic issues and sub-
components The significance of correspondingissue was also appraised
whether or not the concern would get the resolution in the short term
medium term and long-term timeframe
Chapter five-Research themes and strategic intervention -this section
discusses the actual enquiryof the strategies to be pursued to tackle issue
of interventions recognized and deliberate to be addressed in
previouschapters Considering the complex nature of the issues identified
and planned to be addressed by the research team most of the research
topics are multi-institutional multi-thematic multi-disciplinary
participatory and need to be implemented in collaboration with the
different stakeholders the poultry valuec chain The short medium and
long-term strategic interventions were planned for each of the strategic
issues identified under the five disciplinary and crosscutting themes to
design appropriate breeding strategies The research system iscurrently
attempting to alleviate this problem by identifying introducing and
evaluation of improved poultry breed that can adapt and perform under the
existing conditions in the country The feed and nutrition theme focused
on conventional and non-conventional feed resources that are cheaper and
locally available with better nutritional contributions for the poultry sub-
sector The poultry health theme emphasize on identification prevention
and control of zoonotic disease to achieve the goal of one health The
socio-economic theme ensures improving marketing adoption pattern
impact of livelihood with promotion and dissemination mechanisms to
enhance production employment and economic growth
9
Poultry Research Strategy
(2016 - 2030)
1 Introduction
11 Background
Agriculture dominates the Ethiopian economy contributing about 40 of
the GDP (MoFED 2014) about 90 of export and 83 of employment
(Davis et al 2010 USAID 2010)Livestock as integral part of agricultural
sector plays significant role in the countryrsquos economy by providing food
foreign exchange draught power transportation manure income and
security in time of crop failure (NABC 2010)In Ethiopia Poultry
production is practiced in rural and urban areas that play a considerable
role for livelihood of the population The production system is classified
as village small-scale and commercial based on objectives of the producer
type and number of animals and management systems followed (Alemu
and Tadelle 1997) According to CSA (2016) total poultry population of
Ethiopiarsquos estimated about 60 million the majority of which (is indigenous
and mostly kept in villages
Traditional production system dominates the market for birds eggs and
meat However during the past 15-20 years there has been gradual
increase to commercial small- and medium-scale flock production Herein
has been concerted effort to introduce and distribute exotic breeds provide
improved extension advice and services and to generally exploit the
capacity of the sector to boost rural productivity (with the implications
therein for raising incomes providing employment and alleviating
poverty)
In recent years an emerging middle-class urban society with better income
and more buying power has increased the demand for poultry products
This has led to the expansion of poultry production particularly within
urban and peri-urban areas Thus production and productivity of the village
system should be improved through the type of chicken breed used
management and husbandry practices applied In the same manner the
productivity of small-scale and commercial system should be improved
and respond for the emerging demand of livestock products particularly
10
poultry This calls for designing national poultry research commodity
(layer dual purpose and broiler research) strategy aiming to improve egg
and meat production and productivity on sustainable basis improving
nutritional quality import substitution sustainable supply of raw material
for agro industries and broadening the opportunity to exploit the potential
export markets
12 Rational for developing the stratagem
The current agricultural development plan focuses on the
commercialization of smallholder agriculture through the production of
those commodities that are competitive both at local and foreign markets
Moreover there are also critical emerging issues that demand a strategic
approach to deliver innovative research and development solutions
Therefore this poultry research strategy has been developed with the
following rationale
To tackle the current poultry production constraints Despite the large
number of indigenous chicken in the country its production is low The
major poultry production constraints include feed problem (in quantity
and quality) both for indigenous and improved chicken poor
husbandry system and poor animal health management system
To improve the production potential of indigenous chicken Past
efforts particularly recent achievements have indicated that research
has and can contribute to production improvement of indigenous
chicken
To expand intensive poultry farms (improved layers and broiler poultry
farms
13 Vision
To see that the national poultry research commodity is capable of
providing high quality poultry technologies knowledge and information
that contributes to economic transformation improved livelihoods and
sustainable development
14 Mission
To generate develop adapt and promote improved poultry technologies
for increasing poultry production and productivity improving nutritional
quality import substitution sustainable supply of raw material for agro
11
industries and broadening the opportunity to exploit the potential export
markets
15 Goals
to enhance sustainable poultry production and productivity
to ensuring food security
to contribute to economic growth
to gain foreign earnings from poultry product export
16 Objectives
The objective of the strategy is to enhance the feasibility and economic
contribution of the Poultry sector by supporting a profitable and
sustainable production through research This objective will be achieved
by
strong research coordination and development of strong research
community
enhancing the poultry sector with appropriate technologies
providing a suitable poultry technology across the value chain
ensuring quality and safety of poultry product that meet
consumers demand
providing a research framework with which stakeholders can plan
for the future
17 Guiding principles
For the success of implementation of the strategy the flowing principles
were set
For the purpose of this document poultry is defined as chicken
its research programs must be founded on the policies and priorities
of the institute embracing the notions of cost effectiveness and
responsiveness to stakeholders in both the public and private
sectors
the strategy must encompass basic applied and adaptive research
approaches for technology development demonstration transfer
dissemination and adoption for sustainable development and
livelihood improvement
capacity building and institutionalization of integrated multi-
12
disciplinary multi-institutional livelihood-based approaches with
various partners and stakeholders on the basis of comparative
advantages
environmental consciousness
inclusiveness in terms of diversity and equal opportunity for all
and gender sensitiveness approaches to empower women
ensure transparency accountability and devotion to all concerned
actors at all levels and show loyalty and respect to diverse client
needs
2 Importance of poultry production
The poultry meat represents almost one-third of meat produced and
consumed globally and the egg production on a weight basis is almost
80 that of poultry meat production (Scanes 2007a) The basis for the
increasing importance of poultry worldwide has been supported by the
research on genetics nutrition disease control and management
(Havenstein et al 2003a b 2007)The latest estimate of poultry
population in Ethiopia is over 60 million out of which indigenous chicken
comprises about 9433 the rest being the hybrid and exotic (CSA 2016)
Poultry production in the country plays a great role as a prime supplier of
eggs and meat in rural and urban areas It is the smallest livestock
investment a village household can make and can manage as the first
investment step on the ladder out of poverty because of its short generation
interval high rate of productivity quick turnover rate higher feed
efficiency and low labor and land requirements (Ojedapo et al 2008)
21 Adaptability genetic diversity production and productivity
Adaptability
Ethiopia has diverse agro-ecology and landscapes that supports the
existence of different animals and plants Poultry is being kept by village
farmers who live in all agro ecologies of Ethiopia The feathered
chickensgenotypes are predominant in cold climate being supported by
feathers to help in insulation and protection against losing body heat The
13
warm and hot climate is dominated by naked necks and frizzle feathers
expression caused by incomplete dominant genes Na and F respectively a
feature that allows better heat dissipation Local chicken Ethiopia also in
other countries like Nigeria Botswana Kenya Malawi and Sudan showed
great variations in morphological characteristics and production
parameters (Kingori et al 2007) Some of these variants are due to the
presence of major morphological marker genes which increases the
adaptability of these breeds to tropical climatic environments
Genetic diversity
Poultry populations can be categorized into wild populations indigenous
and local breeds that are unselected but domesticated selected breeds for
morphological traits mostly by fanciers selected lines for quantitative
traits such as industrial layers and broilers and experimental research lines
(Weigend and Romanov 2001) The villages of Ethiopia largely consist of
the indigenous non-descriptive breeds They vary in plumage color comb
type body conformation and weight and may or may not possess shank
feathers (Halima 2007) Recent advances in molecular genetics and
genomics has given more insight into the diversity of indigenous chickens
Molecular characterization of indigenous chicken in Ethiopia Uganda
Sudan and Kenya showed wider diversity among chicken population in the
countries (Mwacharo et al 2007) The diversity was further shown in
immunity traits (Ngeno et al 2014) In recent study in Ethiopia indigenous
chickens namely Horro and Jarso showed variations (single nucleotide
polymorphisms) potentially associated with two major poultry diseases
(Psifidi et al 2014)
Production and productivity
Better production and productivity of poultry can be achieved with the
application of inputs better management nutrition and disease prevention
and control The production and production of indigenous chicken was low
not only due to the failure to use inputs but also their genetic potential was
low The mean annual egg production of indigenous chickens is estimated
at 40-60 small eggs with thick shells and a deep yellow yolk color (Emebet
2015 Alemu and Tadelle 1997) The carcass weight of local chickens at
maturity varies from 1045 to 1292 gm for male and from 642 to 874 gm
for female (Halima 2007) About 40-70 of the chicks hatched die during
the first 8 weeks of life (Tadelle and Ogle 2001) mainly due to disease and
predation About half of the eggs produced have to be hatched to replace
chickens that have died (Tadelle 1996) and the brooding time of the laying
14
bird is longer with many brooding cycles required in order to compensate
for unsuccessful brooding It is estimated that under scavenging
conditions the reproductive cycle consists of 21-day incubation phase 2
to 4 clutches and finally a 56-day brooding phase (Halima 2007 Tadelle
and Ogle 2001) Similar to the indigenous chicken the performance of
high producing exotic lines could not reach their maximum potential due
to failure to provide optimum production environment Whatever
performance evaluations in available literatures show evaluations in sub-
standard management condition
211 Layers Layer farming is the raising of egg laying chicken egg production Layer
chickens start laying eggs commercially before they reach 18 weeks of age
and continue until they reach 72-78 weeks of age in most cases In a highly
commercialized poultry producing countries egg layers are kept to 13
months in production The breeds are regarded as efficient by producing a
kilogram of egg with a feed not more than 25 kg There are two types of
egg layers the white and the brown egg laying hens The white egg laying
types of hens are comparatively smaller in size relatively eat less food
and the color of egg shell is white The brown egg laying hens are relatively
larger in size eat more foods compared to white egg layers lay bigger
eggs than other laying breeds and lay brown shell colored eggs
The annual estimated production of eggs in Ethiopiarsquos 41 thousand tons
which is by far below and contribute 01 share of the global production
and 97 of East Africa (Table 1) As showed in Table1 since 2000 there
have been varying egg productions over time
Tabel 1 Production status of annual poultry eggs hen in shell
No Country Production in tons Ethiopia share
1 Ethiopia 41000 _
2 East Africa 420850 97
3 Africa 3082367 13
4 World Total 68262486 01
Source (FAOSTAT 2016)
15
Even if there is no recorded evidence indicating the exact time and
locations of introduction of the first batch of exotic breeds of chickens into
Ethiopia for genetic improvement it is widely believed that the
importation of exotic breeds of chicken goes back to the early 1950sYet
with large poultry population (more than 60 million) (CSA 2016)
Ethiopian layer industry remain highly undeveloped and unorganized with
annual egg production not more than 96 million (CSA 2016) Attempts
have been made to introduce different exotic layer breeds to small holder
farming systems of Ethiopia because of low performance of indigenous
chicken with the aim of improving poultry productivity different breeds
of exotic chickens (Australorp New Hampshire White Leghorns RIR)
since the 1950rsquos Up until now there is no layer strains developed specific
to egg laying capacity rather indigenous breed improvement program
started very recently at Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center (DZARC)
since 2008 Starting 2008 the research center introduced three layers
strains (Lohmann silver from Germany dominant CZ from Czech
and Bovan brown from the Netherlands) testing their performance both
under research station and village production environments
The Lohmann Silver did not well adapt to the village production system
(Wondmeneh et al 2011) In 2010 again a layer grandparent (GP)
breed was imported and tested for the first time The layer grandparent
was generally found to be adaptive and suitable under on station conditions
at Debre Zeit In 2015 more exotic breeds known for their wider
adaptation and high performance were tested at DZARC Three layers
(Lohmann brown dominant Sussex and Novo brown) breeds are being
kept at the center and being evaluated for one and half years under research
station and on farm conditions The on farm test on those different lines
will be performed in different agro-ecologies and management conditions
Cross breeding will also be conducted among the strains in a bid
to identify the best cross for future use in Ethiopia
212 Broilers Broiler products dominate the international poultry trade (Moore and
Morgan 2006) Trade in poultry meat is projected to increase at a faster
rate than production and consumption (FAO 2007) Almost all of the
broiler breeds are imported from abroad as parent stock Small scale
commercial broiler farms source day old broiler and grow them for the
period of about two months The annual estimated production of poultry
meat in Ethiopia is 61840 tons which also represent represents 01 share
of the world production and 117 of East Africa (Table 2) Ethiopian
16
Livestock Master plan set a great plan to increase chicken meat production
to 164000 tons and eggs to 39 billion by the year 2020 through improved
family poultry (IFP) and expanded specialized poultry Different
institutions including EIAR and large commercial private poultry farms
are importing broiler breeds Some of the imported breeds adopted in our
countries are Hubbard-JV Hubbard-classic Rose-308 and Cobb-500 There is no any broiler breeds improved and developed in the country The country
spends huge amount of hard currency for importing grandparent and parent
breeds of broilers
Figure 1 Trends of egg production (tons) in Ethiopia
Tabel 2 Status of annual poultry meat production
No Country Production in tons Ethiopia share
1 Ethiopia 61840 _
2 East Africa 527002 117
3 Africa 4731771 13
4 World Total 96141163 01
Source (FAOSTAT 2016)
y = 49608x - 957754
Rsup2 = 04735
Eg
g p
rod
uct
ion
in
to
nn
s
Years
Hen eggs production
17
Population growth urbanization and life standards of the society resulted
in increasing demand of broiler meat Therefore adopting best performing
broiler breeds of chicken need to be considered while focusing more on
genetic improvement of our indigenous chicken breeds of meat type in the
long term
213 Dual purposes Dual purpose chickens were well adopted under small holder farmer
conditions They are most appropriate for poultry producers who are
interested in both egg and growth traits equally Their better adaptations to
wider agro-ecologies and less management requirement made them the
right choice in villages The most widely used dual purpose chicken in
Ethiopia was RIR It was used as paternal line with ISA brown layers to
produce a cross bred with both traits Fayoumi breed has been imported
with the expectation of better productivity adaptation and disease
resistance than the other exotic breeds in rural setting of Ethiopia Fayoumi
was alert adaptive layer chicken lived for many years in the warm areas
of Egypt In recent years Koekoek was widely distributed across the
country and highly liked by village producers Recently dual purpose
Koekok breed performed well and adopted by most of small holder farmers
in the country There is also an effort done for dual purpose indigenous
Horro breed improvement through a mass selection (Wondmeneh et al
2015)
The Ethiopian Livestock Master plan set a priority of GTP-II target for
transforming traditional (scavenging) family poultry to improved (semi-
scavenging) family poultry system During this period the number of
chicken in the traditional family poultry (TFP) drops from 57 million hens
with follower to 34 million hens which account 41 drop Similarly the
number of day old chicks (DOCs) in the improved family poultry (IFP)
subsystem grows from 30 million in the base year to 104 million in 2020
a 246 increase
22 Food and Nutrition
Human population in Ethiopia shows an increasing trend with alarming
rate which in turn increases the demand for food especially of livestock
origin (Hadera 2002) The rural and urban population of Ethiopia is
estimated 805 and 195 respectively (FAO 2016) Ethiopia has
shown some progress in reducing malnutrition in recent years towards
improved food and nutrition security over the past decade The depth of
18
the food deficit (Figure 2) is lowered from 673 to 236 kcalcapitaday over
the past decade (FAOSTAT 2016) There is widespread consensus that
going forward farmers must produce more food per unit of land water
and agrochemicals To do so however they simply cannot continue
producing in the same way They will have to do this while facing climate
change volatility shifting nutrition needs and the increasing scarcity of
most of the physical factors of production Agriculture is at the threshold
of a necessary paradigm shift (Daniele et al 2012) Global health depends
on good nutrition Good nutrition in turn depends on agriculture to
provide the foods (FAO 2012) Further improved nutrition has a potential
impact on GDP through improvement of productivity and indirectly
through prolonged life expectancy (Speedy 2003) Individuals must
consume sufficient amounts of not only calories but also protein fats
vitamins and minerals to support growth and development throughout
their life cycle Although tremendous progress has been made in meeting
the worldrsquos food demand many parts of the developing world continue to
suffer from under-nutrition that is deficiencies in energy protein and
essential vitamins and minerals (Shenggen and Joanna 2011)
Source FAOSTAT (2016)
Figure 2 Depth of food deficit (kcalcapitaday)
Poultry meat and eggs were relatively cheap and affordable sources of
protein for most consumers compared to other animal products such as
beef Consumption of poultry products is more common in urban than in
19
rural areas Poultry consumption in Ethiopia is commonly high during
holiday periods The national poultry meat and eggs consumption is
estimated on an average to be 77000 and 69000 tons per annum
respectively (ILRI 2000) According to Daghir (2009) the current growth
of poultry production and consumption makes a good case for the need and
desire for future growth of the poultry industry
Source FAOSTAT (2016)
Figure 3 Average supply of protein of animal origin (gcapitaday)
23 Economy
Poultry has a potential to be economic development engines of the country
The country designed livestock development master plan along with GTP
II by giving focal attention to poultry dairy and meat production as they
are key instruments in ensuring food security and nutrition Poultry eggs
and meat is one of a livestock sector yield enjoying top attention that helps
in addressing food and nutrition shortages (The Ethiopian Herald
September 17 2016 edition httpwwwethpressgovetherald Accessed
date September 25 2016)There are emerging small and large commercial
farms make a great contribution to meet the rapidly growing demand for
poultry products especially in urban peri-urban and growing regional
cities (Emebet and Kidane 2016) The commercial poultry production
system contributes nearly 2 of the national poultry population in
Ethiopia In Ethiopia there is significantly lower contribution of poultry
20
production to the overall national economy than that of other African
countries (Alemu and Tadelle 1997)
231 Import substitution
Ethiopian trade in poultry and poultry products is limited to the import of
live birds The private and public large scale intensive poultry farms are
mainly dependent on the import of day old chicks from abroad In 2005 a
total of 736000 day old chicks had been imported from the Netherlands
Saudi Arabia Egypt UK Germany and Kenya (Goutard amp Magalhaes
2006)
Large amount of poultry product particularly broiler meat is imported
from abroad for international star hotels and Ethiopian airlines Due to
quality standards and disease problems the country forced to import large
amount of broiler meat annually Import value of chicken showed that
(Table 3 and4) the country spent 106 thousand US dollar in 2013 and more
than 650 thousand in 2015 These large amounts of foreign currency need
to be substituted either through adopting appropriate technologies andor
generating technologies like breed improvement and producing
international quality standard poultry products There are various
opportunities available to commercial poultry producers for processing
hatchery expansions and maximize production bases to develop exports to
neighboring countries and the world Attractive investment policy of the
country can help to boom the industry through supply of raw materials
equipment medication and vaccines which can contribute safe and quality
poultry products
Tabel 3 Ethiopia Import Value of Chickens (1000 US$)
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Value 35 36 76 534 0 0 60 59 106
Source UN Comtrade (2016)
21
Tabel 4 International trade in poultry meat import in Ethiopia during 2015
Partner Trade Value in
USD Net Weight (kg)
World 329786 115550
Areas nes 155389 60580
Brazil 68061 24093
Ukraine 56582 21432
Turkey 27762 5769
France 8070 1036
South Africa 7686 766
USA 5585 1780
Norway 651 95
Total 65957200 231101
Source UN Comtrade (2016)
232 Export market and foreign currency earnings
The poultry industry in Africa has grown and developed steadily over
recent years Ethiopia is now become one of the top countries in Africa for
chicken industry investment (Africacom) Even though major projects of
large commercial poultry operations are planned in our country the export
of poultry meat is almost nil (Table 5) Agricultural researches need to
generate technologies to ensure food security enhance income generation
and promote foreign exchange earnings through sustainable natural
resources management (Ethiopian Academy of sciences 2013) Poultry
has enormous role in the countrys economic development so tangible
efforts are strongly needed to make the sector one of the means for foreign
currency earnings Extensive research commitment and skilled manpower
in the sector will make Ethiopia much beneficiary
Tabel 5 International trade in poultry meat export of Ethiopia during 2015
Partner Trade Value in USD Net Weight (kg)
World 134 80
Saudi Arabia 134 80
Total 26800 160
Source UN Comtrade (2016)
22
24 Role of chicken production for climate smart agriculture and environmental sustainability
Climate change is now becoming a serious issue The three pillars of the
Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) concept are sustainably increasing
agricultural productivity and incomes adapting and building resilience to
climate change and reducing andor removing greenhouse gases
emissions where possible (FAO 2013) Poultry is one of the livestock
sector that can help achieving food security and serve as smallholder
income sources that required small capital and land The lsquobest fitrsquo approach
to apply practices and technologies for climate smart poultry production is
through increase productivity resilience and food security while
simultaneously reducing emissions post-harvest losses and food wastage
(AGRA 2014) Also reduce post-harvest losses and food wastage along
value chains at the current levels of emissions Efficient harvesting and
early transformation of agricultural produce can reduce post-harvest losses
(PHL) and preserve food quantity quality and nutritional value of the
product It also ensures better use of co-products and by-products either
as feed for livestock to produce renewable energy in integrated systems or
to improve soil fertility (FAO 2010) Food processing creates jobs and
income opportunities especially for women The small scale and available
commercial farms of the country be aware about poultry production
processing and waste management in environmental friendly manner
sustainably
Source ---------------
Figure 4 The role of poultry production in fighting against global warming
23
3 Assessments of External and Internal Environments
Sound Strategic Plan starts from identification and analysis of forces and
factors that need to be considered in the conception formulation action
and implementation External and internal affect the process The external
factors are not under the direct control of the research team whereas the
internal factors are within the research system The resources and
experiences readily available to the research team can be listed under the
internal factors
The SWOC-analysis (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and
Challenges) is the strategic planning tool used to evaluate and determine
the chances of success The analytical framework would help to identify
and analyze the greatest challenges and find out the most promising
opportunities The SWOC analysis helps to identify the major external and
internal factors with both positive and negative influences on our
decisions Positive influences from external factors create opportunities
their negative influences would present challenges Similarly the positive
influences from internal factors show strengths of the team while their
negative influences reveal the weaknesses The results from the analysis of
the external and internal factors with the SWOC are the basis for
identifying critical issues that the strategy is aimed to address Descriptions
of the factors are shown below along with summarized details of the
opportunities challenges strengths and weaknesses
31 Assessment of external environments
The external factors were analyzed using the SWOC framework PEST
PoliticalPolicyLegal Economic Socio-cultural and Technological) and
critical considerations of current state of affairs trends of needs and
requirements The current state of affairs is discussed under general
external environments trends and needs under operational external
environments and experiences of countries advanced in the research and
development of poultry are considered Summaries of the external analysis
are therefore given in a table below (Table 7)
24
311 General external environments (PEST+) Political dimension In this section assessments were made whether the
strategy is aligned with the national sectorial and institutional policy
strategy and regulatorylegal frameworks and government priorities
Poultry production has been identified as a pro-poor intervention In the
past 5 decades the public extension system implemented a poultry
production improvement package based on imported dual purpose chicken
(RIR) In recent years the earlier scheme was evaluated less successful
Slow improvement in productivity due to poor adoption of the technology
increased demand for poultry products as a result of population growth and
increased income forced the government take a different approach
The Livestock master plan envisages the increase of poultry bay 10000
percent overall by putting in place to achieve this goal In general two
production systems were recognized the specialized poultry production
(commercial layer and broiler production) using imported high producing
lines and improved family poultry using improved local strains and
imported dual purpose chicken Overall target for 2020 through Improved
Family Poultry (IFP) and expanded specialized Poultry (SPP) is to reach
about 170000 tons of poultry meat and 39 billion eggs The existence of
this ambitious plan coupled with the emphasis given to poultry as low gas
emitter in the climate resilient green economy creates an excellent
opportunity to further work on this to realize food self-sufficiency import
t substitution and export of quality products goals Conceivable features of
the opportunities to make use of and challenges to be aware of or need to
be addressed from the perspective of the policy dimension were assessed
and sorted out in a matrix of opportunities and challenges presented in
Table 6 below
Economic Currently the selling price of red meat is increasing at an
alarming rate The same also applies for poultry and poultry products
However poultry could be an option in the fitted to village set up as it can
be established by a resource poor farmers with flock size fitting to this
resources Rural women have a relatively better decision making power on
poultry until when the income attracts the attention of their husbands Over
all poultry plays a very great role in the livelihood of rural household and
contributes greatly to the overall GDP of the country The current level of
productivity cannot further bring a significant income as village poultry is
operating in the low-input low-output concept Meanwhile being fast
growing and potential contributor to the economy and its potential of
25
being transferred into an industry the future of poultry industry in Ethiopia
is bright These are again detailed out in Table 6
Socio-cultural dimension Ethiopian farmers have reared poultry since
time immemorial Poultry has always been source of family protein and
immediate cash at hand The traditional ldquoDoro Wotrdquo has always been
respected dish served as holidays and prepared for respected guest Eggs
from local chicken possess yellow yolks Yellow yolked eggs are widely
believed as more nutritious and tastier by wider Ethiopian society The
tougher meat from local chicken also fetches higher price and has higher
demands However the egg and meat production from local strains is low
as compared to exotic strains The availability of relatively simple feed
technology to make any yolk yellow can increase the demand of eggs from
exotic chicken The meat from dual purpose chicken and the potential use
of male commercial cocks and spent layers would increase the demand of
exotic chicken Cultural taboos if any should be considered in the
strategy as a trainingawareness topic
Technological dimension poultry production is now a lucrative industry
in the world In the US only the egg industry alone provides 123100 jobs
$61 billion in wages and $258 billion in economic activity and $21
billion in government revenue Meanwhile the Ethiopian Poultry industry
could not fulfill the egg requirement of the nation According to a recent
study there are approximately 25ndash30 medium to large scale integrated
farms that keep poultry and that process and distribute their products
themselves However the level of technological usage both at the primary
production and processing level is low and needs to be developed
Information regarding the number of standard poultry slaughter houses is
limited Although most of the breeder farms own hatcheries their
performance is low which again emanates from poor knowledge base
International poultry equipment suppliers are now looking at the Ethiopian
market which is quickly advancing The demand for automatic poultry
equipment will increase An example can be a feed premix producing
company Feedco a new feed company is now looking at 50000 tons a
year of which 25000 will be pelted 15000 will be crumbs and the rest
will be mash The machinery of the compound feed is already built in
China they are also have machines from Denmark for production
premixes which is already installed For pre-mixes (for the next 18
months) the company is planning to produce 2000 tons of premix per
year The installed capacity The existing poor technological usage appear
26
as a challenge and its availability at the world market is an opportunity So
there lies a bright future ahead for the industry to grow
Environmental dimension wide agro ecology of Ethiopia can support
the cultivation of cereals pulses or their byproducts which can directly or
its byproducts indirectly be used as feed ingredients for poultry
Additionally though not properly studied wider area of the country can
support a higher productivity of broiler layers and dual purpose birds
Even where the average ambient temperature passes beyond the
physiological comfort zone the reduction in the productive might be
compensated by the lower investment on the house construction to suit
warm environments Research on production environments and their
ability to support optimum production should be considered Areal
recommendations for new poultry business startups need to be revisited
312 Operational external environments Operational external environment deals with the analysis of stakeholders
in the poultry value chain Identification of value chain actors their role
and demands from the research system are elaborated Further
assessments were made what opportunities the research team could make
use of and what challenges they present The opportunities and challenges
coming from Stakeholders and collaborators were analyzed and captured
A brief account were given for the stakeholder identified and presented in
Annexes 1and 2
313 Benchmarking Benchmarking was given due emphasis to serve as an important reference
to evaluate where we are now and where we can aspire to reach in the
future Countries that have already reached advanced level of poultry
research and industry were considered In this regard European countries
with highest level of technological output that enabled efficient and high
tech poultry industry were used As can be seen from the table below we
are far below in all parameters considered for comparison We have huge
opportunity to tap and a big gap to fill It should also be noted that such
performance in European countries were possible with the use of all
available technological inputs that need to be placed in order the poultry
strains express their full genetic potential We need to either consider the
maximum performance in our condition or need to compete by availing all
necessary inputs
27
Table 6 Technical performances of poultry in some advanced countries as compared to Ethiopia
Broiler
NL FR ES UK ET
Feed price (euro100 kg) 338 328 346 354 38
Day old chick (euro cent) 306 311 316 367 96
Live Weight (g) 2200 1920 2700 2300 -
Feed conversion (kgkg) 167 175 195 175 -
Prices and technical performance for broiler production in selected EU countries Competitiveness of the EU poultry meat sector PLM van Horne and N Bondt LEI Report 2013-068 ISBNEAN 978-90-8615-664-1 65 p fig tab app
Layers
NL FR ES UK ET
Feed Price ((euro100 kg) 302 294 299 327 42
Pricehen at 20wks (euro 411 433 440 491 60
Laying period (days) 420 369 410 392 365
Egghen 363 322 345 340
Egg weight (g) 614 623 640 625 60
Feed conversion (kg feedkg egg mass)
201 213 207 215 -
Mortality () 80 50 70 60 -
Starting points for egg production in some EU countries in 2013Horne PLM van 2014 Competitiveness of the EU egg sector International comparison base year 2013 Wageningen LEI Wageningen UR (University amp Research centre) LEI Report 2014-041 36 pp 16 fig 7 tab 9 ref
32 Assessment of Internal Environments
Assessment of internal environments were conducted to look back and
examine the physical and human capacities within the EIAR and can
readily be used The available capacity were considered the strength of the
team but the capacity required but unavailable were considered the
weakness of the team Assessment of the internal environment indicated
the strengths and weakness of the research program Capacity in this regard
28
includes institutional capacity (available or lacking human physical and
financial resources) technological capacity and organizational capacity
(functional integrations within and between disciplines) Below are briefly
discussed the elements of internal environments examined to synthesize
summaries of the Strengths and Weakness provided in Table 7
321 Resources The available human resource and level of capacity financial and the
physical resources available and shortages were assessed and presented as
strengths or weaknesses
322 Inter- and intra- disciplinary integrations complementarities and synergies
The poultry research needs to collaborations and synergies with
departmentssections to achieve the goals Agricultural-Biotechnology
Research Agricultural and Nutritional Research Laboratory Technology
Multiplication and Seed Research Climate and Geospatial Livestock
Research and ICT are related to poultry research in one way or the other
interacts with the team Assessments were therefore made to indicate if
poultry research can be integrated with these compelling areas of research
323 Technologies Poultry research in Ethiopia was started in 1950s Although poultry
research was lately considered in a national agenda (since 1996) some
outputs were registered and benefited the producers But the majority of
research outputs came into picture and use after EIAR led the research and
its coordination at the national level The poultry research has generated
several research outputs in the area of poultry breeding and genetics
health feeding and nutrition and husbandry and management The
research team has been an important partner in adaptation and
dissemination of dual purpose and layer breeds Several recommendations
are now being used by the industry The team developed and tested an
alternative poultry production package that increases economic benefit of
farmers The research is now the only institution in the country with a
running breeding program involving indigenous chicken A synthetic
breed which is at the final stages of multi-location testing witnesses a
reasonable technical and physical capacity built at the center Although we
still have a huge expectations to fulfill the teamrsquos contribution in reducing
the impact infectious diseases like Newcastle introduction of AI technique
into the production system were significant The gap between the outputs
29
and expectations were assessed to identify and build on the strengths and
design improvement from the weaknesses
324 Organization implementation and geographic coverage
Organizational strengths and weaknesses were analyzed from the center-
level institutional level and national level perspectives
30
33 Strengths weaknesses opportunities and challenges by the research themes
Table 7 Summary of analyses of external and internal environments reflected in terms of strengths weaknesses
opportunities and challenges pertaining to the different thematic research areas
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
General
Moderate working facilities (poultry houses modern hatchery feed mill) at coordination center level
researchers at the core team still lacks international research and collaboration exposure
National focus on transformation of the poultry sector in the livestock master plan GTP II and climate resilient green economy
Slow growth in commercial poultry as most inputs are imported and require foreign exchange and heavily taxed
Multi-disciplinary team at the coordination center
Lack of appropriate day old chicks transportation and field vehicle
Encouraging incentives by the Government for those who want to start poultry business
Lack of national vaccination program based on available strains
The team has got re cognitions by top managements of EIAR and policy makers for its contribution to the sector
Lack of adequate poultry farm machineries and equipment
Increasing demand for poultry production in line with the increasing cost of red meat and fast reproduction and return from poultry
Lack of quality control mechanism for importing vaccines medicaments and other poultry inputs
Strong working relationship among regional and federal
Lack of well-organized poultry research standards and protocols
High producing lines are being imported currently there is a huge potential for
lack of sufficient funding and organized poultry development activities
31
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
research centers institutes and universities
import substitution if appropriate lines are developed in the country
Strong team sprit between and among researchers and research supporting staff
limited office for research and support staffs
High demand for poultry products from indigenous and dual purpose breeds
Long procedure for financial assistance for poultry
Strong review system for prioritized problems
Poor linkage of the research program with other research teams within EIAR
Ethiopian poultry producers and processors association is now established to foster and support commercial poultry
poultry research is being
started in universities and regional research institutes
Genetics and breeding
Wide experience in importation and evaluation crossbreeding of exotic lines
Limited standard breeding and evaluating facility and inadequate pure line evaluation
Availability of several indigenous ecotypes adapted to various agro ecologies of the country
importation of exotic genotypes and various types of vaccines pose threat of introducing diseases and new vaccine strains into the country
Breeding and genetics
Some ecotypes phenotypically and genetically characterized
Limited genetic information (eg gene actions and inheritance of traits) to base on and plan
There is increasing demand for poultry products
the country being a tropical maximum potential of genotypes may not be realized
32
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
genetic gains to be attained in order to meet yield targets
There is an ongoing breeding program aimed to generate improved indigenous and synthetic breed
breeding programs not yet supported by modern techniques
Livestock master plan GTP II puts high emphasis to increase productivity through the use of high performing genetic materials
No CGIAR centers dedicated for poultry except very limited interest recently
lack of appropriate breedstrain
developed for our production environment
Lack of breed registry and
release mechanism
Inadequate strain and breed
crosses for best combining ability
Lack of poultry breeding policy
to control uncontrolled crossbreeding
Lack of identification of unique
major genes of commercial importance in local stains
low genetic potential of
indigenous chicken for commercial system
Nutrition and feed
experience in generation of several feed and nutrition technologies and preparation of manuals
lack of lab that analyses nutritional content beyond crude values (CP) available
expansion of feed mills in the country
export of oil seeds create shortage of oil cakes
ample experience in feeding trials evaluation of different feed stuff and ration formulation
alternative feed resources not thoroughly mapped studied and documented across the country
the byproduct of flour mills can be used as poultry feed ingredient
importation of vitamin premixes synthetic amino acids drains huge foreign currency reserve
33
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
not enough feed formulations
that aimed at reduction of feed cost available
availability of large area of land for the cultivation poultry feed ingredient
Lack of proper feed storage poses risk of afla-toxins
Limited studies on dietary
manipulations for producing meat and egg
Development of agro industries that can produce poultry feed ingredients as a by-product
Competition between human and poultry as both use cereals (feed-food completion)
Low quality poultry feed
Lack of mandatory feed quality
control mechanism
Lack of knowledge among farmers on nutrient requirements of different breedsclasses of poultry
Increasing feed cost and
seasonal fluctuations in the cost of feed ingredients
Poultry Health
Special emphasis is give to poultry health by the research institute and the government
Lack of advancement in poultry health research lab
presence laboratories (NAHDC and NVI) which can diagnose poultry diseases and assist the research program
Failure of some vaccines to provide protection against some diseases
Presence of qualified researchers at the national program
Limited knowledge on current distribution of economically important diseases
A growing investment on importation of poultry medicine
Poor emphasis given to poultry health topics at higher learning institutions
34
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Presence of small scale poultry diagnostic lab
Lack of standard poultry diseases diagnosis protocol
the presence of vaccine producer and vaccine quality lab (PANVAC) in the country
lack of proper quality control on poultry vaccine importation
no customized vaccination strategy matching revolving strains and agro ecologies available
An outgrowing number of trained veterinarian in the country
Poor diagnosis of poultry diseases due to high cost of imported standard reagents and diagnostic kits
Limited effective disease
prevention and control system available
Lack of surveillance system for
circulating strains of major poultry diseases
Poor emphasis given to ethno
veterinary medicine that can complement modern treatment
limited knowledge and skill on vaccination (absence of nation-wide applicable vaccination standards and protocols
lack of poultry diseases
specialists
Inadequate implementation of bio-security measures
Lack of awareness about
poultry diseases treatment (use of human antibiotic)
Lack of surveillance and
reporting monitoring system in the country
Poor prevention and control of
emerging and re-emerging poultry diseases
35
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Lack of zoonotic disease
surveillance and control mechanism
Husbandry and management processing and food safety
Some research outputs made available by the core team and collaborators
Less priority given for husbandry and management research activities
Expansion of poultry industries demanding better management knowledge thereby causing further development
Failure to apply recommendations by users resulted in poor performance and high mortality
Regular poultry husbandry trainings are designed at the coordination center
Shortage of affordable housing feeding technologies
Interest from experienced foreign poultry investors to invest in the country (technology transfer)
Importation of poultry drinkers feeders etc drains foreign currency
Shortage of management guides for available breedsstrains fitting to the different agro ecologies
Lack of awareness among
producers on HACCP or GMP
Inadequate research on
environmental effects of poultry production
High cost of poultry housing for
commercial setup
Experience on the meat quality ( carcass characteristics) of some exotic broiler and local stains of chicken
Lack researches on various recipes of poultry products
Demand for properly processed and packed poultry products is increasing
Inadequate cold chain and transport facilities to distribute high quality eggs and dressed poultry
36
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Egg quality researches are being given emphasis in recent years
Researchers only focus on production but not on utilization
Due to the preference of some people to more tougher meat there is potential to use male of commercial layers for meat production
Lack of regular monitoring and control of harmful residues in poultry products
Lack of dedicated and skilled
researcher on processing
Eggs can be stored for some time without sophisticated equipment
Few varieties of poultry products available and lack of easy to market value added poultry products
Establishment of EMDIDI ( Ethiopian meat and dairy industries development institute) to support processing industry
Lack of processing and storage facilities for poultry products (Lack of improved packaging and preservation of poultry products)
Food science research
program is established in recent years
High cost and poor quality of domestic poultry products as compared to imported ones
Failure of processing industry to
comply strict export standards
Importation of cheap poultry
meat currently and in line with potential membership of
37
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Ethiopia to the world trade organization
Socioeconomics research extension marketing and gender
weak integration of and cooperation with socioeconomics and extension researcher
Recognition of poultry as a pro-poor intervention by policy makers and development institutions
Limited adoption rate of poultry technologies by producers
Presence of strong socioeconomics and extension research program in the institute
lack of documented information on the contribution of poultry to the household incomelivelihood and national economy
Availability of Newcastle disease vaccine in a small pack which can save losses due to the diseases and improve the extension system
Culture of poultry preparation and consumption other than ldquoDoro Wotrdquo is poor
Limited information on poultry marketing and value chain analysis (market integration price dynamics input-output marketing agribusiness development commercialization etc)
High demand for improved poultry technologies
Poultry regarded as holiday food affects consumption ( occasional eating habits + religious taboos)
Lack of information on adoption
rate and impact of improved poultry technologies
Poultry products can be packed into small packages
Lack of autonomous national poultry research and training institute halted fast expansion of the industry
38
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Lack of tailor made poultry extension packages based on gender income status and farming system
Emphasis by the government to develop specialized poultry investment
Requirement of better transport facility to villages
Lack of intervention approaches
for demonstration popularization and pre-scaling up
Lack of proper organized market
facilities for poultry and poultry products
involvement of middlemen in
the market arbitration
High investment requirements for large scale production and requirements of sophisticated infrastructure to realize maximum potential of strains
Uncontrolled and unrecognized
marketing structure with unhygienic outlets
Poultry associated to women
who have less decision making power on the expense side
Physiology and reproduction
Some experience artificial insemination activities to produce offspring from unlatching parents conducted
Lack of stress management researches
Expansion of poultry industry demands better management knowledge there by causing further development
Reduced productivity due to heat and cold stress
39
Research Theme
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Experience on the essential microorganisms to support normal gut health
Lack of researches aimed at timely onset of egg laying and achieving peak performance
Possibilities of importations of closed housing system that can provide ideal production environment
Most of commercial producers opt warm environment for commercial poultry that cannot support genetic potential to the maximum
Limited works on artificial
insemination of poultry
Most of our environment temperature is beyond physiological comfort zone of poultry
Lack of information on the
alternative methods and use of molting
40
4 Strategic issues facing poultry research
The strategic issues presented and discussed under this section are
synthesized by filtering out those which can be addressed by the research
team and for which a strategic planning could be developed by the team
Those issues which are outside the technical domain of the team as
important as they are for the success of the subsector are not included in
this section It is felt important though to consolidate and present to the top
management in the future with the view that there would be organized a
forum where they could be discussed separately for the benefit of
promoting the poultry sub-sector The strategic issues selected are
organized in seven disciplinary themes and one general crosscutting topic
The disciplinary themes include (1) Breeding and genetics (2) Feeds and
nutrition (3) Poultry health (4) Husbandry and management (5)
Processing and food safety and (6) Agricultural economics research
extension and gender Issues of gender equality climate change and
knowledge management are presented as crosscutting themes under the
seventh category These are presented hereunder in Table 8
Table 8 Strategic issues facing the poultry research commodity and their relevance in the short (1 -5 years) medium (6-10 years) and long (11-15 years) terms
Strategic issues Relevance in the
Short term
Medium term
Long term
41 General
411 Lack of skilled man power in modern tools of poultry improvement
- Limited skill of modern tools of poultry breeding nutrition health and livestock extension
- High attrition rate of experienced researcher
x x x
412 Limited research infrastructure (lab facilities standard poultry houses feed processing plant and vehicle (field travel and chicken transportation)
- Lack of standard poultry houses for breeding selection and evaluation
- Lack of standard vehicles and equipment for chicken transportation
- Lack of self-contained nutrition and health lab
x x x
41
Strategic issues Relevance in the
Short term
Medium term
Long term
413 Poor linkage of research system with other stakeholders along the value chain
- Limited Poultry stakeholders platform
- Preparation of regular consultative meeting with stakeholders
x x x
42 Breeding and Genetics
421 Lack of suitable genetic materials
- Lack of improved chicken breeds suitable for family poultry production
- Lack of strict breed importation protocols and quarantine system
- Lack of improved chicken breeds for specialized poultry production
- Limited genetic information on tropically adapted chicken breeds
x x x
422 Limited genetic capacity of indigenous chicken ecotypes
- Limited information on phenotypic and genotypic characterization of indigenous chicken eco-types
- Limited information on local genetic pool
- Lack of indigenous chicken selection program
x x x
423 Prolonged span of time for developing pure-lines executing cross breeding programs and follow through multi-location breed evaluation
x x x
424 Lack of a national poultry breeding policy x
43 Feeds and Nutrition
431 Shortage poor quality and high cost of poultry feed
- Limited utilization of alternative feed resources under the different production system and agro-ecological zones
- Inadequate and poor access to concentrate feed (premix Lysine and Methionine etc)
- Inadequate and poor access to formulated feed for different poultry production systems
x x
432 Lack of feed quality and safety protocol and standards
- Lack of indicators and rapid tests for measuring the nutritional value andor quality of feed ingredients and formulated rations
- limited Information and data base laboratory analysis and animal evaluation of poultry feed
x
433 Lack of feeding optimization study on commercial chickens x x x
42
Strategic issues Relevance in the
Short term
Medium term
Long term
44 Poultry Health
441 Lack of prevention and control strategies and interventions for major poultry disease of economic importance
- Limited information on prevention and control of major diseases
- Lack of vaccine for economically important poultry disease
- Poor vaccination scheme for different poultry production systems
- Poor disease control and prevention strategy
- Lack of quarantine system to prevent introduction of new disease
- Poor control system on introduced live vaccine
x x x
442 Poor Surveillance system of endemic emerging and zoonotic disease in Ethiopia
- Poor knowledge in the epidemiology of the disease
- Occurrence of newly emerging disease
- Lack of surveillance system for circulating strain of major poultry disease pathogens
- Molecular characterization of major poultry disease
- Lack of periodic disease surveillance system
x X x
443 Lack of information and data base on ethno-vet practices and standardize scientific scheme for generic application
- Limited information on Ethno-vet practices and development of standardized scientific scheme for generic application
x X x
444 Poor diagnostic capacity x X x
45 Husbandry and Management
451 Lack of skill and knowledge on improved poultry production x X x
452 Lack of appropriate technological packages for different poultry production systems
x X x
46 Processing and Food Safety
461 Lack of diversity of poultry products and packaging - Lack of standards and guidelines for poultry product processing
and packaging - Limited cooking and serving skills in relation to chicken meat
and eggs
x x
43
Strategic issues Relevance in the
Short term
Medium term
Long term
462 Lack of program addressing consumerrsquos expectations pertaining to safe food production and animal welfare
- Lack of standards and guideline to address the issue of food safety
x x x
463 Challenge in managing the environment for sustainable development
- Lack of standards and guidelines to address key environmental issues which include odor management and litter disposal
x x x
47 Socio-economics Research Extension and Gender
471 Limited information on the current status of poultry production and marketing
- Limited information on poultry value chain status
- Limited information on costs of production and cost benefit analysis for different poultry production systems
x
472 Limited information on adoption status and impact of improved poultry technologies
- Level of technology adoption and determinants for adoption of improved poultry technologies is not clearly known at the national level
x x x
473 Inadequate promotion and dissemination of improved poultry technologies
- Lack of tailor made technology dissemination and promotion schemes
- Weak extension service on poultry production
x x x
474 Weak marketing system and promotion
- Seasonal demand fluctuations leading variations in chicken meat and egg supply
- Lack of developed market distribution systems and retail outlets for poultry products
- Attitudinal and behavioral challenge towards consuming eggs and meat of hybrid and exotic chicken breeds
x x
475 Lack information on the role of gender on poultry technology dissemination
x x x
48 Additional crosscutting themes
Gender x x x
Climate Change x x x
Knowledge Management x x x Note The mark lsquoX lsquodenotes that the issue is relevant and needs to be talked
44
5 Research themes and strategic interventions
Considering the complex nature of the issues to be addressed by the
research team most of the research topics are multi-institutional multi-
thematic multidisciplinary participatory and need to be implemented in
collaboration with farmers extensionists and a wide range of other partners
to be involved in the whole spectrum of the poultry sub-sector Aligned to
the goals and priorities of EIAR and guided by the current national
agricultural growth and transformation framework livestock master plan-
poultry sector growth road map the research strategy is believed to benefit
farmers agro-processors traders and others involved in the value chains
and the nation at large There are seven research themes briefly discussed
hereunder and the strategic interventions designed for each of the strategic
issues elucidated under section IV above and spanning the short medium
and long terms of fifteen years (2016-2030) are presented in Table 8
51 Research themes
511 General The second five-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II) of
Ethiopia projects that the agriculture sector will still play a decisive role to
transform into industrialization Besides the livestock master plan - poultry
sector development road map also emphasizes that poultry is expected to
satisfy local consumption and contributed to national GDP In this regard
the poultry sector work hard to meet chicken meat and egg demands for its
growing population and produces export surpluses achieve the CRGE
target of increasing the share of chicken meat consumption to the total meat
consumption by substituting read meat that comes from larger high
emitting ruminants Nonetheless the limited supply of chicken breeds
associated inputs and appropriate support from and emphasis of
stakeholders across the sector hinder improvement of production both in
geographic coverage and input application and shortage in supply of
chicken and chicken products to a nation at large As a result the country
is in shortage of purchasing power parity of animal protein supply and
some organizations tend to depend on the importation of large amount of
chicken meat and egg mainly incurring a large amount of foreign
currency It is therefore vital to have a strategy of suffices local demand
and substitution In order to pursue such an important agenda of national
urgency the research should focuses on two important issues that (i) the
45
poultry research should be strengthened in terms human resources (ie the
researchers engaged in poultry research should be equipped with modern
techniques and methods of poultry improvements) and research facilities
(ie standard poultry houses lab facilities standard poultry houses feed
processing plants) and (ii) the stakeholders involved in the poultry value
chain in general need to have a strong functional influential and
sustainable forum that will shape up the future of poultry research
development and product processing and consumption
512 Breeding and Genetics Despite the benefits and huge population of chicken the total output of this
sector has remained very low due to diverse reasons Genetic limitation is
one of the major bottle necks for the development of the sector Very little
has been done to achieve an in depth assessment of local stocks under
either traditional or improved conditions In general what has been
accomplished so far is not enough to show the relative effects of genetic
and non-genetic factors on the performance of the local stocks and to
design appropriate breeding strategies
The expansion of the commercial poultry production is limited by
inadequate supply of high performing chicken breeds locally Research
system is currently attempting to alleviate this problem by identifying
introducing and evaluating improved poultry breeds that can adapt and
perform under Ethiopian situation However the efforts made so far could
not meet the demand for improved chicken breed across different
production systems Hence this theme is crucial to address the need for
improved poultry breeds in the growing poultry industry of the country
513 Feeds and nutrition The productivity of poultry has been limited by scarcity and consequent
high prices of the conventional protein and energy sources in Ethiopia
Feed is the prime input in commercial poultry production representing 70-
85 of the total cost of production Poultry producers in Ethiopia are
always complaining over the high cost high tax of feed inputs and poor
quality of poultry feed on the market This necessitates investigations for
conventional and nonconventional feed resources that are cheaper locally
available and have better nutritional value
46
514 Health One of the most effective ways to make poultry production more efficient
is to achieve sustainability and reduce disease related loss whose
dynamics are shifting as a result of climate change and poor disease
prevention and control In this regard the research will focus mainly on
developing strategies on prevention and control of endemic emerging and
re-emerging poultry diseases based on their epidemiology in the country
It also focuses on identification prevention and control of zoonotic disease
to achieve the goal of one health The other main researchable areas are
identification and evaluation of traditional medicine
515 Husbandry and management Economically visible and sound poultry husbandry and management
practices are key towards developing improved poultry sector and optimize
the production and productivity Improvement in the management
practices and construction of poultry house in the sector open the way for
optimal expression of genetic potential of chicken in different production
system and agro-ecology Tackling the issues identified under this theme
are thought to address poultry management interventions awareness
creation and improve husbandry practices of different production systems
in the country
516 Processing and food safety Seasonal demand fluctuation and attitudinalbehavioral challenges towards
producing and consuming chicken meat and egg are currently considered
to be the major challenges facing the development of the poultry sector in
the country (LMP 2015) Hence it highly crucial to intervene with
appropriate poultry product processing technologies which provide quality
and safe food to consumers and at the same time addressing the issue of
sustainable environmental management
517 Socio-economics research extension and gender Poultry sector development in Ethiopia is highly constrained by poor
understanding of the farming system lack of institutional linkage and
support inadequate training and poor extension services As a result
research and development efforts made for the last five decades had not
brought a significant impact in the livelihood of poultry producers In this
regard strategic planning ensures improving marketing adoptions
patterns gender mainstreaming promotion and dissemination mechanisms
47
to enhance production employment and economic growth The themes
are the key to attain the success that the research teams envisage
518 Additional cross-cutting themes Gender Addressing the issue of gender inequality in every development
agenda is believed to bring sustainable development Whereas unequal
gender access and control over improved poultry technologies often makes
women more vulnerable to poverty and climate change If the gender gap
were eliminated FAO asserts that total agricultural output would increase
Cognizant of this the strategy upholds integration of gender concerns into
research objectives technology development extension and evaluation
frameworks
Climate change In Ethiopia climate change is already having an impact
on the livelihoods of different communities in different corners of the
country Therefore the poultry research strategy will place due
considerations to availing technologies that would help the poultry value
chain actors to respond to climate change through adaptation andor
mitigation approaches
Knowledge management (ICT) Through KM interventions aided by
new information technologies it is possible to help improve smallholdersrsquo
access to resources that help them improve their farm productivity and
competitive ability KM will also help to create research products in a more
collaborative manner that makes them more suitable for diverse audiences
For this purpose the research team will make results more readily
available spearhead formations of multi-stakeholder platforms that
facilitate interaction and promote learning for change mentoring and
networking
48
52 Strategic Interventions
Table 9 Strategic interventions planned to address critical issues broilerlayer and dual purpose research commodities
in short- medium- and long-terms
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years)
521 General (Relevant Across Themes)
11 Lack of skilled man power in modern tools of poultry improvement
Short-term training on-
- Poultry breeding nutrition health extension and husbandry
- Utilization of modern equipment for quality analysis
- Utilization of modern poultry house equipment and facilities
- Researchers and technicians trained or specialized on poultry production breeding nutrition and health
- Researchers and technicians trained or specialized on poultry production breeding nutrition and health
12 Limited research infrastructure (lab facilities standard poultry houses feed processing plant and vehicle (field travel and chicken transportation)
- Establishment of modern poultry houses
- Renovating the existing poultry nutrition and health laboratories
- Availing field vehicle and modern chick transportation van
-
- Establishment of modern poultry nutrition and health lab
- Establishment of modern poultry feed processing plants
- Continue to modernize the lab facilities poultry houses and equipment to attain state of the art in poultry science
13 Poor linkage of research system with other stakeholders along the value chain
- Strengthening the existing poultry sector development platform (EARI and MOLF should take the lead to be sustainability)
- Continue strengthening the poultry sector development platform
- Continue strengthening the poultry sector development platform
49
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years)
- Strengthening the linkage between research and stakeholders
- Continue strengthening the linkage between research and stakeholders
- Strengthening the linkage between research and stakeholders
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on general issues
Capacity built resulting in well-qualified researchers equipped with modern techniques of poultry improvement and quality analysis
Modern poultry research infrastructure (poultry house laboratories and feed processing plant) and equipment established
A strong and functional poultry stakeholder platform established and catalyze the development of poultry industry
522 Breeding and Genetics
21 Lack of suitable genetic materials
- Importation and evaluation of tropically adapted broiler chicken breeds under different production systems
- Importation and evaluation of tropically adapted layer and dual-purpose chicken breeds under different agro-ecologies and production systems
- Establish quarantine system to control introduction of disease to the country
- Identification of economically important traits to be utilized in broiler breed development
- Identify economically important traits to be utilized in layer and dual-purpose chicken breed improvementdevelopment
- Conduct participatory selection of local chicken ecotypes for meat and egg production traits
- Importation and evaluation of tropically adapted broiler chicken breeds under different production systems
- Importation and evaluation of tropically adapted layer and dual-purpose chicken breeds under different agro-ecologies and production systems
- Establish quarantine system to control introduction of disease to the country
- Importation and evaluation of tropically adapted broiler chicken breeds
- Importation and evaluation of tropically adapted layer and dual-purpose chicken breeds
- Design and launch a breeding program aiming at production of layerbroiler parent stock locally
- Optimize bio-tech protocols and procedures for breed development
50
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years)
- Develop and evaluate synthetic dual-purpose breeds
- Develop a national poultry breeding strategy
- Identification of economically important traits to be utilized in broiler breed development
- Identify economically important traits to be utilized in layer and dual-purpose chicken breed improvementdevelopment
- Conduct participatory selection of local chicken ecotypes for meat and egg production traits
- Develop and evaluate synthetic dual-purpose breeds
22 Limited genetic capacity of indigenous chicken ecotypes
- Conduct phenotypic and genetic characterization of indigenous chicken ecotypes to identify economically important traits for layer broilerdual-purpose breed development
- Undertake selection breeding of local eco-types of chicken for meat and egg production
- Develop appropriate management guide and package to improve productivity and survival rate
- Undertake selection breeding of local eco-types of chicken for meat and egg production
- Design and launch a breeding program aiming at developing pure lines locally
- Develop national data base on economically important traits of indigenous chicken
- Undertake selection breeding of local eco-types of chicken for meat and egg production (applying biotechnological tools)
51
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years) ecotypes to utilized for future breeding program
23 Prolonged span of time for developing pure-lines executing cross breeding programs and follow through multi-location breed evaluation
- Apply biotechnological tools such as marker-assisted selection (MAS) procedure to identify economically important traits without necessarily conducting on-farm selection
- Apply biotechnological tools such as marker-assisted selection (MAS) procedure to identify economically important traits without necessarily conducting on-farm selection
24 Lack of a national poultry breeding policy
- Organize stakeholder consultation platform to identify issues that the poultry industry considers roadblocks with regard to improved chicken breeds
- Develop scientific national poultry breeding standard and guideline for policy implication
- Quantify benefits and risk of developing national poultry breeding policy
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Breeding and Genetics
Suitable genetic materials availed for different poultry production systems (family and specialized poultry production)
Traits of economic importance identified breeding procedures and methods established and suitable breeds for different production systems developed
523 Feeds and Nutrition
31 Shortage poor quality and high cost of poultry feed
- Assess the scavenging feed resource bases in terms of scavenging flock bio-mass and carrying capacity quantification and evaluation on seasonal and regional basis
- Develop appropriate supplementary feeding scheme for villagefamily poultry based on locally available feed ingredients
- Develop best-cost and tailor based broiler rations for different classes of chickens
52
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years)
- Generate information and data base on availability seasonality and utilization of local conventional and non-conventional poultry feed resources
- Develop appropriate supplementary feeding scheme for villagefamily poultry based on locally available feed ingredients
- Develop best-cost and tailor based broiler rations for different classes of chickens
- Develop best-cost and tailor based layer rations for different classes of chickens
- Develop best-cost and tailor based broiler rations for different classes of chickens
- Develop best-cost and tailor based layer rations for different classes of chickens
- Develop best-cost and tailor based layer rations for different classes of chickens
32 Lack of feed quality and safety control and standards
- Develop indicators and rapid tests for measuring the nutritional value and or quality of feed ingredients and formulated ration
- Develop protocols and standards to assure safety on microbial quality of feed
- Avail bio-technology tools that improve feed utilization efficiency (use of enzymes and feed additives etc)
- Develop indicators and rapid tests for measuring the nutritional value and or quality of feed ingredients and formulated ration
- Optimize laboratory procedures and protocols for poultry feed quality analysis (amino-acid profiling test for mico-toxins etc)
- Avail bio-technology tools that improve feed utilization efficiency (use of enzymes and feed additives etc)
- Develop indicators and rapid tests for measuring the nutritional value and or quality of feed ingredients and formulated ration
- Optimize laboratory procedures and protocols for poultry feed quality analysis (amino-acid profiling test for mico-toxins etc)
- Avail bio-technology tools that improve feed utilization efficiency (use of enzymes and feed additives etc)
53
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years)
33 Lack of feeding optimization study on commercial chickens
- Develop a net energy system or other approaches to enable nutritionists to formulate more efficient or economical diets
- Optimize the range quantities and quality of available feed ingredients
- Optimize the range quantities and quality of available feed ingredients
- Develop a net energy system or other approaches to enable nutritionists to formulate more efficient or economical diets
- Optimize the range quantities and quality of available feed ingredients
- Develop a net energy system or other approaches to enable nutritionists to formulate more efficient or economical diets
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Feeds and Nutrition
Conventional and non-conventional poultry feeds and feeding packages for different poultry production systems identified
Feed challenges in the development of the poultry sub-sector reduced
Enhanced use of local feed resources in feeding systems of various classes of poultry
Feed quality and safety control protocols and procedures developed
524 Poultry Health
511 Lack of prevention and control strategies and interventions for major poultry disease of economic importance
- Develop different vaccination schemes and administration mechanisms for improved family production system
- Create awareness about disease management and biosecurity
- Investigate biosecurity risks and develop mitigation options and strategies
- Establish quarantine system to control introduction of disease to the country
- Identify the major challenges related to poultry husbandry and management practices
- Develop intervention protocols procedures and tools to improve the husbandry and management practice to enhance production and productivity
- Develop alternative preventative measures and treatments for infectious diseases of layers broilers and breeders (with respect to food safety - residual effects of antibiotics)
- Use state of the art to on the development of prevention
54
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years)
- Develop appropriate zoonotic disease prevention and control tools
(quarantine system) for economically important disease
- Identify disease resistant traits for genetic resistance
512 Poor Surveillance system of endemic emerging and zoonotic disease in Ethiopia
- Identify dynamics of endemic emerging and reemerging diseases as outbreak management
- Study the current status and distribution of poultry disease
- Investigate economically important endemic diseases and devise appropriate interventions preventive measures
- Study the epidemiology of major poultry disease
- Identify dynamics of emerging and reemerging diseases as outbreak management
- Design appropriate disease surveillance program
- Develop updated husbandry and management practices for pure lines and cross breeds
- Apply bio-technological tools to study the prevalence of economically important diseases
- Apply bio-technology and GIS tools on disease surveillance
513 Lack of information and data base on ethno-vet practices and standardize scientific scheme for generic application
- Generate information and data base on ethno-vet practices and standardize scientific scheme for generic application
-
514 Poor diagnostic capacity
- Develop field applicable diagnostic tools
- Conduct strain level identification of economically important poultry diseases
- Develop advanced diagnostic protocols and procedures
- Conduct strain level identification of economically important poultry diseases
55
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years) - Conduct strain level
identification of economically important poultry diseases
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Poultry Health
Increased interest to raise poultry and improved production and productivity due to reduced disease loss
Better prevention and control of major poultry and zoonotic diseases in different production systems will be established
The effect of pathogenic infection reduced
Advanced disease diagnostic protocols developed
Easily applicable and effective vaccination scheme will be developed
525 Husbandry and Management
52 Lack of skill and knowledge on improved poultry production
- Identify the major challenges related to poultry husbandry and management practices
- Develop intervention protocols procedures and tools to improve the husbandry and management practice to enhance production and productivity
- Create awareness on improved poultry husbandry and management practices
- Identify the major challenges related to poultry husbandry and management practices
- Develop intervention protocols procedures and tools to improve the husbandry and management practice to enhance production and productivity
53 Lack of appropriate technological packages for different poultry production systems
- Develop updated husbandry and management practices (grandparent and parent stock mgt)
- Develop updated husbandry and management practices for pure lines and cross breeds
56
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years) Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Husbandry and Management
Skill and Knowledge on modern husbandry and managements practices of poultry producers improved
Up-to-date recommendations on husbandry and management practices availed
526 Processing and Food Safety
61 Lack of diversity of poultry products and packaging
- Studyidentify poultry product processing and packaging options
- Develop standards and guidelines for poultry product processing and packaging
62 Lack of program addressing consumerrsquos expectations pertaining to safe food production and animal welfare
- Review and communicate leading edge overseas food safety standards and protocols
- Develop standards and guidelines to assure food safety
- Develop alternative preventative measures and treatments (vaccination biosecurity hygiene and nutrition) for infectious diseases of layers broilers and breeders
63 Challenge in managing the environment for sustainable development
- Evaluate poultry farm and processing plant waste management options (costs and benefits of alternative treatment and dispersal technologies and the feasibility of engineering solutions for odour management)
- Develop standards and guidelines for odour management and litter disposal
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Processing and Food Safety
Appropriate poultry product processing and packaging standards and guidelines developed
Efficient and effective poultry farm and processing plant odour management and litter disposal standards and guidelines developed
57
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years)
527 Socio-economics Research Extension and Gender
71 Limited information on the current status of poultry production and marketing system
- Study production and marketing system dynamics (gap analysis current status contribution to GDP etc)
- Develop policy advices addressing dynamism of the sector
72 Limited information on adoption status and impact of improved poultry technologies
- Study the adoption rate of improved poultry technologies
- Study the impact of improved poultry technologies on the livelihood
- Recommend appropriate policy suggestions
- Study the adoption rate of improved poultry technologies
- Study the impact of improved poultry technologies on the livelihood
- Study the adoption rate of improved poultry technologies
- Study the impact of improved poultry technologies on the livelihood
73 Inadequate promotion and dissemination of improved poultry technologies
- Develop tailor made poultry technology dissemination and promotion schemes
- Modernize the existing extension system
74 Weak marketing system and promotion
- Develop market distribution systems and retail outlets for poultry products
- Enhancing the feeding habit and marketability of poultry products through promotion and evaluation of poultry product preparation practices
- Promote technologies which can increase the shelf life of poultry products (cold chain egg powder etc)
- Develop market distribution systems and retail outlets for poultry products
- Enhancing the feeding habit and marketability of poultry products through promotion and evaluation of poultry
58
Strategic issues Strategic intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (11-15 years) product preparation practices
- Promote technologies which can increase the shelf life of poultry products (cold chain egg powder etc)
75 Lack of information on the role of gender on poultry technologies dissemination
- Limited information on gender disaggregated technology dissimilation adoption and impact assessment for poultry production
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Socio-economics Research Extension and Gender
Information on the current status of poultry production and marketing generated
Poultry and poultry product marketing challenges improved
Update information on the adoption status and impacts of improved poultry technologies
The role of gender in poultry value chain will be understood through mainstreaming
751 Additional Crosscutting Themes
Gender Consider gender equality and ensure that women get their fair share of the benefits of research results since climate change is becoming a challenge ensure that research programs would adequately address the challenge to increase resilience of vulnerable communities and consider modern facilities of ICT are instrumental in knowledge and information transfer process
Climate Change
Knowledge Management
59
6 The next steps
This strategic document of the national poultry research program will be
presented to stakeholders for further improvement and approved by the top
management of EARI Following the approval it is essential to prepare the
implementation plan without which this strategy is not going to achieve
its goal The implementation plan document will come out as Volume II
of the research strategy which will serve as the blueprint to guide the
National Poultry Program for the next fifteen years (2016-2030) The
major contents of the implementation plan will revolve among others
around the following topics
Develop implementation plan
Develop monitoring and evacuation plan
Develop impact assessment plan
Develop reassessment plan for the strategy
In order to expedite the development of the implementation plan it will be
important to develop a common guideline that will serve the EARI
Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate to provide guidance to
the research teams The guideline will contain important considerations in
planning a project(s) from the developed strategic plan including building
research teams of various roles and levels In general the main purpose of
the implementation plan is to strengthen the poultry research capacity with
trained manpower adequate finance research facilities and supplies to
conduct the planned experiments evaluation and pre-demonstration
activities and pursue the fulfillment of the research objectives with
corresponding indicators and means of verification It helps researchers
planners and evaluators to become familiar with the guideline to prepare
successful projects as well as provide realistic estimates of resource
requirements for implementing the strategic interventions projected for the
short- medium- and long-term timeframes The Guideline will therefore
be prepared with the intention of providing a common structural and
conceptual framework that can be followed by the respective teams of
research program for preparing the implementation plans of their
respective strategies
60
7 References
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) 2014 Africa agriculture status
report Climate change and small holder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nirobi Kenya
Alemu Y and D Tadelle 1997 The Status of Poultry Research and
Development in Ethiopia pp 40-60 In Fifth National Conference of
Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP) 15-17 May 1997 Addis
Ababa Ethiopia
Apuno A A Mbap S T and Ibrahim T 2011 Characterization of local chickens
(Gallus gallus domesticus) in shelleng and song local government areas of
Adamawa State Nigeria Agriculture and Biology Journal of North America
2(1) 6-14
Besbes B Thieme O Rota A Guegraveye E F Alders R G Sandilands V and Hocking
P 2012 Technology and programs for sustainable improvement of village
poultry production In Proceedings of the 30th Poultry Science Symposium
University of Strathclyde Glasgow Scotland 2011 (pp 110-127) CABI
Bett H K Musyoka M P Peters K J and Bokelmann W 2012 Demand for Meat
in the Rural and Urban Areas of Kenya A Focus on the Indigenous Chicken
Economics Research International Volume Article ID 401472 10 pages
CSA 2014 Agricultural sample Survey Report on livestock and livestock
characteristics Vol II Statistical Bulletin 573 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
CSA 2016 Agricultural sample Survey Report on livestock and livestock
characteristics Vol V Statistical Bulletin 578 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Dana N Dessiea T van der Waaija L H and van Arendon J A M 2010
Morphological features of indigenous chicken populations of Ethiopia
Animal Genetic Resources Information 46 11-23
Davis K Swanson B Amudavi D Daniel Ayalew Flohrs A Riese J Lamb C
and Elias Zerfu 2010 In-depth Assessment of the Public Agricultural
Extension System of Ethiopia and Recommendations for Improvement IFPRI
Discussion Paper 01041 December 2010 Eastern and Southern Africa
Regional
Officehttpwwwifpriorgsitesdefaultfilespublicationsifpridp01041pdf
Dinh Xuan Tung and Rasmussen S 2005 Production function analysis for
smallholder semi-subsistence and semi-commercial poultry production
systems in three agro-ecological regions in Northern provinces of Vietnam
Livestock Research for Rural Development Volume 17 Article 69 Retrieved
October 24 2016 from httpwwwlrrdorglrrd176tung17069htm
61
Emebet Moredaa and Kidane G Mesekel 2016 Importance of Traditional Small
Scale and Commercial Poultry Production in Ethiopia A Review British
Journal of Poultry Sciences 5 (1) 01-08
Emebet M 2015 Phenotypic and genetic characterization of indigenous chicken
in Southwest Showa and Gurage Zones of Ethiopia PhD Thesis Addis
Ababa University Ethiopia
FAO (2010) Breeding strategies for sustainable management of animal genetic
resourcesFAO Animal Production and Health Guidelines No 3Rome
FAO (2010) ldquoClimate-Smartrdquo Agriculture Policies Practices and Financing for
Food Security Adaptation and Mitigation
httpwwwfaoorgdocrep013i1881ei1881e00pdf Accessed 24 October 16
Food and Agriculture Organization (2013) Climate-smart agriculture
sourcebook Copenhagen Denmark FAO pp 570
Hako Touko B A Keambou C T Han J M Bembideacute M Robert C Skilton A
Ogugo M Manjeli Y Osama S Cho C Y and Djikeng A 2015 Molecular
typing of the major histocompatibility complex B microsatellite haplotypes in
Cameroon chicken Animal Genetic Resources page 1 of 8 copy Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Halima H 2007 Phenotypic and genetic characterization of indigenous chicken
populations in northwest Ethiopia PhD Dissertation University of the Free
State Bloemfontein South Africa pp 176
Khobondo J O Muasya T K Miyumo S Okeno T O Wasike C B
Mwakubambanya R Kingori A M and Kahi A K 2015 Genetic and nutrition
development of indigenous chicken in Africa Livestock Research for Rural
Development Volume 27 Article 122 Retrieved October 24 2016 from
httpwwwlrrdorglrrd277khob27122html
Khobondo J O Okeno T O Lihare G O Wasike C B and Kahi A K 2014 The
past present and future genetic improvement of indigenous chicken of Kenya
Animal Genetic Resources 125
Meseret M 2010 Characterization of Village Chicken production and
marketing system in Gomma Wereda Jimma Zone Ethiopia Master Thesis
Jimma University Ethiopia
Meuwissen T H Hayes B J and Goddard M E 2001 Prediction of total genetic
value using genome-wide dense marker maps Genetics 157(4)1819-1829
MoFED (Ministry of Finance and Economic Development) 2014 Ethiopia
population and development indicators Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Moges F M Abera and D Tadelle 2010a Assessment of village chicken
production system and evaluation of the productive and reproductive
62
performance of local chicken ecotype in Bure district North west Ethiopia
African J Agri Res5(13) 1739-1748
Moiseyeva I G Romanov M N Nikiforov A A Sevastyanova A A and
Semyenova S K 2003 Evolutionary relationships of red jungle fowl and
chicken breeds Genetics Selection Evolution 35 403-23
Moreda E S Hareppal A Johansson T Sisaye and Z Sahile 2013
Characteristics of Indigenous Chicken Production System in South West and
South Part of Ethiopia British Journal of Poultry Sciences 2(3) 25-32
Mwacharo J M Nomura K Hanada H Jianlin O Hanotte O and Amano T 2007
Genetic relationships among Kenyan amp other East African indigenous
chickens Animal Genetics 38 485ndash490
Mwacharo J M K Nomura H Hanada J L Han T Amano and O Hanotte
2013 Reconstructing the origin and dispersal patterns of village chickens
across East Africa insights from autosomal markers Molecular Ecology 22
2683ndash2697
NABC (Netherlands-Africa Business Council) 2010 Fact sheet Livestock
Ethiopia Livestock in Ethiopia and opportunity analyses for Dutch
investment
Ngeno K van der Waaij E H Megens H J Kahi A K van Arendonk J A M and
Crooijmans R P M A 2014 Genetic diversity of different indigenous chicken
ecotypes using highly polymorphic MHC-linked and non-MHC microsatellite
markers Animal Genetic ResourcesRessources geacuteneacutetiques animalsRecursos
geneacuteticos animales available on CJO2014
doi101017S2078633614000484
Okeno T O Kahi A K and Peters J K 2012 Characterization of Indigenous
Chicken Production Systems in Kenya Tropical Animal Health and
Production 44601-608
PLM van 2014 Competitiveness of the EU egg sector International
comparison base year 2013 Wageningen LEI Wageningen UR (University amp
Research centre) LEI Report 2014-041 36 pp 16 fig 7 tab 9 ref
PLM van Horne and N Bondt 2013 Competitiveness of the EU poultry meat
sector LEI Report 2013-068 ISBNEAN 978-90-8615-664-1 65 p fig tab
app
Psifidi A G Banos O Matika D Tadelle R Christley P Wigley J Bettridge O
Hanotte T Desta P Kaiser 2014 Identification of SNP Markers for Resistance
to Salmonella and IBDV in Indigenous Ethiopian Chickens Proceedings 10th
World Congress of Genetics Applied to Livestock Production
Reta D Negussie D and Alemu Y 2012 Comparative production performance of
two exotic chicken breeds under two different feed regimes in three agro-
63
ecologies of central Oromia Ethiopia - a step forward for distribution or
contract rearing of day old exotic chicks under rural setting Livestock
Research for Rural Development Volume 24 Article 153 Retrieved October
25 2016 fromhttpwwwlrrdorglrrd249dugu24153htm
Tadelle D and B Ogle 2001 Village poultry production in central highlands of
Ethiopia Tropical Animal Health and Production Journal 33(6) 521-537
Tadelle D 1996 Studies on village poultry production systems in the central
highlands of Ethiopia MSc Thesis Swedish University of Agricultural
Sciences
The Ethiopian Herald September 17 2016 edition
httpwwwethpressgovetherald Accessed date September 25 2016)
USAID ( 2010) Audit of USAIDEthiopiarsquos Agricultural Sector Productivity
Activities Audit Report No 4-663-10-003-P
Weigend S and Romanov M N 2001 Current strategies for the assessment and
evaluation of genetic diversity in chicken resourcesWorld‟s Poultry Science
Journal 57 275-288httpwwwthepoultryfederationcom 2012
64
8 Annexes
Annex 1 Stakeholder analysis
Stakeholders Expectations Likely reaction
if the need is not fulfilled
Institutional response
Ministry of Agriculture
Problem solving and feasible poultry technological packages
Strong bonding and networking between research amp development
Policy inputs
Identify problems why fail to generate technology and propose appropriate solutions
Generate problem solving amp market oriented poultry technologies suitable for different poultry production systems
Technology shopping testing and adopting
Suggesting appropriate policy issues
Veterinary Drugs and Animal Feed Administration and Control Authority (VDFACA)
Policy inputs to monitor product quality feed quality drugs vaccines etc
Unable to design effective quality monitoring mechanisms
Suggesting appropriate policy issues
Poultry multiplication centers
Recommended poultry breeds with management guide
Technical support and trainings
Failed to multiply and supply of chicken to end users
Testing and recommending appropriate breeds Preparation of management guides and training manuals
RARIs
Technical and financial support
Research inputs (eg breeds)
Structured leadership through NARS
Weakened institutional linkage and collaboration
Creating strong linkage and coordination
Provide the required support (technical and financial)
Ministry of finance and economic development
Proper financial amp technical planning
Timely report on proper utilization of allocated budget
Fail to allocate and release the requested budget
Proper planning Respect the finance
rules amp regulations Timely reporting and
balancing
65
Stakeholders Expectations Likely reaction
if the need is not fulfilled
Institutional response
Rural smallholder chicken producers
Manageable Problem solving amp applicable poultry technology packages in sustainable ways
Improved livelihood
Less adoption of poultry technologies and reluctance in cooperation
Continue to use their traditional practices
Generate and develop easily adopted poultry technologies and information
Follow participatory technology generation and evaluation
Create awareness on new poultry technologies
Small and large scale commercial chicken producers
Sufficient and market oriented technologies
Technical support
Assess other options
Generate and introduce feasible poultry technologies
provide training and advisory service
Input suppliers (veterinary supplies feed equipment etc)
Research outputs for Policy recommendations
Research output and information exchange
Clear order (specifications)
Inadequate input supply and weakened partnership
Provide relevant research output and information
Strengthen partnership
National Veterinary Institute (NVI)
Exchange of information on disease prevalence and incidence
Lack of collaboration
Poor information on existing disease condition
Develop strong linkage
Conduct joint research on animal disease control and prevention
66
Annex 2 Collaborator analysis
Collaborators Field of collaboration Relative advantage
Ethiopian Public
Health Institute
Zoonotic disease
identification
Laboratory analysis
Reducing the risk of
zoonotic diseases
Facilitate feeds and nutrition
research
Small and micro
enterprises offices
Collaborate in
broadening poultry
enterprises
Facilitate poultry technology
adoption
Facilitate credit service to
establish small scale poultry
enterprises
Ethiopian poultry
producers and
processors
association
Technical support and
information exchange
Policy inputs for the
development of poultry
sector
Support in creating
conducive policy
environment
Easily uptake of poultry
technologies
Cooperativesunions
and financial
institutions
Collaboration in
broadening poultry
enterprises through
input supply credit
service and technology
multiplication
Facilitate credit service to
establish poultry enterprises
Insurance service
Agro processors
Technical support and
information exchange
Market linkage between
producer and processor
Develop technology that can
ensure quality products
Increased poultry products
marketing and technology
up take
Contribute to the
development poultry sector
Donors
Extension of promising
technology package
Funding of innovative
researches projects
Find extra budget for
entitled project
Can generate demand driven
technologies
Higher learning
institutes
Joint research work
Technical support
Practical research
attachment
Information exchange
Good collaboration and
networking
Improve skills and technical
gaps
update on current situation
Regional and
national animal
health laboratories
identification of
endemic emerging and
reemerging disease
conditions
improved disease
surveillance system
develop technical
information
67
Collaborators Field of collaboration Relative advantage
technical information
exchange
collaborative research
improve disease diagnosis
prevention and control
mechanisms
Ethiopian
biodiversity
institute (EBI)
technical support
joint research
information exchange
improve technical capacity
on genetic material
conservation
generate supportive
information
ILRI
joint research
information exchange
technology
increase research fund
improve information
exchange and technology
dissemination
Ethiopian
agricultural
transformation
agency (ATA)
joint research
information exchange
increase research fund
improve information
exchange and technology
dissemination
Ethiopian meat and
dairy industry
development
industry (EMDIDI)
joint research
information exchange
improve intake of
technology
develop technologies that
can improve product quality
69
2 Fisheries Research Strategy
a) Capture Fishery Research Strategy
(2016 - 2030)
71
List of abbreviations and acronyms
DHA Docosahexaenoic acid
EPA Ecosapentaenoic acid
MoLF Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries
MUFA Monounsaturated fatty acids
PUFA Polyunsaturated fatty acids
SAFA Saturated fatty acids
73
Executive summery
The 15 year strategic document highlights the research roadmap of the
capture fishery in Ethiopia Objectives are developed to achieve the
envisaged goal in collaboration with different stakeholders The document
provides the overall mission of the research system to generate and adapt
technologies and scientific information which will enhance capture
fisheries production to the maximum sustainable yield through ecosystem
based management of lakes and rivers of the country
This strategy document is divided into five major chapters Chapter one
provides background information on the process of preparation of the
strategy history of fishery research descriptions of the rationale for
developing a long-term research strategy and the vision mission goal
objectives and guiding principles for the capture fishery Chapter two
explains the importance of the commodity focusing on the status of capture
fishery and potential in relation to food and nutrition economy and
environmental sustainability The third chapter is about situation analysis
which addresses two crucial factors (internal and external) by considering
the current political economic socio-cultural and technological and
environmental (PEST+) dimensions The internal factors were analyzed in
the strengths and weaknesses while the external factors were described
under opportunities and challenges in SWOC analysis In the SWOC
analysis the document has analyzed the current strength and limitations of
the capture fishery research The opportunities in the sector include the
availability of huge water resources high endemic fish faunal diversity
different fish eco- regions and construction of big dams and reservoirs
However there are also a number of anthropogenic and natural calamities
which threaten the fishery including pollution catchment degradation
climate change and high population growth rate leading to over-
exploitation of the resource For clarity the strategic issues were organized
into three groups namely general research and cross-cutting themes
Under general theme the major human capacity research infrastructures
and organizational structure are identified The research theme is
organized under five major intervention thematic areas that include
Fisheries resource management Aquatic ecology and monitoring Fish
post-harvest and gear technology Aquatic pollution and climate change
and Socio economics and extension The GIS biometry and ICT as a
74
major tool to map the fishery resource and analyze data in coordinated
manner and gender for effective research are included as cross-cutting
themes The major limitations of the research such as absence of more
accurate maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of major lakes and rivers
limited scientific studies on capture fisheries socio-economic across the
value chain neglect of the riverine fishery and other aquatic resources the
expansion of alien invasive species and poor dissemination and extension
of the limited knowledge available so far are to be mentioned Chapter four
details strategic issues raised in chapter three with their intervention
measures Intervention strategies for each theme are described in the
strategic document for consideration during development of
implementation action plan and project proposals Finally chapter five
provide key elements of actions that need to be taken immediately
following approval of the strategy by the EIAR top-management The
major once include developing implementation plan monitoring and
evaluation plan impact assessment plan and reassessment plan for the
strategy
This strategy will serve as a guide for research activities on fishery and
their environment for the next 15 years to generate adapt and popularize
information and technology in coordinated manner in order to achieve the
vision and goals of the research program Quite large number of research
out puts are expected to be delivered during the short (2016-2020)
medium (2021-2025) and long term (2026-2030) of the strategic years The
implementations of this strategy require considerable input in terms of
human resource and research capacity infrastructure and finance
Moreover It is understood that the mission and vision of this strategy
document will be achieved when all stakeholders in the research system
mainly the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) Regional
Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs) Higher learning institutions
(Universities and colleges) and different research institutions in different
ministries work in synergy for the benefit of the country and bring the
commodity to its maximum development Moreover the contributions of
others such as the private sector CGIAR professional societies and policy
makers cannot be overlooked
75
Capture Fishery Research Strategy
(2016 - 2030)
1 Introduction
11 Background
Ethiopia had initiated a series of five years strategy plans aiming at
improving the livelihood and income of its citizens in the last two decades
Some of these include Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development
to End poverty (PASDEP) from 20056 to 200910 Growth and
Transformation Plan (GTP) I from 201011 to 201415 and currently GTP
II from 201516 to 201920 In these all strategies agriculture has been
given the priority and expected to serve as an engine of growth for the
economy The agriculture sector contributed some 40 of the countrys
GDP and over 85 of the people are engaged in this sector Moreover
global initiatives like Millennium Development Goal (MDG) have also
been successfully implemented since the beginning of the millennium
which complemented the national strategy plans of the country All those
development plans focus on the commercialization of smallholder
agriculture through specialization in agricultural commodities that have
high demand in local and export markets
The livestock sector is one of the priority areas of the government as it is
clearly stipulated in the strategy and policy of the country Considering its
importance the Ministry of Agriculture has recently made structural
transformation and elevated the livestock and fishery sector at Minister
level Since the reform a Livestock Master Plan of the nation has been
developed focusing on major commodities such as dairy large and small
ruminants and poultry However the strategic document lacks the fishery
commodity and we expect that it will be incorporated in the final draft of
the document
The history of research on fisheries dates back to the 1930s associated with
the Italian invasion More systematic research involving Ethiopian
scholars was associated with the opening of Graduate programs at the
Addis Ababa University and associated doctoral research was made in the
1980s and 1990s Lake Fisheries Development project (LFDP) which was
76
initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture contributed in training and capacity
building of the lake fishery in the country (LFDP 1996 1997) For the
first time in the history of research fishery has been recognized as one of
the research commodities in the Ethiopian Agricultural research system in
1997 under the then Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization
(EARO) through the Proc No 791997 With this consideration a 15 years
strategic document (2000 -2015) was developed to undertake strategic
researches focusing on lake fisheries management and sustainable
production Although there are many challenges hindering its proper
implementation including limited trained manpower and research
facilities admirable achievements have been made with respect to the
generation of information on fish production potential of major water
bodies diversity of fish in major drainage basins biology of commercially
important fish mainly Tilapia the ecological status of some lakes and
rivers and fish post-harvest in major lakes The research output including
recommended options were successfully communicated to different
stakeholders through scientific publications public media newspaper and
various training and up-scaling programs (eg Dirk amp Tesfaye Wudineh
1997Zenebe Tadesse 1998Zenebe et al 2003 Golubstov amp Mina 2003
Yared et al 2010 Redeat Habteselassie 2012 Fasil et al 2013 Gashaw
Tesfaye and Wolf 2014 Aschalew and Moog 2015)
In order to increase fish production from the lotic and lentic water bodies
of the country in a sustainable manner a strategic research that considers
the governmentrsquos GTP II plan and that of the research institute is required
Accordingly this strategic document for capture fishery commodity is
developed In preparing this strategy document quite large number of
documents mainly GTP I results GTP II action plan and National
Agricultural Research System road map scientific publications and gray
literature produced by the Governmental Institutions and international
organizations Higher learning Institutes and Federal and Regional
research Institutes have been used as in puts and source of information
Moreover the draft document has been repeatedly reviewed and comments
and inputs suggested have been incorporated at different levels It is
understood that the mission and vision in this strategy document will be
achieved only when all stakeholders in the research system mainly the
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) Regional
Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs) Higher learning institutions
(Universities and colleges) and the extension division of the research and
different ministries work in synergy for the benefit of the country and bring
the commodity to its maximum development
77
12 Rationale
Agricultural research plays prominent role in increasing production and
productivity to ensure food and nutrition security and provide agricultural
inputs for agro-processing industry The agricultural development plan
also focuses on the commercialization of smallholder agriculture through
the production of those commodities that are competitive both at local and
foreign markets In Ethiopian Agricultural Research roadmap fish is
among those commodities believed to play substantial role as means of
food and nutrition security and means of income generation Moreover the
fishery sector is benefiting from the countrys development projects such
as construction of big dams for hydropower and irrigation which can be
used to enhance fish production at the same time However there are many
critical issues that demand strategic research to meet the expectation from
the sector Thus this strategy document has been developed with the
following rationale
1 Despite the areal expansion of water bodies due to damming there
are critical issues that require strategic research for sustainable
fishery development Many studies showed that fish production
from some lakes is declining at an alarming rate due to over-
exploitation and resource miss-use (Zinabu Gebremariam et al
2002) Many of the fisheries in the country lack adequate data on
which to base management decisions Some of the data problems
require applied research while others imply monitoring and
evaluation of the status of commercial fisheries and the impacts of
the management measures These activities are constrained by
limited technical capacity research infrastructure and lack of
proper attention to the fishery research
2 Fish production is possible only in the presence of water bodies
with minimum required water quality parameters and habitat
availability Degradation of fisheries and the lake resources usually
starts with over-population followed by over-exploitation of the
resources Increasing anthropogenic activities and climate change
impacts resulted in increased waste production and pollution of
aquatic ecosystems that leads to the loss of the fish habitat and
fisheries Until recently management of the lake environment
(physical chemical and biological) was not considered to be an
important component of fisheries management Changes in
physical chemical and biological processes in lake put huge
78
pressure on the fisheries and the functioning of the supporting
aquatic ecosystem Current ecosystem changes in most of the
Ethiopian lakes are not well documented because basic data that
link biological production to water quality and hydrological
variability had not been(and are not being) acquired on regular
basis Thus multi-displinary research followed by proper data
acquisition and analysis should be in place to sustain the aquatic
ecosystem in general and fishery in particular
3 Although per capita consumption of fish is generally very low in
Ethiopia there is steady growth in demand for food fish which is
attributed to growing human population intensive economic
activities and rising incomes a shift in preferences and increasing
tourism On the contrary poor fish post-harvest management is
identified as major problems affecting fish trade Improving quality
and sanitation issues during fishing handling and processing is
critical for improving marketing opportunities across the country
as quality standards are becoming an important requirement for
trading fish across borders Regionally harmonized quality
standards should increase competitive access for traders and help
to ensure improved quality of fish for consumers Therefore
adaptation of proper technologies and generation of information
that ensure the supply of safe and quality fish products should be
developed through strategic research
4 It is clear that physico-chemical biological and socioeconomic data
are required for proper management and optimum use of fishery
resources in different water bodies However most information and
technologies generated elsewhere are not adequately available to
end users due to poor extension and communication constraints in
fishery Impacts of the lake on the livelihoods of intended
beneficiaries like farmers fishers and domestic water consumers
have not been evaluated at all for all Ethiopian water bodies
Therefore basic information on socio-economic importance of
fishery sector along the value chain is considered as the major
research theme to facilitate proper extension in the future
This strategic document is prepared with the vision of creating the road
map of the fishery research in the coming fifteen years The document is
developed to implement in three phases where the first phase coincided
79
with the GTP II (2015-2019) The medium term which covers the second
five years (2020-2024) focused particularly on enhancing fishery
production through sustainable utilization and protection of lakes
reservoirs and rivers The third and last component of the strategy (2025-
2030) has aligned with the countryrsquos development strategy which targets
to elevate the country as one middle income countries by 2025 through
ecosystem based sustainable aquatic resource management
13 Guiding principles
In order to accomplish its mission and achieve its goal capture fishery
commodity will have the following guiding principles
Promote multi-disciplinary multi-institutional livelihood-based
approaches with various partners and stakeholders on the basis of
comparative advantages
Give due attention to inclusiveness in terms of diversity and equal
opportunity for all (merit-based) must use gender-sensitive
approaches to empower women
Engrain high commitment to excellence knowledge sharing and
access to data and information
Ensure monitoring mechanisms and evaluation criteria from
inception of its projects and activities
Be free from all forms of malpractices ensure transparency
accountability and devotion to research ethical standards at all
levels
Commitment to quality of national research projects
Establish strong linkage with research partners and the fishing
community
Have positive attitudes and perception towards researchers and
supporting staff
Adapt to the existing operational environment such as
institutional national and global situation
Strategic research approach that enables climate change resilient
capture fishery development
80
2 Importance of capture fishery in Ethiopia
21 Capture fishery
As one of the main commodities of the livestock sector the capture fishery
contributes a great deal in providing cheap protein source and means of
income and livelihood for the people The annual fish production from the
capture fishery has increased by nearly four to five folds from less than
10100 tonsyear in the 1990s to over 50000 tonsyear in 2015 (MoLF
2016) On the other hand the fish production potential of the capture
fishery from major lakes reservoirs small water bodies and rivers was
recently reported to be 94500 tonsyear (Gashaw ampWolff 2014) Official
report by the ministry also showed that over half million people are either
directly or indirectly engaged in the fishery sector as a means of their
livelihood nationwide However despite its increase in fish production and
economic importance the per capita fish consumption in Ethiopia is still
quite low (lt05 kgyear) compared to the global per capita fish
consumption (184 Kgyear) and the mean per capita consumption of
Africans (91 kgyear) (FAO 2014) Ethiopia is one of the least fish
consuming countries by any standard This could be because of the meat
consumption habit of the people which is around 84 kgyear On the other
hand the fish consumption habit of the people in the Rift Valley and major
rivers like River Baro in Gambella area is quite high (8-10 kgyear) This
indicates that food habits of local communities are governed by the
availability and supply of fish in the market
211 State of the aquatic ecosystems Being a land locked nation inland freshwaters are the major source of
currently fish supply in Ethiopia Therefore Ethiopiarsquos inland water
resources consists of over 7440km2 of lake some 1447 km2 of reservoirs
and a total area of some 4450 Km 2 of small water bodies with an area of
less than 10 km2 Small water bodies include lakes and manmade
reservoirs or micro-dams ponds and irrigation canals with an area of less
than 10 km2 swamps and floodplains as described by Marshall and Maes
(1994) All major rives in the country stretch over 8056 km long (Gashaw
amp Wolf 2014) (Table 1) The country has 12 river basins with a mean
annual flow (runoff) estimated as 122 billion m3 (Awulachew et al 2007)
and a total length of all rivers estimated as 8065 km (Table 1) All the rivers
are international but no perennial flow crosses into the Ethiopian river
81
drainage system (NWDR 2004) Rivers Awash and Omo-Gibe terminate
into Lakes Abbe and Turkana which are shared by Ethiopia with Djibouti
and Kenya respectively The Baro-Akobo basin connects to the White
Nile The Blue Nile originates from Lake Tana joins the White Nile at
Kartum the capital of Sudan and forms the great Nile River which crosses
Egypt and flows into the Mediterranean Sea (Figure 1)
Major lakes and reservoirs are found clustered in the Ethiopian Rift Valley
which extends north to south across the country except Lake Tana which
is located in the northern part of the country In addition to Lake Tana
important Rift Valley lakes such as Ziway Langano Hawassa Chamo and
Abaya serve as important source of fish for the local and urban
communities (Fig 1) The lakes are variable in size ranging from lt1 km2
of the small crater lakes to the largest Lake Tana (3156 Km2) The lake
Shalla is over 260 meter deep while the mean depth of Lake Ziway is
around 24 meter The lakes also differ in terms of primary secondary and
fish production and productivity Thus the conducive climatic condition
and availability of ample water resources in the country is believed to
enhance the fish production and productivity by integrating with
aquaculture This in turn could complement the wise utilization and
mitigation of the depleted stock of the capture fishery However these
inland lentic and lotic water bodies are threatened by a number of natural
and anthropogenic factors including domestic and industrial pollution
catchment degradation siltation excess water abstraction etc which
negatively affect the water quality and productivity of water bodies
Table 1 Fish production potential estimates from water bodies of Ethiopia
(Modified from Gashaw and Wolff 2014)
Major water bodies Area (km2)
Length (km)
Potential Yield (tonyear)
Major lakes 7740 38727
Major reservoirs (area gt10 km2) 1447 8059
Major rivers 6665 15974
Miscellaneous small rivers 1400 5426
Small water bodies(area lt10 km2)
4450 26314
Total 13637 8065 94500
82
Figure 1 Map of Ethiopia showing major rivers and lakes (Source Gashaw amp Wolff 2014)
212 Fish diversity Over 200 different fish species have been reported from the country of
which some 40 are endemic to the country and 10 are exotic species that
are introduced into the country (Shibru Tedla amp Fisseha Haile Meskel
1981 Golubstov amp Mina 2003 Redeat Habteselassie 2012) (Table 2 See
also the list in the annex) These fish inhabit rivers lakes and small water
bodies situated in different agro-ecologies ranging from the extremely
desert like climate in Lake Afambo (-150 m below sea level) to the Bale
highland rivers such as River Woyib where the water temperate is
conducive to raise and propagate the exotic temperate species like trout
fish Therefore the presence of such diversified climatic conditions and
aquatic habitats enhance diversification of fish adapted to different
ecological conditions Although diversity of fish in the country is quite
large only hands full of fish species are commercially important Some of
the fish species that contribute to the capture fishery include the Nile
tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) the
Nile perch (Lates niloticus) Labeobarbus spp the common carp (Cyprinus
83
carpio) etc Major bottle necks and research gaps in the capture fishery
have been reported to be overfishing use of destructive and illegal gears
aquatic pollution soil erosion and siltation excessive water abstraction
limited knowledge on the biology and production potential of commercial
fish etc (LFDP 1996 1997 Rientjens amp Tesfaye Wudineh 1997)
Table 2 The diversity of fish species in major river basins of Ethiopia (Golubstov amp Mina 2003)
213 Production systems and beneficiaries The capture fishery in Ethiopia is mainly artisanal which is conducted using
traditional wood and reed boats There are also few motorized commercial
based fisheries in Lakes Chamo Tana awassa Ziway and Langeno
supported by the Lake Fisheries Development Project (LFDP) launched in
the 1990s The gears used are mainly gill nets of different stretched mesh
size (60 mm-200 mm stretched mesh) Beach seine hook and line and caste
nets are also used in some lakes and rivers Destructive gears such as
monofilament gill nets beach seine and Gancho nets were reported from
lakes Tana Ziway and Chamo Especially the Gancho net in Lake Chamo
has been reported as culprit for the collapse of the Nile perch fishery in Lake
Chamo which indiscriminately removed the juvenile fish from the lake This
has collapsed the Nile perch stock of the lake in less than two yearsrsquo time in
the late 1990s (LFDP 1997)
There are over 67000 people who are directly engaged on the capture fish
for their livelihood In addition some 337000 people are known to benefit
indirectly from this sector (Hussien Abegaz et al 2010) Especially the
business men who are actively involved in the processing transport and
Drainage basins Family Genera Species Endemic Exotic
Atbara-Tekeze 9 22 34 3 2
Blue Nile Basin 15 37 77 24 1-3
White Nile Basin 24 59 111 6 -
Rift Valley Basin 10 18 28-31 5 4
Wabe-Shebel-Juba 11 21 33 10-17 2-3
Omo-Turkana system
19 41 76-79 8
Total 70 181-200 40 10
84
marketing of fish products across the vale chain indirectly benefit from the
sector (Gahaw Tesfaye amp Wolff 2014) For example the 38000 tons of fish
harvested from the capture fishery in 2014 generated over four billion Birr
If the capture fishery is managed properly in a sustainable way the
production and income of the community can be doubled in the next decade
In addition to local market it is possible to produce quality fish like Nile
perch for export market as it was reported in the 1990s where some 600 tons
of fish were sold in markets abroad (LFDP 1997)
In general the capture fishery contributes and plays significant role as a
means of food security food availability and improves access to nutritious
and healthy food for the rural poor It also plays an important role in poverty
alleviation as it provides employment opportunities to millions of people
both in the sector itself as well as in support services
214 Potential and exploitation level There are a number of models used to predict fish production potentials
including empirical surplus production and analytical models The
precision levels of these models vary considerably depending on the raw
data input and biological information required for the models Using the
simplest empirical models Gashaw Tesfaye and Wolff (2014) estimated
the fish production potential based on one morphometric parameter lake
area The resulting estimates of potential yield for lentic ecosystems (lakes
reservoirs and small water bodies lt10 km2) ranged from 70722 to 75550
with a mean of tonsyear a mean of 73100 tonyear For the lotic
ecosystem (riverine fishery) the fish yield estimate ranged 18855 to 23954
tonyear with a mean of 21400 tonsyear The overall fish production
estimated ranged from 89577 to 99504 tonsyear with a mean of 94500
tonsyear (Gashaw Tesfaye amp Wolff 2014)
In addition to Lake Tana Rift Valley lakes such as Ziway Langano
Hawassa Chamo and Abaya serve as important source of fish for the local
and urban communities of the major cities including the capital Addis
Ababa Among the major lakes Chamo Ziway and Tana provide some
65 of the total catch where as Lakes Abaya Hawassa Koka and Langana
contributed 7-8 each of the total catch In terms fish species the Nile
tilapia Catfish Labeo barbus spp and Barbus species are the most
important ones that contributed to the yield following their order of
contribution In particular the Nile tilapia is number one fish making up
about 50 of the total fish catch over the past two or more decades
(Gashaw Tesfaye amp Wolff (2014) The commercial fish harvest comes
85
mainly from the Ethiopian RIft valley Lakes Koka ziway Langano
Hawassa and the southernmost Lakes Chamo Abaya and Turkana and of
course from the north Ethiopia Lakes Tana Haiq and Ardibo The riverine
fishery in most cases is used for family consumption except for River Baro
where some level of commercial fishery is practiced (Hussien Abegaz et
al 2011)
However the actual volume of fish production reported over the past
twenty years ranged from below 9000 to 51000 tonsyear reported last year
(Fig 2) The fish productions over the years have increased considerably
However the highest catch recorded last year (5100 tonyear) amounted to
only 54 of the estimated potential fish production This indicates that
there is still a chance to increase fish production from the capture fishery
On the other hand there is already report of decline in fish landing of
commercially important species in the 1990s such as the Nile tilapia Nile
perch etc in some major Rift valley lakes including Lakes Ziway Langeno
Hawassa and Chamo (Reintjens and Tesfaye Wudneh 1998) Therefore
management bodies should make decisions in light of the authenticity of
reported catch data as well as the crude nature estimates obtained from
empirical models
However considering the fast growth of human population and the
growing demand for fish in the country the capture fishery alone cannot
meet the demand Therefore the only viable option to cope with the need
for fish protein is aquaculture which is based on farming fish under
controlled conditions Currently the production from aquaculture is lt20
tonsyear which is negligible as compared to the huge potential and
conducive environment existing to enhance culture fish production in the
country
86
Figure 2 Total yearly fish production from major water bodies in Ethiopia from 1981 to 2015(Source MoLf 2016)
22 Food and nutrition
221 Nutritional content Fish meat is nutritionally rich in protein minerals and high quality lipids In
particular fish lipids are known to contain high levels of the omega 3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
and docosa hexaenoic acid (DHA) (Zenebe Tadesse et al 1998a 1998b
2003 Zenebe Tadesse 2010) Omega 3 PUFA is medically important in
preventing cardiovascular diseases and improves the flow of blood
circulations in humans Regular consumption of fish is also vital to improve
normal development and functioning of the brain especially in infants and
children
222 Health and nutrition security In addition to high contents of protein fish is known to be rich in different
kinds of Polyunsaturated (PUFA) monounsaturated (MUFA) and saturated
fatty acids (SAFA) (Zenebe Tadesse et al 1998a 1998b) In particular the
high level PUFA in fish makes it healthier food than either poultry or beef
This has been attributed to the adaptation of fish to the aquatic habitat The
omega 3 and omega 6 PUFA are crucial for healthy development of brain
for children
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
14
20
15
Tonsyear
Year
87
23 Economy
The contribution of the fishery sector to the Countryrsquos GDP is generally
low accounting less than 01 (MoFED 2011) However fishery plays
major role as means of food security creation of job opportunity and
means of income to large number of families in cities close to the Ethiopian
Rift Valley and around major drainage basins like the River Baro in
Gambella Region A recent report indicated that over 80 private investors
have obtained to invest on fisheries and aquaculture business in the country
with a capital of close to 05 billion Birr in 2011 These investment projects
were reported to generate for over 3500 temporary and 4000 permanent
jobs for the local community and professionals in the field (FIA 2011)
However most projects were not implemented as planned for various
reasons
24 Environmental sustainability
The Ethiopian fresh water bodies harbor a diversified fauna and flora
These water bodies by virtue of their diversity play key role as habitat for
breeding and nursery ground for the aquatic organisms ranging from the
microscopic bacteria and algae to the giant animals like the Nile perch
crocodile and hippopotamus In particular the Rift Valley Lakes Abijata
and Shall are popular for their large population of the greater and lesser
flamingos Theses lakes also serve as breeding and feeding grounds for
migratory birds coming from Europe and elsewhere Lake Tana (3156
km2) the largest lake in the country also serves as landing sites for
migratory birds as well
Moreover fish and other organisms living in rivers and lakes are reported
to feed on a variety of planktonic and benthic invertebrates (Zenebe
Tadesse 1999 2011) The larvae and juvenile stages of nearly all fish are
carnivores and feed on insects and zooplankton The larval stages of
terrestrial insects undergo their metamorphic developments inside the
aquatic environment The algal communities like terrestrial pants are the
primary producers in the aquatic ecosystem by fixing carbon to be used by
the rest heterotrophic communities Therefore in light of their large
biomass and short generation the algae contribute considerably in carbon
sequestration and mitigate the problem of greenhouse effect and global
warming
88
3 Situation analysis
31 External environment (PEST+)
311 General external situation Capture fishery is still the predominant source of fish product in Ethiopia
The production is mainly based on the major lakes the Ethiopian Rift
Valley Lakes and the highland lake such as L Tana and Lake Hyke Its
production largely consists subsistence and to some extents artisanal Both
legal fishing cooperatives and illegal fishers operate with catches being
transported to markets in bigger cities Fish products from Gambella and
Lake Tana have enjoyed export market in neighboring Sudan at limited
extent although not properly regulated and documented The extractive
nature of capture fishery makes it different from aquaculture and its
significance to the national GDP largely depends on sustainable extraction
of the resource As a result external factors that govern sustainable
capture fishery development and research fall in the following overlapping
dimensions
312 Policy dimension The country has brought in mega development plans such as the GTP-II
which includes an element of ensuring nutrition security in addition to food
security through boosting production and productivity For this fishery
aquaculture and livestock sectors have been elevated to a state ministerial
level However institutional arrangement and support system to promote
sustainable capture fishery development and research did not cascade to
the lower units Furthermore existing policies related to land and water
resources are likely to govern the prospect of attaining maximum
sustainable yield of the capture fishery Exclusion of capture fishery in the
livestock development master plan is a drawback in terms of attracting
both international and nation support frameworks The research systemrsquos
effort is severely undermined among others by the existing generic
purchasing and import regulation which indiscriminately hinders purchase
and acquisition of quality scientific equipmentrsquos inputs supplies and
logistics In addition to negatively influencing the quality of information
management tools and man power trained the existing regulations will
further discourages scientists from actively engaging in innovative
research
89
Capture fishery is an ecosystem service whose viability depends on
regulated exploitation level at MSYrsquos This requires managing the fishery
using management tools ranging from fishing gear selection to limiting
fishing efforts This in turn requires law enforcement among the different
actors using available information on MSY MEY and CPU
Unfortunately poor law enforcement has led mismanagement and hence
collapse of fisheries of Lakes Haike and Ziway and near collapse in Lakes
Tana and Chamo
313 Economic dimension The current 51000 ton annual capture fishery production is believed to
offset the existing demand by saving significant imported products It is
also employing some half million people Since MSYrsquos of fisheries cannot
be indefinitely extended future demands are only to be met through
increased potential as new larger water bodies come to existence
Significant amount of the annual production is also lost due to post-harvest
handling and poor market linkage Besides price and demand fluctuates
seasonally Particularly MSEYrsquos of smaller water bodies that far exceed
the carrying capacity (MSY) suffer from irregular production and hence
market linkage In spite of lucrative investment incentive packages there
are few private actors in capture fishery processing and marketing In fact
some players went to closure after major declines in catch of Rift Valley
Lakes Ziway and Langano Capture fishery is an extractive agribusiness
based on ecosystem service hence operates entirely under enormous
opportunity cost Therefore from economic point of view both current
and future of capture fishery in Ethiopia is entrapped in the tradeoffs
between MSY-MSEY supply-demand and additional resource base
314 Socio-cultural dimension It is clear that vast majority of Ethiopians prefer to obtain protein from
other livestock while communities residing near major lakes and rivers
have developed long tradition of consuming fish Nevertheless there are
mounting evidences in which improvement in literacy increased
awareness and globalization are leading to rapid socio-cultural changes
leading to increased fish consumers When capture fishery is dealt major
fish species such as Nile tilapia and common carp are the most preferred
species in the general market Communities residing near the major
fisheries have their own set of preferred species For instance Labeo
barbus sp are highly consumed species around L Tana next to tilapia In
Gambella and Arbaminch Nile Perch is produces in good quantity yet
considered a luxury for local consumption owing to its higher economic
90
value But less common species such as Bagrus Synodontis Citharinus
Auchenoglanis Mormyrus are consumed by the local communities
One long existed fish eating tradition in Ethiopia is the stereotyping related
to Orthodox Christians fasting period The fasting period is known for its
high fish consumption and demand leading to excessive production of
species like Nile tilapia a species with pick reproduction between January
to May This has been challenging the fishery management for years
315 Technological dimension As mentioned earlier some economic socio cultural and policy
challenges and opportunities affecting the capture fishery commodity
greatly overlap with a set of technical aspects For instance key
commercial fish species like tilapia have their pick spawning season
coinciding with pick demand for fish ie the Orthodox Christianity main
fasting period Fishermen and traders would like to increase their output
to benefit from the market This will put pressure on the reproductive and
recruitment capacity of fish stocks as spawning fish are also caught due to
increased fishing effort At times illegal fishing gears are employed to
maximize catches thanks for loose gear control On the other hand lack
of improved fishing vessels and fishing gears have limited the exploitation
of Lake Abaya fish stocks due to presence of aggressive Nile crocodile
There exists total lack of record keeping culture Management tools such
as MSY and MSEY are based on catch effort and length-weight data
collected on regular basis shared amongst research institutions and other
actors Without such data collection and monitoring mechanism there will
be daunting prospect of providing up to date information and management
tools to sustain the capture fishery
316 Environmental dimension Capture fishery is one of commodities that are highly vulnerable and
directly impacted by environmental degradation As mentioned earlier
capture fishery is an ecosystem service Fish productivity and stock size
depends on the quality and state of the supporting ecosystem base in this
case the aquatic environment Changes in rainfall and temperature regimes
due to climate change as well as direct and indirect anthropogenic
disturbances are negatively affecting aquatic ecosystem functioning
Eutrophication and pollution are notable disturbances leading to changes
in aquatic ecosystems and the resulting declining trend in major fisheries
Developing adaptive mechanisms to cope those impacts should be
considered in the capture fishery research and development
91
317 Internal environment In the past two decade progresses have been made in research and to some
extent technology transfer However shortage of professionals adequately
trained in fishery science is challenging quality and quantity of research
outputs Inadequate financing shortage of logistics research facilities have
limited the scope of research and its impact Lack of inter and intra
disciplinary cooperation is characteristics of the research system which has
led to inefficiencies in terms of resource allocation utilization and other
opportunities Multiple institutions in the federal-regional levels and
higher learning institutions practice lack synergistic effort leading to lack
of responsibility redundancy and wastage of resource Despite such
shortcomings some research centers have moved forward in terms of
creating national and international linkages in which efforts to train a few
researchers in core disciplines have been made At the moment one federal
and two regional research centers are actively engaged in capture fishery
limnology and aquatic ecology research A remarkable research culture is
gaining momentum which calls for massive support if it is to meet its
ultimate goal The overall internal operational situations in the research
themes human physical and financial resources research culture
synergies among stakeholders and institutional arrangements have been
summarized in the SWOC analysis (Table 3)
92
25 SWOC analysis
Table 3 Internal and external situation analysis on capture fishery commodity
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
General
Recent recognition of fishery commodity in the research system
Limited support in research facility and capacity building
Recognition of the sub-sector at ministerial level
Inadequate structural setup for the fishery research
Availability of core research team representing the different disciplines at coordination center
Lack of sufficient number of staff in each discipline
High staff turnover
Lack of skilled and competent support staff in sufficient number
Absence of central database system on fishery and aquatic resources
Availability of HLIrsquos in the field of fisheries and aquatic science
Availability of policies and legislations on aquatic resources management
Availability of ICT technology
Graduate with poor practical knowledge
Poor implementation of rules acts directives and regulations on water and fishery resources management
93
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
The culture of research collaborations at national and international levels
Establishment of professional society in the field
Lengthy and tedious custom procedures for imported research inputs and supplies
Research themes
Fisheries Resource management
Availability of empirical based fish production potential of lakes and rivers
Lack of continuous fish biological data collection mechanism for analytical models
Lack of continuous catch effort and economic data
Increased high demand for fish
Absence of national fishery development master plan
Cross-border cross-regional conflict of interest
Availability of recommended fishing gears for major species and water bodies
Availability of indigenous fish management practices in some water bodies
Availability of policies and legal issues at Federal and regional level
Illegal fishing
poor implementation of legal policies and legal issues
Use of destructive and illegal fishing gears
Weak controlling system of illegal fishing materials
Aquatic ecology and monitoring
Existence of preliminary scientific
Lack of in-depth updated scientific information on aquatic ecology
Different agro climatic regionsbio regions and
Catchment degradation
Aquatic pollution
Climate change impact
94
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
information on the state of some water bodies
Absence of regular aquatic ecology monitoring system
diverse aquatic ecosystems
Invasive aquatic weeds and pastes
Multi-sectoral conflict of interest on water resources
Absence of stakeholder participation during planning designing and damming of rivers
Fish post-harvest and processing technology
Availability of simple and cost effective fish post-harvest handling techniques
Limited post-harvest management and value addition technologies
Availability of modern post-harvest technologies
Absence of coercive fishery products safety standards
Lack of handling processing and transportation facilities
Absence of publicprivate fish processing enterprises
Climate change and aquatic pollution
Existence of awareness on climate change threats on aquatic ecosystems and their services
Climate change is mainstreamed under EIAR research
Limited research effort
Limited information and knowledge
National and global recognition of climate change across many disciplines including aquatic resources and fishery
Shrinkage and drying up of some water bodies site-market center)
Non-compliance to environmental standards (lack of commitment both on clientsrsquo and regulatory bodies)
95
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
Socio economics and extension
Baseline market information along the value chain in Ethiopian Rift Valley fisheries
Weak research- extension linkage weak extension services
Poor fish consumption habit
Poor research outreach on socio-cultural and market aspects
Increasing market price demand for fish and purchasing power
Improving consumption habit
Weak marketing network and infrastructure (landing)
Demographic change in around some water bodies
Lack of buffer zones for water bodies and other development activities
Cross-cutting themes
GIS biometry and ICT
GIS and ICT being mainstreamed in the research system
Limited acquisition of technologies and application
No effort to document spatio-temporal data of water bodies
Lack of skilled human resource
Availability and accessibility of technologies world-wide (software amp hardware)
Poor ICT infrastructure in the country
Gender
Mainstreamed in the research system
Lack of gender disaggregated technology
Supporting policy frameworks in place
Shortage of competent female researchers
96
4 Stakeholder analysis
During the development of this strategy the stakeholders listed in Table 4
have been consulted and are expected to be part of its implementation at
different levels A list of such stakeholders with different roles and
demands were examined as these stakeholders play a crucially important
role for successful designing and implementation of the strategy and the
outputs and impacts thereof Therefore assessments were made what
opportunities the research team could make use of and by the same token
what challenges it should face up to coming from these stakeholders by
merely being involved in providing services of agricultural extension
production processing trading and research These stakeholders were
grouped as clients users exporters partners and competitors and the
opportunities and challenges coming from them were analyzed and
captured
Table 4 Stakeholder analysis and their respective role
Stakeholders Roles
Regional Agricultural Research Institutions (RARIrsquos)
Technology and information
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
Technology and information
Ministry of Livestock amp Fisheries (MoLF) Extension and scaling up establishing cooperatives land use natural resource management marketing
Ministry of Agriculture and natural Resources
land use natural resource management marketing
Farmers Aquatic Environment protection
Fishers End users and technology adaptation and adoption
Higher Learning Institutions (HLIrsquos) Technology information and training
Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE)
Protection of aquatic resources
Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (IBC) Conservation of aquatic resources
NGOrsquos Technology up scaling supporting research
Ministry of Water Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE)
Construction of water reservoirs
97
Stakeholders Roles
Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
Provision of technology information and financial
Support
Professional associations and community organizations
Information dissemination and exchange
Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)
Provision of financial support and IPR service
Ministry of Finance and Economic Development(MoFED)
Financial source
Private entrepreneurs and investors End users technology up scaling
Ministry of Trade Financial support market linkage and investment facilitation
Customs Provision of support in logistics mobilization
Ethiopian Standards Authority Develop standards
EIPHNR Technology and information
Mass media institutions Popularization
Justice and security Law and policy enforcement
International collaborators Provision of finance training scientific research inputs
Policy makers (MPrsquos and ) Drafting and ratification of policy documents
Agricultural Transformation Agency(ATA) Multiplication and dissemination
Central Statistics Agency (CSA) Source official information and data
Ministry of industry Infrastructure and facilitation for input and processing
Regional Bureau of Agriculture and Livestock
Extension service
98
5 Benchmarking
As pointed out earlier Ethiopia has a considerable potential for expansion
of the capture fishery which is extracted from natural and manmade
reservoirs As part of the external environmental factors it is also a
convincing exercise to examine the potentials of the capture fishery which
and draw lessons from other countries that have advanced levels of
research achievements Hence experienced and good practices of
countries like Uganda and Brazil have been taken as exemplary countries
The experience and achievements of these countries were considered
separately below
Uganda
Being a landlocked nation Uganda is endowed with only inland waters
like Ethiopia Uganda also shares Lake Victoria (the largest lake in the
world covering a total area of 68000 km2) with two African nations Kenya
and Tanzania All the three countries manage this huge aquatic resource
on the basis of common interest and benefit Conserving the Lake Victoria
fishery in a sustainable manner is impressive experience to be shared for
countries like Ethiopia for proper management and use of its resources
Brazil
Brazil is the largest country in Latin America gifted with diversified
aquatic resources like the Amazon River This river is famous for
harboring a diversified riverine fish fauna Over 2000 different fish species
are reported from this river The experience of protecting the high fish
diversity is the lesson to be adapted from Brazil Brazil also excelled in the
science of fishery and limnology where Ethiopian scholars in similar field
can obtain lessons from their Brazil counterparts
99
6 Strategic issues and interventions
Table 5 Major thematic areas and their corresponding strategic issues and intervention on capture fishery
Research discipline
Strategic issues
Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
General
bull Limited skilled human resource
bull High staff turnover
bull Short-term and MScMA
training on modern research techniques
bull Recruit qualified research staff
bull Good governance and working environment for researchers (privileges)
bull Advanced technical training on scientific tools MScMA PhD studies
bull Develop and maintain a system for good governance and working environment for researchers (privileges)
bull Continuous provision of advanced technical training on scientific tools MScMA PhD studies
bull Develop and maintain a system for good governance and working environment for researchers (privileges)
bull Limited infrastructure (facility and logistic)
bull Building laboratory and training hall purchase of field vehicle basic field and lab equipment
bull Building fish processing and training units access jetties to major lakes staff residence purchase of boat (scientifically equipped) boat trolley
bull Fish processing and training units staff residence boat (scientifically equipped) boat trolley
bull Limited financial resource
bull Allocate sufficient budget for research projects
bull Allocate sufficient budget for research projects
bull Allocate sufficient budget for research projects
100
Research discipline
Strategic issues Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
Main research themes
Fisheries Resource Management assessment
bull Limited information on riverine fisheries
bull Generating information on fish plankton and benthic diversity of rivers
bull Continue generating information on fish plankton and benthic diversity of rivers
bull Assess riverine fish diversity (using molecular techniques) biology and ecology of fish bio-regions
bull Estimate fish production potential of rivers
bull Investigate riverine fish diversity (using molecular techniques) biology and ecology of fish bio-regions
bull Assess fish production system for consumption conservation and recreational purposes
bull Absence of MSY based data on major water bodies (Over all capture fisheries potential of major lakes is unknown or not synthesized in holistic way)
bull Determining fish production potential (maximum sustainable yieldMSY) of major lakes
bull Updating fisheries baseline information and developing co-management strategy for major water bodies
bull Determining fish production potential (maximum sustainable yieldMSY) of lakes and large reservoirs
bull Updating fisheries baseline information and developing co-management strategy for major water bodies
bull Determining fish production potential (maximum sustainable yieldMSY) of lakes flood plains and wetlands
bull Updating fisheries baseline information and developing co-management strategy for major water bodies
101
Research discipline
Strategic issues Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
bull Policy analysis
bull Assess policy gaps in fisheries management
bull Draft national capture fisheries development master plan
bull Suggest alternative management and policy options for fisheries and aquatic resources management
bull Develop additional alternative management and policy options
bull Lack of participatory management system
bull Assessing existing traditionalindigenous fish resource management (if any)
bull Establish community-based fisheries resource management
bull Evaluate community-based fisheries resource management
bull Develop management option from traditional knowledge andor conventional co-managementcommunity based management
bull Continue developing management option from traditional knowledge andor conventional co-managementcommunity based management
bull Limited knowledge to non-fish aquatic resources production and utilization
bull Identify other aquatic resources potentials and their use
bull Develop production and utilization techniques
bull Continue developing production and utilization techniques
Aquatic ecology and monitoring
bull Limited knowledge on ecosystem functioning
bull Determine and compile the physic-chemical characteristics and trophic state of major lakes
bull Generation of additional information on aquatic ecosystem functioning
bull Generation of additional information on aquatic ecosystem functioning
bull Develop ecological models for monitoring lakes
102
Research discipline
Strategic issues Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
bull Absence of aquatic ecology monitoring system
bull Identify and prioritize water bodies that require monitoring via real-time ecological data
bull Establish real-time ecological data acquisition system
bull Begin real time data acquisition
bull Develop prediction models for ecological monitoring
bull Limited study on morphometric characterization of Ethiopian water bodies for aquatic ecosystem management
bull Update morphometric characteristics of major lake
bull Generate morphometric and hydro-morphological data for newly constructed water bodies and rivers respectively
bull Generate morphometric and hydro-morphological data for newly constructed water bodies and rivers respectively
bull Limited knowledge on sustainable floodplains and wetlands use
bull Generate preliminary baseline information on wetlands
bull Compile the available information on wetlands
bull Generate additional information estimate wetland productivity
bull Assess the state of Ethiopian wetlands and use
bull Generate additional information estimate wetland productivity
bull Assess the state of Ethiopian wetlands and use
bull Limited and outdated information on saline alkaline lakes of Ethiopia
bull Compile the available information on saline alkaline lakes
bull Identify potential uses of saline alkaline lakes
bull Create updated data and models for saline alkaline lakes
bull Adapt and recommend sustainable management options for saline alkaline lakes
bull Develop prediction models for monitoring
103
Research discipline
Strategic issues Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
Climate change aquatic pollution and emerging issues
bull Limited study on impact of climate change and pollution on aquatic ecosystems
bull Limited technology for mitigation of aquatic pollution
bull Assessment of the recent trends in biological and physic-chemical characteristics of major lakes
bull Evaluate the efficiency of constructed wetland in the treatment of waste water
bull Generate information on the ecological status of threatened lakes and highland rivers
bull Developadapt ecological waste water treatment technologies
bull Paleolimnetic assessment of impact of climate change on aquatic biota in the 20th century
bull Limited study on impact of climate change and pollution on aquatic ecosystems
bull Invasive aquatic weeds and other threats
bull Assessing the level of invasive aquatic weed infestation
bull Impact assessment of invasive aquatic weeds on fishery aquatic biota and livelihood
bull Evaluate aquatic invasive mitigation techniques
bull Continue developing aquatic invasive mitigation techniques
bull Develop techniques to utilize invasive aquatic weeds for different uses
bull Address other emerging threats on aquatic ecosystems
bull Invasive aquatic weeds and other threats
Fish biology pathology and parasitology
bull Shortage of information on biology of major fish fauna
bull Reproductive and feeding biology of commercially important fish species in major lakes
bull Reproductive and feeding biology of indigenous fish species in major lakes and river basins
bull Reproductive and feeding biology of indigenous fish species in major lakes and river basins
104
Research discipline
Strategic issues Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
bull Limited information on fish diseases and pathogens
bull Limited information on fish parasites in lakes and rivers
bull
bull Determine major fish diseases and disease causing organisms (protozoans fungus bacteria and viruses)
bull Determine fish parasites and their prevalence rates
bull Develop guide book on fish fauna of major water bodies
bull Develop guidelines for prevention of zoonotic diseases and parasites
bull Develop guide book on fish fauna of major water bodies
bull Develop guidelines for prevention of zoonotic diseases and parasites
bull
Fish post-harvest management and value addition
bull Limited studies on pre and post- harvest loss of fishery and fish products
bull Determine fish pre and post-harvest losses of major lake fisheries along value chain
bull
bull Develop fish post-harvest loss minimization techniques
bull Continue developing fish post-harvest loss minimization techniques
bull Popularize improved fish pre-harvest loss minimization technologies
bull Lack of small-scale fish harvesting handling processing transporting and preserving (HHPTP) technologies and value addition
bull Introduce small-scale fish post-harvest HHPTP technologies and recipes
bull Develop medium scale fish post-harvest HHPTP technologies and recipes
bull Popularize improved fish post-harvest HHPTP technologies and recipes
bull
bull Lack of fish byproduct and by-catch processing
bull Introduce fish by-product and by-catch processing and utilization technologies
bull Develop fish by-product and by-catch processing and utilization technologies
bull Promote fish by-product and by-catch processing and utilization technologies
105
Research discipline
Strategic issues Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
and utilization technologies
bull Limited skill on gear and fishing vessels-making and fishing techniques
bull Evaluate existing fishing gears efficiencies and fishing techniques
bull Prepare policy brief on recommended fishing gears
bull Developadapt appropriate fishing gears and fishing techniques for sustainable fishery
bull Improve traditional fishing gear
bull Promote appropriate fishing gears and fishing techniques for sustainable fishery
bull Improve traditional fishing gears and vessels
Socio-economics and extension
bull Inadequate transfer of technologies and management tools for sustainable aquatic resources utilization
bull Compile available management tools
bull Demonstratepopularize management tools in selected water bodies
bull Evaluate impact of fishery management tools on the state of fishery
bull Demonstratepopularize improvedmodifiednew management tools for sustainable fishery
bull Limited information on the current status of fishery production utilization and marketing
bull Absence of information on maximum economic yield (MSEY) and sustainable
bull Avail information on fish production and marketing system along the value chain
bull Establish model fish market linkage for selected fisheries
bull Compile available MSY and economic data for major water bodies
bull Establish better fish production and marketing system along value chain
bull Generate information fish product demand and supply
bull bull Establish MSEY and economic
efficiency in major lakes
bull Update information on fish production and marketing system along value chain for newly built reservoirs
bull Develop alternative marketing system based on new information and inputs
bull Establish MSEY and economic efficiency in major lakes and large reservoirs
106
Research discipline
Strategic issues Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
economic efficiency of fishery in major lakes
Cross-cutting themes
GIS biometry and ICT
bull Limited acquisition of GIS technologies and application
bull Generate GIS assisted morphometric maps of major water bodies
bull Construct 3 dimensional water-shade map using digital elevation model and spatial data (soil type vegetation cover)
bull Application of SWATupdated models to assist in management of major water bodies
bull Lack effort to document spatio-temporal data of water bodies for periodic monitoring
bull Acquisition of multi-date LandSat imagery of water bodies
bull Apply remote sensing tools for monitoring temporal changes in algal productivity of major lakes
Gender bull Lack of gender disaggregated technology
bull Promote gender oriented technology generation and extension
bull Promote gender oriented technology generation and extension
bull Promote gender oriented technology generation and extension
107
7 Next steps
Following the approval of the strategy document by the top management
of EIAR the following documents should be prepared to implement the
strategy
Develop implementation plan
Develop monitoring and evaluation plan
Develop impact assessment plan
Develop reassessment plan for the strategy
8 Reference
Aschalew L Moog O (2015) Benthic macro-invertebrates based new biotic score
―ETHbios for assessing ecological conditions of highland streams and rivers
in Ethiopia Limnologica 5211-19
Awulachew SB Yilma AD Loulseged M Loiskandl W Ayana M and
Alamirew T2007bWater resources and irrigation development in Ethiopia
Colombo Sri Lanka International Water Management Institute 78p (IWMI
Working Paper 123)
Gashaw Tesfaye amp Wolff M (2014) The state of inland fisheries in Ethiopia a
synopsis with updated estimates of potential yield Ecohydrology amp
Hydrobiology 14200-219
Golubtsov AS Mina MV 2003 Fish species diversity in the main drainage
systems of Ethiopia current state of knowledge and research prospective
Ethiop J Nat Resour 5 (2) 281ndash318
LFDP (1996) Lake management plans Lake Fisheries Development Project
Working paper No 23 Ministry of Agriculture Addis Ababa Ethiopia 31
pp
LFDP (1997) Lake fisheries management plans Lake Fisheries Development
Project Phase II pp 23) Addis Ababa Ethiopia Ministry of Agriculture
(MOA)
Redeat Habteselassie (2012) Fishes of Ethiopia Annotated Checklist with
Pictorial Identification Guide Addis Ababa
108
Reintjens D Wudneh T 1998 Fisheries management ndash a review of the current
status and research needs in Ethiopia SINET Ethiop J Sci 21(2) 231ndash266
Zenebe Tadesse (2010) Diet composition impacts the fatty acid contents of Nile
tilapia Oreochromis niloticus L from Ethiopian highland lakes Verh
Internat Verein Limnol 30 (9) 1363-1368
Zenebe Tadesse Boberg M Sonesten L and Ahlgren G (2003) Effects of
algal diets on the growth and fatty acid content of the Cichlid fish Oreochromis
niloticus L A laboratory study Aquat ecol 37 169-182
Zenebe Tadesse Ahlgren G amp Boberg M (1998b) Fatty acid content of some
freshwater fish of commercial importance from tropical lakes in the Ethiopian
Rift Valley J Fish Biol 53 987 - 1005
Zenebe Tadesse Ahlgren G Gustafsson I-B amp Boberg M (1998a) Fatty acid
and lipid content of Oreochromis niloticus L in Ethiopian lakes - dietary
effects of phytoplankton Ecol Fresh Fish 7 146 - 158
109
9 Annexes
Annex 1 List of exotic fish species introduced into Ethiopia (Source Shibru Tedla amp Fisha Haile Meskel 1980)
Annex 2 Lakes and major reservoirs of Ethiopia with their location altitude and surface area according to Gashaw and Wolf 2014
No Name of water
body
Geographical location [GPS
coordinate]
Altitude [m]
Area [m2]
Maximum depth [m]
Mean depth
[m]
1 Abbaya 06O15rsquo N 37O55rsquo E
2 Abbasamueal 08o48rsquo N 38o42rsquo E
3 Abbe (Abhe) 11o81rsquo N 41o47rsquo E 243 113
4 Abijata 07037rsquo N 38o35rsquo E 1578 205
5 Adobed 11o22rsquo N 40o36rsquo E 340 24
6 Afambo 11o25rsquo N 41o42rsquo E 358 30
7 Afrera 13o10rsquo N 40o52rsquo E -112 125
8 Alemaya 09o24rsquo N 42o01rsquo E 2100 5 Recently dried
9 Akola Gambella region 1
10 Aloba 10o14rsquo N 39o39rsquo E 1800
11 Alwero 07o86rsquo N 34o85rsquo E 455 74
Family Species name Current status
Salmonidae Salmo trutta Established
Oncorhynchus mykiss Established
Cyprinidae Cyprinus carpio Established
Carassius auratus Established
Ctenopharyngodon idella Not established
Hypophthamichthys molitrix Not established
Cichlidae Tilapia zilli Established
Tilapia rendalli Not certain
Esocidae Esox lucius Not established
Pociilidae Gambusia holubrook Not established
Total 10 exotic species
110
No Name of water
body
Geographical location [GPS
coordinate]
Altitude [m]
Area [m2]
Maximum depth [m]
Mean depth
[m]
12 Ardibo (Hardibo)
11o15rsquo N 39o46rsquo E 1900 21
13 Arenguade 08o41rsquo N 38o58rsquo E 1900 054 32
14 Aruato 09o42rsquo N 41o14rsquo E 900
15 Aisaita 11o34rsquo N 41o28rsquo E 400
16 Ashenge (Hashenge)
12o34rsquo N 39o30rsquo E 2443 25 26 14
17 Assale (Karum) 14o01rsquo N 40o25rsquo E -125 70 40
18 Atiwo Gambella region 15
19 Awassa 07o03rsquo N 38o26rsquo E 1680 91 22 11
20 Awash Melkasa Lake
08o29rsquo N 39o19rsquo E 1500
21 Babogaya (Pawlo)
08o47rsquo N 38o59rsquo E 1870 058 65 38
22 Bahiregiorgis Amhara region 2
23 Bale Mountain lakes
06o50rsquo N 39o51rsquo E 4000 5
24 Barachet Lake 08o17rsquo N 39o03rsquo E 1800
25 Beseka (Metehara)
08o55rsquo N 39o52rsquo E 980 40 11 6
26 Beda 09o55rsquo N 40o23rsquo E 609 18
27 Bero kela Oromia Region 22
28 Billirsquouli 11o50rsquo N 41o45rsquo E 100
29 Bishan Waqa 07o18rsquo N 35o16rsquo E 1398 25
30 Bishoftu 08o44rsquo N 38o59rsquo E 1867 093 87 55
31 Borta Ormia Region 12
32 Boye Lake and Swamp
07o30rsquo N 38o02rsquo E 1900 130
33 Budamada-Tido-Ameda Lakes
07o04rsquo N 38o06rsquo E 1550
34 Chamo 05o50rsquo N 37o45rsquo E 1110 551 13 6
35 Chew Bahir 04o45rsquo N 36o50rsquo E 520 308
36 Chittu 07o24rsquo N 38o25rsquo E 1540 08 205
37 Chomen 09o30rsquo N 37o17rsquo E 2000
38 Dabashi 07o08rsquo N 38o55rsquo E 1680
39 Dalayi 10o08rsquo N 40o30rsquo E 565 41
40 Debehile 09o20rsquo N 40o06rsquo E 800
41 Dallol(Humigebet)
13o57rsquo N 40o30rsquo E -130 30
111
No Name of water
body
Geographical location [GPS
coordinate]
Altitude [m]
Area [m2]
Maximum depth [m]
Mean depth
[m]
42 Dendi 08o50rsquo N 38o05rsquo E 2836 8 51 29
43 Dembi 06o58rsquo N 35o30rsquo E 1273 72
44 Deneba 11o04rsquo N 40o53rsquo E 400
45 Diparsquoa 05o11rsquo N 36o16rsquo E 400
46 Dire 09o09rsquo N 38o56rsquo E 2558
47 Dukahini 08o55rsquo N 38o45rsquo E 1800
48 Dunkaga 09o40rsquo N 40o15rsquo E 1000
49 Ellen 08o23rsquo N 38o59rsquo E 1598 2
50 Etosha Lakes 07o55rsquo N 39o19rsquo E 3200
51 Fogera Swamps 12o05rsquo N 37o50rsquo E 2500
52 Fincha-Americ 09o30rsquo N 37o17rsquo E 2000 350
53 Gamari 11o32rsquo N 41o40rsquo E 339 70
54 Gargori 11o45rsquo N 41o30rsquo E 400
55 Garner 06o56rsquo N 34o29rsquo E 500
56 Gefersa 09o04rsquo N 38o37rsquo E 2589
57 Gefu 11o22rsquo N 41o28rsquo E 400
58 Gesi 07o34rsquo N 34o11rsquo E 440
59 Gewani Swamps
09o55rsquo N 40o32rsquo E 1500
60 Gin Mulu Gambella region 18
61 Giuletti 13o18rsquo N 41o02rsquo E -80
62 Hara Gebeya 11o50rsquo N 39o50rsquo E 2600
63 Gilgelgibe 07o48rsquo N 37o16rsquo E 1671 62
64 Golbo 11o24rsquo N 39o36rsquo E 1894 3
65 Gudra 10o54rsquo N 37o13rsquo E 2352 14 25
66 Heritale 09o55rsquo N 40o25rsquo E 600 11
67 Kadda Basa 10o15rsquo N 40o30rsquo E 600
68 Kemisse Swamps
10o42rsquo N 39o50rsquo E 1400
69 Hora (Biete Mengist)
08o45rsquo N 38o59rsquo E 1850 103 38 17
70 Kilole (Kilotes) 08o48rsquo N 38o05rsquo E 2000 077 65 26
71 Koga 11o36rsquo N 37017rsquo E 2020 20
72 Koka 08o26rsquo N 39o10rsquo E 1660 255 14 9
73 Kuriftu 08o46rsquo N 39o00rsquo E 1879 05 6 2
74 Laido-Debado 09o33rsquo N 40o12rsquo E 750 35
75 Langano 07o35rsquo N 38o45rsquo E 1582 241 48 17
76 Lay Bahir 10o57rsquo N 38o16rsquo E 3265 2
77 Legedade 09o04rsquo N 38o58rsquo E 2455
78 Loma 11o58rsquo N 40o57rsquo E 400
112
No Name of water
body
Geographical location [GPS
coordinate]
Altitude [m]
Area [m2]
Maximum depth [m]
Mean depth
[m]
89 Lugo 11o20rsquo N 39o43rsquo E 1900 35 88 37
80 Mago 05o43rsquo N 36o16rsquo E 600
81 Maibahir Amhara region 2
82 Melkawakena 07o09rsquo N 39o25rsquo E 2300 82
83 Mai-igiri 10o59rsquo N 39o39rsquo E 2500 15
84 Ota Lake 09o38rsquo N 40o19rsquo E 800
85 Shalla 07o28rsquo N 38o30rsquo E 1558 329 266 87
86 Small Abaya (Tinishu Abay)
07+55rsquo N 38o22rsquo E 1850 12
87 Sorga Oromia region 12
88 Suwata 11o25rsquo N 41o39rsquo E 367 7
89 Tachi-bahir 10o57rsquo N 38o16rsquo E 3258 2
90 Tana 12o00rsquo N 37o20rsquo E 1806 3500 14 9
91 Tata 07o39rsquo N 34o11rsquo E 422 185
92 Tekeze 13o20rsquo N 38o44rsquo E 1050 160
93 Tefki Swamps 13o20rsquo N 38o44rsquo E 1050 160
94 Tehiyo 11o39rsquo N 41o30rsquo E 250 000 0000
95 Temren 11o39rsquo N 41o30rsquo E 2900
96 Tendaho 11o40rsquo N 40o57rsquo E 400 170 53 11
97 Terba Amhara region 3
98 Turkana 04o35rsquo N 36o04rsquo E 365 100 120 33
99 Wagaan Lakes and swamps
08o00rsquo N 34o00rsquo E 400
100 Wedecha 08o56rsquo N 39o00rsquo E 2420 12
101 Weyito 05o25rsquo N 36o53rsquo E 520
102 Wonchi 08o53rsquo N 37o54rsquo E 2885 55 82
103 Yardi 10o13rsquo N 40o30rsquo E 562 75
104 Zangana 10o54rsquo N 36o58rsquo E 2700 1 166
105 Ziqualla 08o32rsquo N 38o52rsquo E 2747 05
106 Ziway 08o00rsquo N 38o50rsquo E 1636 442 7 25
113
Annex 3 Production potential estimates of major reservoirs (area gt10 km2)
SrNo Reservoir Surface area
(km2)
Potential yield estimate
FAO (2003)a Gashaw and Wolf (2014)b
1 Aba-Samuel 44 234 270
2 Alwero 74 394 436
3 Bero kela (Iluababora) 122 649 691
4 BortaBorta 12 64 82
5 Dembi 72 383 425
6 Fincha-Amerti 350 1862 1822
7 Giligel Gibe 62 330 371
8 Koka 255 1375 1362
9 Melka wakena 82 436 480
10 Sorga 12 64 82
11 Tekeze 160 851 887
12 Tendaho 170 904 938
13 Koga 20 106 131
14 Wodecha 12 64 82
Total 1447 7698 8059 aBased on 532 t km-2 estimate as in FAO (2003) b Based on the 6plusmn06 t km-2 estimate from Gashaw and Wolf (2014)
Annex 4 Fish production potential estimates of major rivers
SrNo
River Catchment area (km2)
Length with in Ethiopia (km)
Potential yield estimate
FAO (2003)
Gashaw and Wolf (2014)c
1 Baro 38400 285 916a 232
2 Akobo 21890 203 653a 119
3 Gillo 13050 252 810a 182
4 Alwero 8098 321 1032a 294
5 Pibor 4300 96 309a 27
6 Blue Nile 176000 800 2133b 1792
7 Awash 112696 1200 4800b 3999
8 Wabishebele 202697 1000 3333b 2787
9 Genale 171042 480 768b 652
10 Omo 79000 760 1925b 1619
11 Tekeze 82350 608 1232b 1041
12 Mereb 5900 440 645b 549
13 Angereib 23812 220 161b 139
14 Miscelaneous small rivers
196259 1400 6533b 5426
Total 1135494 8065 25250 18855 Estimates aBased on Hussien (2010) bBased on FAO (2003) cBased on new model by Gashaw
and Wolf (2014)
114
Annex 5 Production potential estimates of major lakes (Gashaw amp Wolf 2014)
SrNo Lake Surface area
(km2)
Potential yield estimate (tonsyear)
FAO (2003)a Gashaw and Wolf (2014)b
1 Abaya 1162 6182 5497
2 Abbe 113 601 644
3 Abijata 205 1091 1114
4 Adobed 24 128 155
5 Afambo 30 160 190
6 Afrera 125 665 707
7 Ardibo 21 112 137
8 Assale (Asahle) 70 372 415
9 Awassa 91 484 528
10 Beseka (Metehara) 40 213 248
11 Boyo 130 692 733
12 Chamo 551 2931 2767
13 Chew Bahir 308 1639 1620
14 Dallol(Humigebet) 30 160 190
15 Gamari 70 372 415
16 Hashenge 25 133 161
17 Heritale 11 59 76
18 Lugo(Hayke) 35 186 219
19 Langano 241 1282 1293
20 Tana 3500 18620 15159
21 Shalla 329 1750 1722
22 Small Abaya 12 64 82
23 Turkana 100 532 576
24 Yardi 75 399 442
25 Ziway 442 2351 2259
Total 7740 41177 37346
115
b) Aquaculture Research Strategy
(2016-2030)
117
List of abbreviations and acronyms
ADLI Agricultural Development Lead Industrialization
ATA Agricultural and Transformation Agency
BoA Bureau of Agriculture
BFALRC Bahir Dar Fishery and Aquatic Life Research Center
CGIAR Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research
CSA Central Statistical Agency
EIA Ethiopian Investment Agency
EIAR Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
ERCA Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority
ESA Ethiopian Standards Agency
ESAP Ethiopian Society of Animal Production
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agricultural Organization
FAOSTAT Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics
FRDMP Fishery Resources Development and Marketing Plan
FPME Fish Production and Marketing Enterprise
GDP Gross Domestic Products
GIS Geographic Information System
GPCC Global Precipitation Climatology Centre
GTP Growth and Transformation Plan
IBC Institute for Biodiversity Conservation
MDG Millennium Development Goal
MoA Ministry of Agriculture
MoLF Ministry of Livestock and Fishery
MoWEI Ministry of Water Energy and Irrigation
MoFED Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
MoST Ministry of Science and Technology
MSY Maximum Sustainable Yield
NADS National Aquaculture Development Strategy
NFALRC National Fishery and other Aquatic Life Research Center
PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Program
PASDEP Program for Accelerated and Sustainable Development to
End Poverty
PEST+ Political Economical Socio-cultural Technological and
Environmental
SNNPR Southern Nation Nationalities and People Region
ZFRC Ziway Fishery Research Center
119
Executive summary
Aquaculture development shows continuous growth both globally and in
the content On the other hand aquaculture in Ethiopia remains a
promising potential than an actual practice despite the countryrsquos physical
environmental and socio-economic conditions Presence of diverse agro-
ecologies water resources and availability of basic aquaculture inputs such
as candidate aquaculture fish species and fish feed ingredients (agricultural
and agro-industrial by-products) is the much needed and critical issues for
the development of aquaculture in the country Recent attempts by the
research systems enabled to introduce small scale fish farming to farmers
who have water access The current practice is with low input and less
andor no routine management which needs strategic intervention and
availing research outputs (information technologies and best practices)
Although the recognition of the commodity into the research system is a
recent phenomenon aquaculture research has generated information and
technologies which serves to kick off its development Some of the
research achievements and outputs include fish feeds from locally
available feed resources artificial amp semi artificial hatching techniques of
candidate aquaculture species (Tilapia African catfish and Common carp)
growth performance of tilapia information on potential manmade water
bodies and the performance of candidate culture fish species in different
culture systems such as mono-sex Tilapia culture cage culture poly
culture and Integrated Aquaculture and Agriculture However to utilize the
countryrsquos resources and potential for aquaculture development the
research system has to develop clear strategies of the commodity
With thorough internal and external environment assessment seven
research thematic areas one general and three cross cutting themes have
been identified Capacity building issues (skilled human power and
research infrastructure) are indicated in the general them The seven
research themes are categorized as Fish breeding genetics and
biotechnology Culture system management Fish feed and nutrition Algal
culture Enhancement of manmade water bodies Aquaculture fish health
and disease and Socio economics and extension In addition to these GIS
biometry and ICT climate change and gender are also identified as a cross
cutting issues The team believes that addressing research issues and
development needs in those thematic areas will foster the development of
120
aquaculture and enable the commodity to contribute to the overall
development goals of the institute and the country at large
121
Aquaculture Research Strategy
(2016 - 2030)
1 Introduction
11 Background
Agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy and still continues
to be one of the main economic development drivers It contributes the
lions share in terms of output income employment and raw materials In
this case Ethiopia has developed and adopted its long-term development
strategy called Agricultural Development-Led Industrialization (ADLI)
which focuses on the development of the rural sector and firmly asserts
that enhancing productivity of the smallholder agriculture lays the
foundation for industrialization which in turn will base itself on utilization
of domestic raw materials and adoption of labor-intensive technologies to
achieving food security economic growth and overall development In this
strategy agriculture has been given the priority and expected to serve as
an engine of growth for the economy Several national development plans
such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Program (PRSP-1995-1999)
Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program (SDPRP-2000-
2004) provided the basis for the Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable
Development to End Poverty (PASDEP 2005 ndash 2010) which also adopted
the goals and targets laid out in the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG) Based on the lessons learned and the countryrsquos long-term vision
to become a middle income country by 2025 the Growth and
Transformation Plan-GTP I (2010-2015) and the current GTP-II (2016-
2020) have been adopted and implemented and under implementation All
those development plans focus on the commercialization of smallholder
agriculture through specialization in agricultural commodities that have
high demand in local and export markets However these developmental
plans did not provide a specific framework for the sustainable development
of aquaculture (being one of the commodities that could contribute to
income employment and nutrition and food security) in the country They
were not comprehensive and did not provide guidance to the development
of aquaculture neither at national nor at regional level
122
12 Rationale
According to the latest available statistics collected globally by FAO
world aquaculture production showed continued growth which attained
another all-time high of 904 million tons (live weight equivalent) in 2012
(US$1444 billion) In addition some countries also reported collectively
the production of 22 400 tons of non-food products (US$2224 million) for
ornamental uses According to the latest FAO estimates world food fish
aquaculture production rose by 58 percent to 705 million tons in 2013
Between 1980 and 2012 world aquaculture production volume increased
at an average rate of 86 percent per year
Although African contribution to the total aquaculture production is only
22 a few countries like Egypt surpassed 1 million tons (1 017 738 tons)
of annual aquaculture production (FAO 2014) Presence of diverse agro-
ecological zones water sources (surface and ground) candidate culture
fish species (cold and warm water) and available fish feed ingredients
(agricultural and agro-industrial by-products) in Ethiopia and global
experience revealed the possibility to develop various aquaculture
production schemes However the commodity has not been developed
because of lack of recognition as a priority commodity lack of trained
human power and infrastructure The recent emphasis by the government
to the commodity at national and regional levels needs clear research
directions and strategies so that the countryrsquos huge potential can be
unlocked which ultimately will contribute to the overall development
process
Aquaculture commodity research as an integral part of EIAR is
committed to contribute to the overall objectives of the institute in the areas
of ensuring national food and nutrition security import substitution and
foreign currency earnings and creating job opportunities Emphasis and
special effort is given for developing small scale aquaculture practices at a
wider scale to massively bring an impact mainly on the nutrition security
of smallholder farmers who are lacking by and large
To achieve the commodityrsquos objectives in particular and to contribute to
that of EIAR Aquaculture commodity research needs a well-defined
research strategy and robust implementation action plan in order to focus
its efforts and achieve fast-track desired results The strategy document is
expected to identify key strategic research issues and interventions to be
implemented in the next 15-years period (2016-2030)
123
Vision To be a leading center of excellence in aquaculture research and training
in Eastern Africa which provides improved culture technologies and
knowledge to boost aquaculture industry and improved livelihoods
Mission To conduct and coordinate aquaculture research in the country to avail
improved technologies and knowledge which increase production and
productivity
Goal To contribute to the EIARrsquos role towards the achievement of the sectoral
objectives ensuring food and nutrition security supply of raw materials
import substitution increase export earnings and ensuring environmental
sustainability
Objective To generate develop and adapt aquaculture technologies and knowledge
that will increase production and productivity
Guiding principles In order to accomplish its mission and achieve its goal aquaculture
commodity will have the following guiding principles
Promote multi-disciplinary multi-institutional livelihood-based
approaches with various partners and stakeholders on the basis of
comparative advantages
Strategic research approach that enables climate change resilient
environmentallyecology friendly aquaculture development
Ensure monitoring mechanisms and evaluation criteria from inception
of its projects and activities
Adapt to the existing operational environment such as institutional
national and global situation
Give due attention to inclusiveness in terms of diversity and equal
opportunity for all (merit-based) must use gender-sensitive
approaches to empower women
Establish strong linkage with research partners and the fish farming
Engrain high commitment to excellence knowledge sharing and access
to data and information
Commitment to quality of national research projects
124
Have positive attitudes and perception towards researchers and
supporting staff
Be free from all forms of malpractices ensure transparency
accountability and devotion to research ethical standards at all levels
2 Importance of aquaculture
21 Aquaculture
Aquaculture the farming of aquatic organisms including fish mollusks
crustaceans and aquatic plants is a major means of global meat production
For example farmed fish ranked 4th in terms of global meat production
after pig poultry and beef amp buffalo (FAOSTAT 2011) Despite
aquaculturersquos importance and potentials in terms of poverty alleviation
food and nutrition security job opportunity sources of income reducing
fishing pressure on capture fishery its contribution to the national GDP is
not significant However the culture based capture fishery contributed
towards improvement of the local communitys livelihood the in terms of
food and nutrition security and means of income Some good examples of
culture based capture fishery include the fish production from Fincha
Koka Melekawakena Tendaho and Gilgel-gibe I reservoirs and small
communal large ponds such as Birati and Tolay In recent years integrated
aquaculture agriculture system (IAA) got attention and the system is
proved as economical and effective at the farmers level (NFALRC 2015)
The recognition of aquaculture in the agricultural development strategy of
the country will give a chance for the sectors to develop and contribute to
the national economy
22 Fish culture systems
Attempts of fish culture in Ethiopia started in the 1970s by introduction
of some exotic fish species for food production such as carps (Cyprinus
carpio-common carp Ctenophryngodon idella -Grass carp
Hypopthalmichthys molitrix -Silver carp Tilapias -Tilapia zilli and
salmons -Salmo trutta ndashbrown trout Salmo gairdneri -rainbow trout
Together with the exotic fish species culturing of some indigenous fish
species mainly Oreochromis niloticus ndashNile tilapia is being practiced
since long times The main fish culturing practice is pond culture with
125
extensive and semi-intensive type of management Most of manmade
water bodies and some lakes in Ethiopia were stocked with fish
fingerlings rearing ponds of National Fishery and Aquatic Life Research
Center the then Sebeta Fish Culture Station a pioneer fish culture station
Culture based capture fishery is the type of fish farming practice
exercised in most manmade water bodies mainly large reservoirs
Recently some aquaculture technologies like mono-sex poly- culture
cage culture and Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture are under
popularization by research centers and universities both on-station and
on-farm
23 Culture species
Ethiopian water bodies harbor diverse fish fauna (indigenous endemic and
exotic fish species) So far above 200 fish species represented in 12 orders
29 families and 70 genera of which 40 fish species are endemic and 10
exotics have been reported from different water bodies (Shibru amp Fisseha
1980 Golubstov amp Mina 2003 Redeat 2012) Presence of candidate
aquaculture fish species such as Nile tilapia African catfish and Common
carp and Trout species is a big milestone for the development of
aquaculture in the country Well established Trout species in Bale highland
rivers a cold water fish species gives an opportunity to utilize highland
water bodies for the development of aquaculture Ornamental fish species
such as Carassius auratus ndashGoldfish and other potential indigenous
candidates are additional potential to develop commercial aquaculture In
addition to finfish presence of shellfish (crustaceans mollusks) in the
water bodies in Ethiopia and the countryrsquos diverse freshwater ecoregion
are in favor of developing shellfish aquaculture
It is obvious that for the success of aquaculture quality fish seed and feed
are the critical ones Fish fries have to get live foods in their early
development stages which are critical for their survival and later stage
development The diverse planktonic organisms macro-invertebrates and
aquatic plants (live andor processed) can be used as starter fish foods and
is an option for aquaculturists A microalgae of great economic potential
with high nutritional benefits to humans like Spirulina which is renamed
as Arthrospira is another un-exploited aquatic resource in the country The
presence of Spirulina in great abundance was reported in previous studies
conducted in major river systems (Harrison and Hynes 1989
126
Cumberlidge 2009) and in Rift Valley lakes Aranguade Chitu and Kilotes
(Kebede and Ahlgren 1996) There are technologies that can be used
through adaptation for mass production in the indoor and outdoor facilities
for human and animal uses Apart from the direct use of algae for human
and animal uses some algal species like Botryococcous have the potential
for bio-fuel if mass production and management techniques are employed
24 Potential and beneficiaries
Ethiopia having diverse agro-ecological zones with wide temperature
ranges ranging from as low as 180 m below sea level in the Danakil area
to mountain slopes of over 4000 m above sea level in the highlands is ideal
to develop aquaculture Temperature is very important in aquaculture
With such altitude range variation in temperature is imminent and
aquaculturists will have different options to culture both cold and warm
water culture species
Ethiopia is endowed with several water sources both surface and ground
Lakes ranging from a few square meter to 3150 km2 reservoirs of
different sizes and several rivers (including trans-boundary) are potential
resources for the development of aquaculture A recent study by Gashaw
Tesfaye and Wolf (2014) revealed that Ethiopian water bodies are
estimated to be about 13600 km2 of lakes and reservoirs and 8065 km long
rivers An increasing numbers of manmade water bodies such as small
micro dams in most regions as well as big dams and reservoirs like Fincha
Koka Koga Gilgel Gibe 1amp 3 and the upcoming Ethiopian Great
Renaissance Dam with an area of 1860 km2 (which will have twice the
volume of Lake Tana) can serve as a dual purpose water bodies for
hydropower generation as well as fish production The fishery production
can be either culture base capture fishery and or by deploying different
aquaculture technologies in the reservoirs (example cage culture)
Considering a combination of factors (water availability topography and
soil texture land usecover temperature regime and economic
parameters) Eshete Dejen and Zemnu Mintesnot (2012) calculated that
15158 km2 highly suitable and 871 731 km2 moderately suitable for
Tilapia culture development in Ethiopia
The applications of aquaculture for production of protein rich human food
benefiting the whole society at low and reasonable cost conservation and
restoration of biodiversity stock enhancement of water bodies sport bait
127
and ornamental fish production and for animal feed justify the potential of
aquaculture to be one of the commodities for future food production
worldwide Apart from direct involvement of actors in aquaculture
business the commodity requires inputs like fish feeds and fish seeds
which are opportunities for others to be engage Several beneficiaries will
also be benefited along the value chain Moreover in developing countries
where there is food and nutrition insecurity aquaculture can be the way
out particularly for several farmers whose diet usually lacks protein
25 Food and nutrition
In Ethiopia despite its economic importance and huge untapped potential
the fishery sector remains less developed in many cases The role of
aquaculture in reducing poverty and alleviating food and nutrition
insecurity at household level is enormous Most of the Ethiopian diets are
dominated by carbohydrates derived from cereals which have low protein
and thus eating fish along with cereals can certainly eliminate the protein
deficiency diseases that presently affecting many people Apparently the
socioeconomic importance of aquaculture in reducing malnutrition by
supplying high quality fish protein and generating cash income for the rural
communities are recently well recognized and attempts are being made to
promote and develop the subsector both at farmers and commercial levels
26 Nutritional content
Fish and fish products are very important source of protein and fat (poly
unsaturated fatty acids) which has a very high degree of digestibility and
wide variety of water and fat soluble vitamins including vitamins A c and
D It contains also essential minerals such as calcium phosphorus
magnesium selenium and iodine There are nine amino acids which the
body cannot manufacture we must get them from food They are called
essential amino acids Fish contains all nine essential amino acids
therefore it is an excellent choice for meeting our daily protein needs An
added advantage of fish is that its protein is highly digestible Fish is also
a source of essential fatty acid Omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid and
eicosapentaenoic acid The protein in fish food is more readily broken
down and absorbed than the protein in red meats and poultry This
advantage makes fish an excellent food choice for people of all ages Fish
meat of 110 gram contains 110 - 140 calories 20 -25 g ram proteins and
2-5 g fat
128
27 Health and nutritional security
Fish oils are composed of fatty acids which consist of a chain of carbon
atoms with a carboxyl group at one end and a methyl group (CH3) at the
other These polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in fish are unique and
composed primarily of the omega-3 fatty acids They differ from most
plant oils which contains mainly the omega-6 fatty acids Fish and shellfish
ingest and accumulate omega-3 fatty acids through the food chain from
algae and phytoplankton the primary producers of omega-3 fatty acids
Man can only produce saturated and omega-9 fatty acids which means we
have to get the omega-3 fatty acids we need through our daily foods which
is fish After several medical studies it now appears that the omega-3 fatty
acids help keep our bodies from over-producing eicosanoids a group of
hormone-like substances that can in large amounts contribute to arthritis
asthma heart disease stroke and related disorders The eicosanoids are
normally derived from the omega-6 PUFA arachidonate found
predominantly in plant oil Omega-3 fatty acids act as an antagonist to
eicosanoid synthesis thereby lowering their production The high content
of PUFA in fish also lowers serum cholesterol levels that deposit
cholesterol along the artery walls Other health problems that may can be
controlled or alleviated by the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids from
fish are asthma arthritis diabetes multiple sclerosis hypertension
migraine headaches cancer and some kidney diseases Recent studies
suggest that by eating more oily fish older people can boost their brain
power remember better and think faster than those who dont consume at
all Incorporate fish to the diet of children with attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder can reduce their behavioral problem and improves
brain function and structure among other things The nutrients and
minerals in fish can make improvements in brain development and
reproduction All this facts decorated the role of fish in the functionality of
the human body
28 Economy
A national data on various aspects of aquaculture including total
production is yet not available In 2014 the total fish production in Ethiopia
from lakes rivers and reservoirs was estimated to be 38370 tones (MoA
2014) Lakes contributed 32164 tons (84) reservoirs and rivers 6145
129
tons (16) and rural fish farms 41 tons to the total Although Ethiopia is
termed as ldquothe water tower of North-East Africardquo and endowed with
enormous fishery and aquaculture resources for the development the per
capita consumption is estimated as little as 03 kgcapyear much lower
than the average per capita consumption of Africa ( 91 kgyear) and 184
kgyear of the world (FAO 2014) Breuil (1995) reported the estimated
per capita consumption of fish at 09 kgyear in Addis Ababa In the
production areas (Arba Minch and Sodo areas as well as Hawasa) local
per capita consumption of fish was estimated at 85 kgyear and in the
Gambella close to Baro River at 10 kgyear (Breuil 1995) The major
reason for low national fish consumption rests on limited availability and
irregular supply of fish Despite this taking only the population factor in
to account the present annual national per capita demand for fish is
estimated to over 90000 tons The gap (52000 tonsannum) can be filled
by alternative supply sources such as development of fish farming or
aquaculture In order to meet the demand for fish the country imported 337
and 421 tons of fish products in 2009 and 2010 respectively The export
trend of fish from Ethiopia has a sort of some irregularities on its volume
due to unsustainable supply and production Regardless of the
irregularities according to the data of 14 years obtained from MOA the
fish export sharply increased from 8 tons in 1997 to 8495 tons in 2010
which is in favor of the highly growing demand of world fish market
(MoA 2010) This indicates investment in aquaculture is a viable business
opportunities for private investors
29 Environmental sustainability
Aquaculture can serve for aquatic biodiversity conservation where
endangered culture species can be cultivated and restocked into the water
bodies It is also the source of fish fingerlings to stock over exploited water
bodies in stock enhancement programs The possibility of integrating
aquaculture with other agricultural activities is also an added advantage in
optimizing the resources (land and water) in a sustainable way Apart
integration aquaculture utilizes waste lands such as marshy and degraded
lands which are not suitable for other agricultural activities and increases
production and productivity of the resource (land in this case) and avail
habitat for other aquatic organisms
Despite wider applications of aquaculture its development has however
generated debate over the social and Environmental costs and benefits
130
especially as a massive threat to freshwater and marine environments
Major environmental impacts of aquaculture have been associated mainly
with high-input high-output intensive systems the effects of which
included discharge of suspended solids nutrients organic enrichment of
recipient waters resulting in build-up of anoxic sediments eutrophication
of lakes changes in benthic communities etc Cultured species will
eventually enter the natural ecosystem (either through purposeful release
or accidental escape) Thus non-native species in culture can adversely
impact local resources through hybridization and loss of native stocks
predation and competition transmission of disease and changes in habitat
However itrsquos also possible to develop environmental friendly aquaculture
where the recourses can be reused using recirculation (water) and wastes
as an input for other agricultural activities Moreover most of the intensive
aquaculture production systems are under full control of the aquaculturists
and the possibility of reducing andor controlling wastes from aquaculture
farms can sustain the environment
3 Situation analysis
31 External environment (PEST+)
Aquaculture is complementing the globally ever growing demand for fish
products in the face of stagnated capture fishery production Fish from
aquaculture is an important protein source and means of employment in
many African countries In Ethiopia aquaculture has long been a
neglected agribusiness until a recent consideration as one of high priority
commodities for nutrition security Culture-based capture fishery is the
only form of aquaculture so far in the country contributing to up to 15 of
the nationrsquos fish production (Yared et al 2010) While the country is
recording a staggering economic growth corresponding rise in income and
subsequent demand for noble protein sources like fish Such quick surge
for fish demand will likely to challenge the current supply
32 Policy dimension
The country has brought in mega development plan the Growth and
Transformation Plan-two (GTP-II) that has an element of ensuring
nutrition security in addition to food security through boosting production
and productivity For this fishery aquaculture and livestock sectors have
131
been elevated to a state ministerial level However institutional
arrangement and support system to promote aquaculture development and
research did not cascade to the lower units Furthermore existing policies
related to land and water resources are likely to govern the prospect of
aquaculture expansion since aquaculture investments are long-term in
nature Exclusion of aquaculture and fishery in the livestock development
master plan is a drawback in terms of attracting both international and
nation supports frameworks The research systemrsquos effort is severely
undermined among others by the existing generic purchasing and import
regulation which indiscriminately hinders purchase and acquisition of
quality scientific equipments inputs supplies and logistics In addition to
affection the quality of technology generated and man power trained it
further discourages scientists from actively engaging in innovative
research
33 Economic dimension
As for many agricultural commodities there exists little public-private-
partnership in research and development In spite of lucrative investment
incentive packages there are few private actors in aquaculture
development to date Unless these issues are addressed the prospect of
existing research and extension to ignite aquaculture development will be
remarkably affected On the development side lack of cross-sectoral
integration makes it difficult to efficiently exploit resources bases such as
water and land Consequently much resource is wasted or deteriorated due
to malpractices Aquaculture agribusiness may suffer opportunity cost and
competition for inputs such as feed from other livestock sector On the
other hand such opportunity cost can be reduced by using marginal
resources which are not profitable for other commodities
34 Socio-cultural dimension
Vast majority of Ethiopians prefer to obtain protein from other livestock
while communities residing near major lakes and rivers have developed
long tradition of consuming fish Nevertheless there are mounting
evidences in which improvement in literacy increased awareness and
globalization are leading to rapid socio-cultural changes leading to
increased fish consumers
132
35 Technological dimension
It is believed that Ethiopia has great potential for aquaculture with
production belts especially for Nile tilapia ranging from mid to low altitude
regions There are indigenous and exotic culture fish species distributed in
diverse fish bio-regions while it is also endowed with ample water resource
and suitable land However harnessing such potential requires generation
and adaptation of appropriate technologies for different bio-region and
production systems In this regard the effort made so far by research and
higher learning institutionrsquos to avail competent aquaculture technology
through quality scientific research is being undermined by several
obstacles Absence of trained graduates in fisheries and aquaculture is a
bottleneck to provide competent extension service at farmerrsquos level Post-
graduate programs lack adequate practical training
36 Environmental dimension
Even if some aquaculture practices are considered as environmental threats
elsewhere in the world yet there are production technologies and practices
that could be developed so as to have little negative impact on the
ecosystem In fact culture technologies and practices exist which benefit
the environment via effective use of water and waste water through
multiple integration of other commodities Several studies also indicated
that aquaculture is one of the sectors that are potentially vulnerable to
impacts of climate change
37 Internal environment
Aquaculture has just recently been considered as a commodity research in
the EIAR system Despite a positive progress in research and to some
extent technology transfer in the past decade shortage of professionals
adequately trained in aquaculture is challenging quality and quantity of
research outputs Aquaculture has long been a loss priority commodity in
the research system itself Thus inadequate financing shortage of
logistics research facilities have limited the scope of research and its
impact Lack of inter and intra disciplinary cooperation is characteristics
of the research system which has led to inefficiencies in terms of resource
133
and other opportunities Multiple institutions in the federal-regional levels
and higher learning institutions practice less synergies leading to lack of
responsibility redundancy of effort and wastage of resource Despite such
shortcomings some research centers have moved forward in terms of
creating national and international linkage in which efforts to train a few
researchers in core disciplines have been made A remarkable research
culture is gaining momentum which calls for massive support if it is to
meet its ultimate goal The overall internal operational situations in terms
of human physical and financial resources research culture synergies
among stakeholders and institutional arrangements have been summarized
in the SWOC analysis
134
SWOC analysis
Table 1 Internal and external situation analysis on aquaculture commodity
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
General Recent recognition of aquaculture commodity in the research system
Lack of adequate research facilities and inputs
Limited support in research facility and capacity building
Recognition of the sub-sector at ministerial level
Recognition of aquaculture as one of priority commodities
Inadequate structural setup and support for aquaculture research
Lack of awareness it is a new venture
Availability of core research team representing some of the disciplines at coordination center
Lack of skilled and sufficient number of staff in each discipline
High staff turnover Lack of skilled and competent
support staff in sufficient number
Availability of HLIrsquos in the field of fisheries and aquatic science
Availability of National Aquaculture development strategy
Graduate with poor practical knowledge
Poor implementation of aquaculture development strategy
The culture of research collaborations at national and international levels
Limited effort in soliciting international support
Establishment of professional society in the field
Lengthy and tedious custom procedures for imported research inputs and supplies
Lack of research inputs supplies locally
135
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
Main research themes
Fish breeding genetics and biotechnology
Initiation of researches on strain improvement through selection from indigenous culture species
Absence of trained researchers in fish breeding and genetics
Lack of improved strain Limitation in the application of
biotechnology tools
Presence of indigenous and exotic culture fish species
Global experience in aquaculture research and development
Different fish populations and eco-regions
Launching of biotechnology research and dedicated research center
Unauthorized introduction of exotic fish species
Climate change impact
Some success stories on seed multiplication techniques of culture species
Lack of adequate hatchery facilities in the country
High demand for fish fingerlingseed
Lack of quality fish seed suppliers
Fish culture system management
Existence of preliminary scientific study and experience on different culture systems
Lack of full package culture technologies
High demand for fish Availability of multi-use water
facilities for different culture systems
Lack of local supply for input material
Lack of short term practical training on aquaculture
Absence of model culture system
136
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
Fish feed and nutrition
Availability of preliminary scientific results on feed trials with agro-industrial byproducts and dry feed formulation thereof
Laboratory capacity for nutrition studies
Some studies on plankton-based live feed
Limited study on live larval fish feed
Lack of techniques for feed extrusion techniques
Lack of high quality formulated fish feed for intensive farming
Availability of a variety of agricultural and agro-industrial byproducts
Availability of commercial animal feed processors
Availability of software tools for feed formulation
Competing demand for feed ingredients from other livestock sectors
Inefficient procedures for foreign purchase of micro nutrients laboratory chemicals etc
Absence of commercial fish feed processors
Plankton amp non--finfish culture
Some knowledge on major planktonic algal groups
Presence of mini laboratory for isolation and laboratory scale production
Lack of any scientific study on algal-culture for food feed and bio-fuel
Lack of basic laboratory protocols for algal species isolation and pure culture development
Lack of adequate facility for mass culture
Growing domain of scientific knowledge globally
High economic value and demand for certain cultured algal species (eg Spirulina Arthrospira sp)
Lack of awareness on the economic importance of algae
Fish health Some information on fish parasites and prevalence in culture system
Inadequate trained researcher in the discipline
Lack of adequate laboratory facility for fish pathogens
Presence of national animal health laboratories (NAHDIC NVI)
Lack of specialized training program in fish disease
137
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
Presence of mini laboratory for bacterial and fungal isolation
Absence of studies on zoonotic fish diseases and parasites
Lack of study on diseases of fish embryo larval and fry stages
Stock enhancement of water bodies
Presence of baseline information
Presence of success stories on enhanced water bodies for aquaculture
Inadequate information on the adaptability status of stocked fish and impact on community livelihood
Lack of adequate fingerling transport logistic
Increasing awareness on water bodies for multiple use including fish farming
Increasing number of water reservoirs and dams
Absence of stakeholder participation during planning designing and construction of water reservoirs
Lack of commercial fish fingerling suppliers and central hatcheries
Socio economics andextension
Baseline information on socio-economic importance of small-scale aquaculture and culture-based capture fishery
Recent introduction of backyard pond aquaculture
Lack of awareness on fish farming
Weak research- extension linkage weak extension services
Poor fish consumption habit
Increasing market price demand for fish and purchasing power
Improving consumption habit
Weak involvement of the private sector in aquaculture investment
Lack of clear aquaculture input and facilities provision systems to investors
Lack of aquaculture stimulus package from the government
138
Research theme Internal External
Strength Weakness Opportunities Challenges
Cross-cutting themes
GIS biometry and ICT
GIS and ICT being mainstreamed in the research system
Availability of GIS based map for potential tilapia production belts
Limited acquisition of technologies and application
No effort to document spatio-temporal data of water bodies
Lack of skilled human resource
Availability and accessibility of technologies world-wide (software amp hardware)
Poor ICT infrastructure in the country
Gender
Mainstreamed in the research system
Lack of gender disaggregated technology
Supporting policy frameworks in place
Shortage of competent female researchers
Climate change Increased awareness on climate change trend
Limited information on impact of climate change on aquaculture
National and global recognition of climate change
Diminishing source of water for aquaculture development
Vulnerability to climate change
139
4 Stakeholder analysis
During the development of this strategy different stakeholders have been
consulted and are expected to be part of its implementation at different
levels A list of such stakeholders with different roles and demands were
examined as these stakeholders play a crucially important role for
successful designing and implementation of the strategy and the outputs
and impacts thereof Therefore assessments were made what opportunities
the research team could make use of and by the same token what
challenges it should face up to coming from these stakeholders by merely
being involved in providing services of agricultural extension production
processing trading and research These stakeholders were grouped as
clients users exporters partners and competitors and the opportunities
and challenges coming from them were analyzed and captured
Table 2 Stakeholderrsquos analysis
Stakeholders Roles
bull Regional Agricultural Research Institutions (RARIrsquos)
bull Technology and information
bull Higher Learning Institutions (HLIrsquos) bull Technology information and training
bull Regional bureau of livestock and fishery
bull Technology scaling up amp extension service
bull Regional environmental protection authority
bull Drafting amp approving rules and regulations to protect aquatic resources and follow up of their implementation
bull Farmers and agro-pastoralists bull Producers technology adopters amp end users on-farm research partners
bull Agro-processors bull Commercial fish feed ingredients and feeds supply
bull Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (MoLF)
bull Information delivery on priority development needs technology demand coordination of regions for various needs
bull Ministry of Water Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE)
bull Create systems to optimize multi-stakeholder water resources utilization amp sustainable management
bull Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE)
bull Drafting amp approving rules and regulations to protect aquatic resources
140
Stakeholders Roles
bull Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)
bull Provision of financial support for technology and information generation adoption and adaptation IPR service etc
bull Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED)
bull Financial source
bull Ministry of Agriculture and natural bull Resources
bull Information delivery on land use natural resource management facilitate land acquisition
bull Ministry of industry bull Consider the sector as an industrial commodity amp support its development
bull Ministry of Trade (MoT) bull Market linkage creation investment facilitation import export facilitation
bull Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (IBC)
bull Conservation of aquatic resources import-export regulation of aquatic resources
bull Non-governmental Organizations NGOrsquos
bull Support technology generation scaling up and adoption
bull International collaborators bull Provision of finance training scientific research inputs information and technology source
bull Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce bull Financial support for aquaculture development market linkage facilitation
bull Professional associations and community organizations
bull Technology amp information source technology and information dissemination and exchange service consultancy
bull Private entrepreneurs and investors bull End users of technology amp up scaling input suppliers processors
bull Ethiopian Standards Authority bull Develop standards
bull Ethiopian Institute for Public Health and Nutrition Research (EIPHNR)
bull Technology and information
bull Mass media institutions bull Popularization
bull International collaborators bull Provision of finance training scientific research inputs
bull Agricultural Transformation Agency(ATA)
bull System development to improve fishery and aquaculture resources
bull Central Statistics Agency (CSA) bull Official information and data source
bull Custom offices bull Provision of support amp facilitation in input amp logistics mobilization
141
5 Benchmarking
As indicated in most sections of this document aquaculture is rather new
agricultural venture in Ethiopia However aquaculture practices by the
Chinese dates back in 1100 BC Recent aquaculture production data also
revealed that Asian countries like China India Viet Nam Indonesia and
Bangladesh are the top 5 countries which contribute about 80 (617
that of China) of word total farmed fish production Although the
contribution of Africa to the worldrsquos aquaculture production is 22 in
2012 (FAO 2014) Egyptrsquos advancement and experiences in aquaculture
which contributed 15 of farmed fish production to the world can be
benchmarked in our case The Nile River that creates historical ties
between Egypt and Ethiopia can also be an opportunity to share
experiences and best practices as they are using the same water resource
and aquatic species including fish in the river Considering this fact the
team tried to review and draw lessens from Egypt and other neighboring
countries like Uganda and Kenya to consider during this strategy document
preparation
142
6 Strategic issues and interventions
Table 3 Major thematic areas and their corresponding strategic issues and intervention on aquaculture
Research discipline
Strategic issues
Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
General
Limited skilled human resource
High staff turnover Absence of specialized
practical training package on aquaculture for external stakeholders and professionals
Short-term and MScMA training on modern research techniques
Recruit qualified research staff Good governance and working
environment for researchers (privileges)
Develop curricula for tailor-made training programs in aquaculture
Capacity building and structural arrangement (Research amp Training Institute)
Advanced technical training on scientific tools MScMA PhD studies
Develop and maintain a system for good governance and working environment for researchers (privileges)
Provide specialized practical
training in aquaculture
Continuous provision of advanced technical training on scientific tools MScMA PhD studies
Develop and maintain a system for good governance and working environment for researchers (privileges)
Provide specialized practical training in aquaculture
Limited infrastructure (facility and logistic)
Building laboratory and training hall purchase of field vehicle basic field and lab equipment
Building fish processing and training units access jetties to major lakes staff residence purchase of boat (scientifically equipped) boat trolley
Fish processing and training units staff residence boat (scientifically equipped) boat trolley
143
Research discipline
Strategic issues
Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
Limited financial resource Allocate sufficient budget for research projects
Allocate sufficient budget for research projects
Allocate sufficient budget for research projects
Main Research themes
Fish breeding genetics and biotechnology
Lack of improved culture fish strain
Absence of fish breeding
strategy
Characterize the growth and reproductive performance of different Nile tilapia populations
Molecular description of growth and reproductive traits from different tilapia populations
Drafting the strategy
Select and develop improved tilapia strain through crossing
Adopt protocols and procedures for molecular application in strain improvement
Develop improved tilapia strain through crossing
Apply molecular techniques for strain improvement
Popularize improved tilapia strain to fish farmers
Limited knowledge on biology and culturing of candidate indigenous fish species
Generate information on biology and culturing techniques of fish species
Continue generating information on additional candidate species and domesticate potential species
Poor application of advanced biotechnological tools
Assess suitable biotechnological tools applicable in fish genetics and seed multiplication
Adopt protocols and procedures for molecular techniques in fish breeding and seed multiplication
Apply molecular techniques for strain improvement
Limited mass fish seed production techniques and brood stock management
Develop manual and procedures for artificialsemi-artificial seed propagation and brood stock
Popularize seed multiplication techniques (artificial and semi artificial) of culture fish species
Popularize seed multiplication techniques (artificial and semi artificial) of culture fish species
144
Research discipline
Strategic issues
Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
management of African Catfish (Clarias gariepenis) Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Japanese Gold fish (Carassius auratus)
Continue developing improved and robust techniques
Continue developing improved and robust techniques
Limited knowledge on biology and culturing of potential indigenous fish species for ornamental purpose
Generate information on biology and culturing techniques of potential indigenous ornamental fish species
Continue generating information on additional species and domesticate suitable species
Selection of better performing strain from different populations
Culture systems and management
Limited studies on fin-fish culture techniques and production system
Evaluate semi-intensive pond culture and integrated aquaculture agriculture productions
Identify suitable culture techniques and production systems for different water sources
Adapt intensive fin-fish production systems (re-circulating systems aquaponics raceway enclosure tank cage pen)
Continue adapting intensive fin-fish production systems (re-circulating systems aquaponics raceway enclosure tank cage pen)
145
Research discipline
Strategic issues
Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
Limited knowledge on application and culture techniques of crustaceans and shellfish
Evaluate the suitability of fresh water shellfish
Adapt mass culture techniques for planktoninc crustaceans
Develop alternative mass culture techniques for planktoninc crustaceans
Continue developing mass culture techniques for planktoninc crustaceans
Limited knowledge on aquaculture system designs
Review existing aquaculture system designs materials for constructing culture systems
Evaluate and develop different aquaculture system designs and materials for constructing culture systems
Popularize suitable aquaculture system designs for wider application
Limited studies on water quality dynamics for culture systems (fish containment)
Review and compile the water quality dynamics of different culture systems
Generate information on on-farm and on-station pond water quality dynamics
Generate information on water quality dynamics in intensive culture systems
Develop manual for water quality management for different culture systems
Continue developing manuals for water quality management in intensive culture systems
Popularize guidelines for water quality management for different culture systems
Fish feed and nutrition
Limited studies on grow-out fish feed for common culture fish species (O niloticus Cgariepenis Cyprinus carpio)
Developformulate fish feeds from locally available ingredients for major culture fish species (grow-out fish)
Continue developing feeds from locally available ingredients for major culture fish species (grow-out fish)
Developformulate high quality fish feeds for intensive fish culture (grow-out fish)
Continue developing high quality fish feeds for intensive fish culture (grow-out fish)
146
Research discipline
Strategic issues
Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
Lack of live feed for different development stage of fish species
Develop live feed propagation techniques
Develop high quality feed for nursery stages
Continue developing high quality feed for nursery stages
Continue developing alternative live feeds for different developmental stages
Lack of feed for shell-shellfish culture
Assess available information on shell fish feeding biology and feed formulation
Evaluate growth performance of selected shell fish on imported feed
Algal culture for food feed and biofuel
Limited knowledge on the culture techniques and utilization economically important algae and aquatic plant species
Adapt micro-algal isolation and culture technique
Adapt culturing and mass production techniques of aquatic ferns for animal feed
Develop alternative cost effective technique for production of micro algae and aquatic ferns
Continue improving culture and mass production techniques and popularization
Culture fish health and disease
Limited information on fish diseases and pathogens in cultured fin and shell fish
Limited information on fish parasites in containment and production system
Determine major fish diseases and disease causing organisms (protozoans fungus bacteria and viruses) in different culture systems
Determine fish parasites and their prevalence rates
Develop guide book on disease and parasite affecting cultured fish species
Develop fish disease prevention and treatment methods
Continue developing prevention and treatment methods
Develop vaccines for some fish disease
147
Research discipline
Strategic issues
Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
Absence of fish diseaseparasite prevention and treatment methods
Generate information on disease susceptibility at different life stages of fish
Enhancement of manmade water bodies
Underutilization of man-made and temporary water bodies
Assess the suitability of man-made water bodies and stock appropriate fish species
Continue assessing the suitability of man-made water bodies and stock appropriate fish species
Continue assessing the suitability of man-made water bodies and stock appropriate fish species
Limited information on the status of stocked and newly man-made water bodies
Evaluate the adaptability status of stocked fish species in man-made water bodies
Continue assessing upcoming man-made water bodies for extensive fish production
Evaluate the applicability of semi-intensive and intensive production systems in some man-made water bodies
Cross-cutting themes
GIS biometry and ICT
Inadequate zonation of potential aquaculture regions in Ethiopia
Develop aquaculture zonation for major culture species in Ethiopia using GIS tools
Update zonation for additional culture species
Update zonation for additional culture species
148
Research discipline
Strategic issues
Strategic interventions
Short-term (2016-2020)
Medium-term (2021-2025)
Long-term (2026-2030)
Gender Limited effort on mainstreaming of gender on aquaculture
Promote gender oriented technology generation and extension
Promote gender oriented technology generation and extension
Promote gender oriented technology generation and extension
Climate change
Limited information on impact and mitigation measures of climate change on aquaculture
Consider aquaculture technologies that utilize available water resource efficiently
Assessment of seasonal fluctuation of small water bodies using models
Prioritize resilient aquaculture technologies adaptive to climate change
Prioritize resilient aquaculture technologies adaptive to climate change
Promote and popularize climate resilient aquaculture production practices
149
6 Next Steps
Developing complementary documents for
the Strategy
Following the approval of the strategy document by the top management
of EIAR the following documents should be prepared to implement the
strategy
Develop implementation plan
Develop monitoring and evaluation plan
Develop impact assessment plan
Develop reassessment plan for the strategy
7 Reference
Adamneh Dagne Fasil Degefu and Aschalew Lakew (2013) Comparative growth
performance of mono-sex and mixed-sex Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
in pond culture system at Sebeta Ethiopia Internationaal Journal of
Aquaculture 3 (7) 30-34
Cumberlidge N ( 2009) Freshwater crabs and shrimps (Crustacea Decapoda) of
the Nile Basin In Dumont HJ (Ed) The Nile Origin Environments
Limnology and Human Use Springer Netherlands
Eshete Dejen and Zemnu Mintesnot (2012) A generic GIS based site suitability
analysis for pond production of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in
Ethiopia In The role of aquatic resources for food security in Ethiopia
proceedings of the fourth annual conference of the Ethiopian Fisheries and
Aquatic Sciences Association (EFASA) editors Brook Lemma and Abebe
Getahun AAU Printing Press Addis Ababa 30-61
FAO (2014) The state of world fiasheries and aquaculture-opportunities and
challenges Rome pp 243
FAO (2011) Brief on fisheries and aquaculture in Ethiopia
Gashaw Tesfaye and Wolff M (2014) The state of inland fisheries in Ethiopia a
synopsis with updated estimates of potential yield Ecohydrology amp
Hydrobiology 14 200ndash219
150
GetinetG Tsadik AbebaW Gebreil Adamneh Dagne and Yared Tigabu (2015)
Integration of aquaculture and irrigation (IAI) Opportunities and challenges
to maximize fish production from small water bodies designed for irrigation
in Tigray North Ethiopia Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of
Ethiopian Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (EFASA) Pp 139-163
Golubtsov A Mina S (2003) Fish species diversity in the main drainage systems
of Ethiopia current state of knowledge and research prospective Ethiop J
Nat Resour 5 (2) 281ndash318 Golubtsov AS Darkov AA 2008 A review
of fish diversity in the main drainage systems of Ethiopia In Pavlov SD
Dgebuadze YuYu Darkov AA Golubtsov SA Mina VM (Eds)
Ecological and Faunistic Studies in Ethiopia KMK Scientific Press Ltd
Moscow pp 69ndash 102
Harrison A D and Hynes H B (1988) Benthic fauna of Ethiopian mountain
streams and rivers Archiv fur HydrobiologieSupplement 81 1ndash36
Kassahun A H Waidbacher and W Zollitsch 2012 Proximate composition of
selected potential feedstuffs for small-scale aquaculture in Ethiopia Livestock
Research for Rural Development 24 (6) pp17
Kebede Elizabeth Ahlgren G (1996) Optimum growth conditions and light
utilization efficiency of Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira fusiformis) from
Lake Chitu Ethiopia Hydrobiologia 332 99ndash109
NFALRC (2015) Compiled research outputs of National Fishery and Aquatic Life
Research 1998-2015 Pp 9
Redeat Habteselassie (2012) Fishes of Ethiopia Annotated Checklist with
Pictorial Identification Guide Addis Ababa
Shibru Tedela Fisha H Michael (1981) Introduction and transplantation of fresh-
water fish species in Ethiopia SINET Ethiop J Sci 4 69ndash72
Yared Tigabu Fassil Degefu Aschalew Lakew and Gashaw Tesfaye (2011)
Development of small scale fish farming for livelihood diversification in
North Shewa Zone Amhara Regional State In ldquoImpacts of climate change
and population on tropical aquaticresourcesrdquo the proceedings of the 3rd
International Conference of Ethiopian Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
(EFASA)Editors Brook Lemma and Abebe Getahun Addis Ababa Pp 79-
98
Zenebe Tadese Abeba W Gebriel Mulugeta Jovani Fekadu Tefera and Fasil
Degefu (2012) Effect of supplementary feeding of agro-industrial byproducts
on the growth performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L) in
concrete ponds Ethiop J Biol Sci 11(1) 29-41
151
Annexes
Annex 1 Some stocked water bodies
Region Water bodies Stocked fish species
Tigray Hashengie Atsebi Midmar Dereka Maingus Mesekebete many small reservoirs (gt25)
Oreochromis niloticus and common carp
Oromia
Fincha Melka Wakena Koka Amerti Tolay Birati Sorga DenbiGefersa Giligel Gibe I Legedadi Muger Debrezeyt crater lakes Dendi Wonchi Ponds ( Wonji West and South west showa)
Oniloticus Tilapia zilli and common carp
Amhara Haik Ardibo Zengana Mullo Bahire georgies Maibahir Tachibahir Laibahir Ango-mesk Washa Geray Terba Washa Ponds (north showa zone)
Oniloticus and common carp
SNNP Small Abaya Cile chefe Dembi Chencha kure Damte Areket Dewoshe
Oniloticus and common carp
Gambella Bishanwaqa Oniloticus
Afar Tendaho Oniloticus
Somali Ela bayehi Oniloticus
152
Annex 2 Candidate aquaculture species
Species name
Common name Local name Remarks
Oreochromis niloticus
Nile tilapia Koroso Indigenous species found in most lakes amp reservoirs
Clarias garipineus
African catfish Ambaza Indigenous species found in most lakes rivers amp reservoirs
Cyprinus carpio
common carp Duba Exotic speciesfound in most lakes amp reservoirs
Carassius auratus
Goldfish Yegiate assa Exotic species found on-station at NFALRC
Salmo trutta Brown trout Exotic species found in Bale Highland rivers
Salmo gairdneri
Rainbow trout Exotic species found in Bale Highland rivers
Heterotis heterotis
Indigenous species found in Gambella lakes rivers amp reservoirs
153
Apiculture Research Strategy
(2016 - 2030)
155
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ARARI Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute
CACC Central Agricultural Census Commission
CSA Central Statistics Agency
EARO Ethiopian Agricultural Organization
EBA Ethiopian Beekeepers Association
EHBPEA Ethiopian Honey and Beeswax Producers and Exporters Association
EIAR Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture Research
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GTP II Growth and Transformation Plan
ICIPE International Canter for Insect Physiology and Ecology
ILRI International Livestock Research Institute
IMPS Improving productivity and Market Success
ITC International Trade Centre
LMP Livestock Master Plan
MoA Ministry of Agriculture
MoARD Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
MoI Ministry of Industry
MoT Ministry of Trade
NGOs Non-governmental organizations
OARI Oromia Agricultural Research Institute
SARI South Agricultural Research Institute
SNNP South Nations Nationalities and Peoples
SNV Netherlands Development Organization
TARI Tigray Agricultural Research Institute
UNDP United Nation Development Program
157
Executive summary
The ideal climatic conditions diversified floral resources and huge water
bodies allow the country to sustain around 10 million honeybee colonies
of which 70 of the colonies are managed and the remainder exists in
forests as wild colonies (MoARD 2007)
Apiculture has received renewed and special attention by the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in general and EIAR in particular as it
is one of the key pathways to lift up millions of subsistent smallholder
farmers out of poverty It contributes to food security economic and
natural resource recovery creating better employment opportunities and
wealth However the development of Apiculture is slow and the
contribution is not commensurate with the existing resource base The
current annual honey and beeswax production of the country is estimated
at higher than 54 thousand and 54 thousand tons respectively This
accounts about 10 percent of the total honey and beeswax potential of the
country This is attributed to limited use of technologies and other
interrelated factors Thus to increase the Apiculture productivity and
production and enhance contribution of the sub-sector use of various
technologies and modern biotechnologies is not an option but mandatory
Since its inception the Apiculture research program has recorded
significant achievements in generating improved technologies
management practices and important information
Despite these achievements the production and productivity of the sub-
sector is still low and there are also increasing challenges from emerging
development demand that require a new strategic direction This strategy
focuses on identifying and prioritizing strategic issues that should be
addressed for the next fifteen years period (2016-2031) with the general
objectives of improving the productivity of apiculture to increase
production and quality of bee products and contribute to poverty reduction
and GDP growth through multidisciplinary and participatory research
approach
Based on a detailed internal and external environment assessment the
strategic issues selected are organized in six disciplinary themes and one
general crosscutting topic The disciplinary themes include Genetic and
bee management improvement Bee forage and pollination ecology Bee
158
health Api-mechanization Agricultural economics and research
extension Technology multiplication and Capacity building Issues of
gender equality climate change and knowledge management are presented
as crosscutting themes
159
Apiculture Research Strategy
(2016 - 2030)
1 Introduction
11 Background
Agricultural sector is backbone of Ethiopian economic but the sector has
been and is affected directly or indirectly by many factors such as unwise
natural resource utilization and environmental degradation that arise from
the ever-increasing population pressure Consequently maintaining
sustainable agricultural productivity becomes a major challenge to meet
the current increasing demand for agricultural products Accelerated
growth of agriculture depends heavily on the availability of improved
technologies stimulated by institutional policy changes which be built on
understanding of the system right from the grass root level
Apiculture sub-sector has been an integral part of agriculture in Ethiopia
The country has a substantial potential for apiculture development The
ideal climatic conditions diversified floral resources and huge water bodies
allow the country to sustain around 10 million honeybee colonies of which
70 of the colonies are managed and the remainder exists in forests as
wild colonies (MoARD 2007) The current annual honey and beeswax
production of the country is estimated at higher than 54 thousand and 54
thousand tons respectively This accounts about 10 percent of the total
honey and beeswax potential of the country
Apiculture has received renewed and special attention by the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia as it is one of the key pathways to lift up
millions of subsistent smallholder farmers out of poverty It contributes to
food security economic and natural resource recovery creating better
employment opportunities and wealth However the development of
Apiculture is slow and the contribution is not commensurate with the
existing resource base due to limited use of technologies and other
interrelated factors Thus to increase the Apiculture productivity and
production and enhance contribution of the sub-sector use of various
technologies and modern biotechnologies is not an option but mandatory
160
Cognizing the diverse resource bases and contribution of apiculture to the
livelihood of farmers and economy of the country Ethiopian Agricultural
Research Institute EIAR embraced apiculture research in its research
program in 2004Since then EIAR supports the Apiculture development
plans of the country through generating Adapting and disseminating
appropriate apiculture technologies
In order for the EIAR to hone its focus and effectively deliver apiculture
related outputs that are in par with the objectives of the GTPII it is
essential to develop efficient short medium and long terms national
apiculture research strategy This strategy focuses to solve production
problems that will help achieve the goal of Apiculture development sector
as well as the concerns and demands of smallholder farmers and
stakeholders to exploit untapped potentials of honeybees and bee products
such as pollen royal jelly propolis production and crop pollination and
environmental conservation services and diversify the utilization of
honeybee products (value addition)
This strategy is organized in six major chapters whereby this background
section together with descriptions of the rationale vision mission goal
objectives and guiding principles of the National Apiculture Research
Strategy constitute the introductory chapter 1 Chapter 2 provides an
overview of the importance of apiculture in the food and nutrition
economy environment export market and their role in the farming
systems and environmental sustainability Chapter 3 discusses the
strengths weaknesses opportunities and challenges (SWOC) consolidated
from assessments and analyses of external and internal environments
influencing the performance and success of the apiculture research In
chapter 4 are presented the critical issues facing the apiculture research that
have been identified from assessments of the external and internal
environments Chapter 5 discusses the actual research strategies to be
pursued to tackle the critical issues identified Chapter 6 provides key
elements of actions that need to be taken by the EIAR top-management as
well as follow up documents that need to be worked out in the next steps
as they are prerequisites for effective implementation of the strategy
12 Rationale for developing the strategy
Strategic plan of action for Apiculture is a pressing need than ever before
as the improvement of apiculture productivity through provision of
technological innovations is necessary to contribute to achieve stretched
161
strategic objectives set in growth and transformation plan reduction of
poverty better food security national income growth and exportforeign
exchange earnings while ensuring the sustainable use of natural resource
bases
In the past attempt was made to develop apiculture research strategies
based on broad-guidelines of Countrys agricultural development policy
and objectives But it was failed to clearly define research priority that
enable efficient utilization of the limited resources and was so broad and
gave a wide scope for choices and lacked focus Though considerable
research achievement have been achieved there are still wide gaps to
respond to technology demands and value chain and addition activities
like production processing and marketing and input supply are not
effectively streamlined Furthermore there were no enough rooms for
all stakeholders to take part in planning and implementation of problem-
oriented research activities and more specifically there was limited
contribution of farmers to identification of researchable problems
prioritization planning and evaluation of technologies This approach has
led to insufficient development of responsive and sound technologies with
poor adoption rates by farmers
All these factors called for an urgent deployment of suitable apiculture
research strategy that ensure apiculture research is relevant and responsive
to national objectives needs of smallholder farmers and pastoralists private
investors to bring about tangible improvements in apiculture sub- sector
and thereby enhance the livelihood of the farmers Therefore this
apiculture strategy document is paramount important to identify
weakness in past research approaches and institutional capacity and is a
gateway to develop appropriate apiculture research agenda that contribute
to agricultural development of food security and economic growth through
ensuring enabling environment improving apiculture research approaches
and strengthening the engagement of research actors The strategy
document will be used as a guideline and road map to direct research
undertakings in developing reliable technologies that will boost apiculture
production and productivity and contribute to achieve Ethiopiarsquos long term
vision of becoming a middle income economy
13 Vision The vision of Apiculture Research program is to see improved livelihood
market oriented y and globally competent beekeepers and the research
162
program became centre of excellence in technology information and
knowledge in Africa the subsector is sustainably transformed into a
vibrant and productive economic sector
14 Mission The mission of the apiculture Research Program is to generate adopt and
disseminate efficient and effective apiculture technological options and
knowledge that contribute to increase production and productivity of
apiculture broadening the opportunity to exploit the potential export
markets and ensuring sustainable natural resources management through
interdisciplinary and participatory research approach need based training
technical and advisory services
15 Goal The development objective of the apiculture research program is to
contribute to the EIARrsquos role towards the achievement of the sectoral
objectives of (i) ensuring food security and sovereignty (ii) sustainable
supply of raw materials for agro- industries and import substation (iii)
expanding the bases for the country to gain foreign earnings from
agricultural exports and (iv) increasing livelihood resiliency and
environmental sustainability while reducing vulnerability to and
exacerbation of climate change
16 Objectives While the overall objective of apiculture research program is to improve
the productivity of apiculture to increase production and quality of bee
products and contribute to poverty reduction and GDP growth through
multidisciplinary and participatory research approach the specific objectives are
to
bull generate verify and disseminate efficient and effective apiculture
technologies and knowledge that enhance the productivity
production and quality of bee produces that could be competitive
and acceptable in domestic and international markets
bull increase income earning opportunities for those involved in
production processing and trade of apiculture sub-sector through
enhancing marketing enabling environments information and
knowledge
bull ensure development endeavors exerted on and benefits obtained from
the apiculture sub-sector are socially economically and
environmentally sustainable and gender inclusive
163
bull To enhance the contribution of apiculture in sustainable natural
resource management conservation and crop production through
appropriate technology generation
bull coordinate and monitor apiculture research activities undertaken by
various research partners and play key role in building capacity of
apiculture research teamscenters
17 Core values Apiculture Research Program adheres to core values of
Transparency
Creativity
Accountability
Efficiency and effectiveness
Team spirit
Credibility
Responsiveness
Ethical research
18 Guiding principles In implementation of this strategic plan apiculture research program is
guided with the following basic and unwavering guiding principles
Apiculture research program ensure holistic approach to
strengthen agricultural innovation systems at regional and national
while validating the role of all partner research centers and
stakeholders
Apiculture research program broaden stakeholder participation in
research activities and ensure reliability and integrity in the
decision-making processes within the research system promote
trust among partners and ensure integrity of the governance and the
decision-making process within the research system
Apiculture research program respects national development
efforts policies and priorities to cost effective responsive to
sustainable development livelihood improvement economic
growth social welfare and environmental enhancement and quality
Apiculture research program makes conscious efforts to enhance
basic applied and adaptive research and demonstration transfer
dissemination and adoption of technologies and knowledge
164
Apiculture research program promotes capacity building and
institutionalization of integrated multi-disciplinary multi-
institutional livelihood-based approaches and with various
partners and stakeholders on the basis of comparative advantages
Apiculture research program gives due attention to inclusiveness in
terms of diversity and equal opportunity for all gender sensitive
approaches to empower women
Apiculture research program engrain in all its deliberations
commitment to excellence knowledge sharing and access to
information
Ensure monitoring mechanisms and evaluation criteria from
inception of its projects and activities
Apiculture research program fosters coordination and synergies
within and between other agricultural research partners to respond
to technology and information demand and bring about impact and
efficiency
Apiculture research program be free from all forms of
malpractices and ensure transparency accountability and devotion
to ethical standards of all concerned actors at all levels
2 Importance of apiculture sub-sector
21 Agriculture agro-ecology genetic diversity and area of production
Africa is blessed with numerous types of wild honeybee (Adjare 1990)
Ethiopia is one of the countries of the continent which own big honey
production potential Owing to its varied ecological and climatic
conditions Ethiopia is home to some of the most diverse flora and fauna
in Africa Its forests and woodlands contain diverse plant species that
provide surplus nectar and pollen to foraging bees (Girma 1998) The
combination of these important factors allow the country to sustain around
10 million honeybee colonies of which 7 million are kept in l beehives by
farmers and the remaining exist in the forests as wild colonies Ethiopia is
the third largest country in the world with the number of beehives next to
India China and Turkey (Cvitkovic et al 2009)This makes the country
have the highest bee density in Africa (Ayalew 2001 Nuru 2002)
165
The genetic resources of Apiculture comprise both the honeybees and the
flora up on which the bees feed and collect important raw materials like
nectar pollen grain and propolis So far more than 7000 flowering plant
species have been identified in Ethiopia Among these more than 1000
species have been identified and documented as major and minor honeybee
plants As far as bee genetic resource is concerned currently available
information reveal the existence of five statistically separable morph
clusters occupying ecologically different areas Apis mellifera jemenitica
in the northwest and eastern arid and semi-arid lowlands Am scutellata
in the west south and southwest humid midlands Am bandasii in the
central moist highlands Am monticola from the northern mountainous
highlands and Am woyi-gambella in south western semi-arid to sub-
humid lowland parts of the country (Amssalu et al 2004)
211 Agro-ecology of beekeeping in Ethiopia The contrast physiographic conditions of Ethiopia create diverse agro-
climates in very close proximity with different rainfall growing seasons
and plant flowering patterns This condition provides an ideal opportunity
for apiculture sub-sector on a large scale As a result bees adapt to these
wide range of ecologies starting from lowland plains (lt 500m asl) of Afar
and Somalia regions to mountain areas (gt 3500 m asl) of the northern
parts of the country Moreover the existence of diverse ecologies in close
proximity favours the movement of bees from one ecology to the others
which enable them to escape harsh periods and also to exploit resources
that exist at different place during different seasons As a result the
honeybee colonies are believed to exist in the country spread over many
agro-ecologies (EARO 2000) However about 9834 of the honeybee
colony population is distributed in Oromia Amhara SNNP Benshangul-
Gumuz and Tigray (SNV 2008 CSA 201112) In general the density of
honeybee colonies is more in high biomass areas of the west and northwest
parts of the country compared to the low biomass and moisture stress areas
of the eastern region (Table 1)
166
Table 1 Honeybee colony population distribution across different regions in Ethiopia
No
Regionscountry Honeybee colony Total ()
Ethiopia 7000000 100
1 Oromia 3850000 55
2 Amhara 1354500 194
3 SNNP 1053550 151
4 Tigray 347200 496
5 Beneshangul Gumuze 271600 388
6 Gambella 121800 174
7 Somale 12600 018
8 Diredawa 1190 002
9 Harari 1120 002
10 Afar 560 001
212 Honey production systems in Ethiopia Depending on the type of technology (hive) used honey production
systems in Ethiopia are categorized into three types traditional transitions
(intermediate) and frame hive beekeeping
Traditional Beekeeping
Traditional beekeeping is the major and oldest type of beekeeping
practiced in Ethiopia Traditional beekeeping is mostly practiced with
different types of traditional hives Traditionally constructed hives are
mostly cylindrical in shape (about 1-15 meter in length and 30-50 cm
width) and single chamber fixed comb (MoARD 2007) Currently the
number of traditional hives is estimated to be 5013 848 hives and it
accounts for nearly 975 of the honey produced in the country (GDS
2009) Traditional beekeeping is also of two types forest beekeeping and
backyard beekeeping Forest beekeeping is mainly practiced in the south
and south west parts of the country where there is high vegetation cover
and high honeybee colonies In this case the beekeepers hang a number of
traditional hives on trees in the dense forest mostly far away from their
settlement areas Honey hunting is also common in this part of the country
because of the existence of high populations of wild bee colonies which
make honey in hollow trees and caves Backyard beekeeping is mainly
167
practiced in the central eastern and northern parts of the country where
there is intensive cultivated land with relatively low forest coverage
Intermediate Beekeeping
This is a transitional beekeeping system between traditional and frame hive
beekeeping Transitional hive is widely promoted in many rural areas of
developing countries as an intermediate and appropriate hive for resource
poor beekeepers with low skills of bee management (GDS 2009) Most of
the beekeepers in rural areas of Ethiopia are not yet in a position to use
frame hives because of technical and economic reason which makes
transitional hive appropriate for them The use of transitional hives in
Ethiopia started around 1985 (Nuru 2007) Original transitional hives
were constructed from timber but currently it is being made from locally
available materials due to unavailability and high costs of timber (GDS
2009) This made the transitional hives much cheaper than its initial
design The other advantage with this type of hive is that it can be easily
constructed by the beekeepers or local carpenters with little training
However the adoption rate so far is low and the (CSA 2009) household
survey estimated the number of transitional hives in Ethiopia to around
34552 The main reason for low adoption is lack of training on how to
locally construct the hives
Frame (Modern) Beekeeping
Modern beekeeping is practiced using movable frame hives Ethiopia is
considered as one of the most suitable tropical countries form frame hives
because of its moderate climatic condition (Ruttner 1988) Frame hives
allow multiple harvests per year and help to obtain maximum honey yield
without causing damage to bee colonies (Nicola 2002) Moveable frame
hive beekeeping was introduced to the country in 1978 through the
Ethiopian Rural Development Extension program (MoARD 2007)
Although the productivity of movable frame hive is higher as compared to
the other two types its adoption rate by the beekeepers is constrained by
its high initial cost and expenses of accompanying accessories (MoARD
2007) The number of movable frame hives in use until 2009 was estimated
at 100843 (GDS 2009)
213 Production and productivity Beekeeping is a very long-standing and deep-rooted practice in the rural
communities of the country and around 14 million households are
estimated to keep bees (Mammo 1973) It plays a critical role in the
168
livelihoods of the rural communities in different dynamics as an income
generating activity And data over a few recent years show that the
production of honey is increasing (CSA 2006 2008 2009) Between 2000
and 2008 the total honey production in Ethiopia has increased almost by
69 from 29000 to 42000 tonnes which makes the country the leading
honey producer in Africa and one of the nine largest honey producing
countries in the world accounting for 236 and 23 of the total African
and World honey production respectively (MoARD 2003 FAO 2008)
In the same period the total financial value of honey increased from $505
million to $732 million (FAOSTAT 2008) The most recent available
information shows that the annual honey production has passed 53
thousand tonnes (CSA 2012) The honey production potential assessment
study conducted in Ethiopia shows that there is a possibility of increasing
honey production to about 150000 tons per annum with full exploitation
of the potential the production (Nuru 2007)
The Apiculture sector in Ethiopia is still traditional The beekeepers are
extremely dependent on the use of extremely low productive traditional
hives which has the average yield of only about 5ndash8kgper colonyper
annum depending on the hive size availability of bee forage and the
beekeeping management level applied (MoARD 2007Nuru 2007)
Currently intermediate beekeeping (that uses transitional hives) and
modern box hives are being highly disseminated to the beekeepers by
different GOs and NGOs as an effort to promote improved beekeeping
The average honey yield obtained from transitional hive varied between
15-20 kgyear which is much higher than the traditional hive Similarly
the productivity of the modern box hives is even higher than the traditional
and transitional beehives 30kgannum (MoARD 2007) However in
highly potential areas and well managed colonies far more than the
average yield is commonly reported in northern and south-western parts of
the country (Gemechis 2015)
22 Food and nutrition
Bee products provide for improved nutrition and consequently better
health for farm families and others in local communities Honey is a useful
source of high-carbohydrate food and commonly contains a rich diversity
of minerals vitamins and others adding nutritional variety to human diets
(FAO 2009) Honey provides for improved physical performance
169
resistance to fatigue and improved mental efficiency (FAO 2006a) Honey
also is said to improve food assimilation (FAO 2006a) It is commonly
indicated as a lsquolifesaverrsquo for people in critical health (CTA 2005b) Pollen
also contributes to nutrition However pollen that is consumed needs to
derive from different plant sources to provide various nutrients to humans
Pollen contains a range of constituents 30 percent protein including all
amino acids a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals lipids trace
elements etc (FAO 2009) Propoils is mainly consumed for its medicinal
value while royal jelly is claimed to provide very much like honey
increased physical resistance and improved intellectual performance
However these properties have not been confirmed by scientific evidence
Bee brood and adult bees are consumed in many countries and in some are
considered as a treat Brood and adult bees contain reasonable amounts of
protein (FAO 2006a)
Beehive products have also medicinal properties Honey pollen and
propolis are also efficient and safe natural medicines that can be used to
treat a variety of diseases and ailments Honey has been used in traditional
medicine for centuries and apitherapists have been studying the medicinal
properties of beehive products for decades and have documented empirical
findings with scientific research (Lietaer 2007)
In Ethiopia the use of honey as food and medicine has been part of the
cultural medicine practice People have been eating honey as sole medicine
or mixed with other materials like garlic ginger milk etc Moreover
lsquorsquotejrsquorsquo or the softer one called ldquobirzrdquo have been common beverages derived
from honey among many Ethiopian societies since time of immemorial
Eating ldquoichrdquo that is the young larvae along the royal jelly in the combs
has been practised among elderly beekeepers in Ethiopia They also claim
the importance of doing so as a way to fight aging
23 Crop pollination and yield increment
The greatest added value of beekeeping lies in the fact that bees pollinate
agricultural and horticultural plants About one third of all plants or plant
products eaten by humans depend directly or indirectly on bees for their
pollination (Bradbear 2009) In addition crops pollinated by bees have
been proven to produce higher yields and better quality often at no extra
cost for the farmer rather crop seed yield incrementIn Europe the
production of 84 of crop species cultivated depends directly on insect
170
pollinators especially by bees (William 1994) The global estimate of the
value of the service of pollination is US$ 65 ndash 70 billion representing
about 46 loss of global harvests (Ingrid 2004) As a result human rely
on bees to pollinate about 87 of the 124 (70 ) most valuable crops used
directly for human consumption (Kleine et al 2007) According to Crane
(1990) honeybees can increase the yield of Citrus sinensis by 30
watermelon by 100 and tomatoes by 25 The mean seed yield obtained
from bee pollinated Guizotia abyssinica was also increased to 52Qtha as
compared to 22 Qha for open-pollinated (Admasu and Nuru 2015)
Admasu et al (2004) also reported that onion (Allium cepa) yields had
increased by 94 with seed weight increment due to honeybeersquos
pollination Similarly the highest mean mustard yield (779 qtha) was
obtained at treatment where the beehives were kept while the yield of the
mustard without the bees pollination was found 535 qtha
Moreover in Ethiopia researches indicate bees can benefit 250-300 folds
through pollinating crops particularly pulse seeds and vegetables in
raising the production higher than their direct products(honey and
wax)ldquo (Walta Information Center 1999 as cited by Ingrid (2004)
Table 2 The mean seed yield of Guizotia abyssinica (Noug) per hectare pollinated by honeybees during 2002- 2004
Year Treatments Mean seed yield (in quintalhectare)
P-value
2002 With bees 55 Plt005
Open 22 Plt005
2003 With bees 53 Plt005
Open 23 Plt005
2004 With bees 48 Plt005
Open 21 Plt005
Mean+SE With bees 52 Plt005
open 22
171
Table 3 The mean seed yield and 1000 seed weight of Allium cepa (Adama red) from three treatments grown in 2000 and 2001 planting year
Treatments
Mean seed yield (Quintals) Combined
mean
1000 seed weight (gm)
2000 2001 2000 2001 Combined
With honeybees 175 171 173 39 34NS 36NS
Open pollinated 10 9 95 34ns 3NSs 34NS
Without honeybees 5 6 54 32ns 33NS 33NS
CV 266 78 666 28 535 409
LSD 0654 1906 09217 0226 039 0181
NS indicates non-significant significant and highly significant differences respectively
24 Economy
Beekeeping has been part of the farming system in Ethiopia since time
immemorial It has been a tradition since long before other farming
systems Beekeeping is a very long-standing and deep rooted practice in
the rural communities of the country and around two million people are
estimated to keep bees (Oxfam 2010) Moreover it has been and still plays
a significant role in the national economy of the country as well as for the
subsistence smallholder farmers The contribution of bees and hive
products though difficult to assess is probably one of the most important
small-scale income generating activities for hundred thousands of farmer
beekeepers
In terms of economic contribution and exports commodities bee products
mainly honey and beeswax are among the highly marketed livestock
products of Ethiopia As a result there is an increased demand for honey
and beeswax products in Ethiopia as well as in the international markets
However the country has plenty of honeybees ready to meet the growing
demand of honey and other bee products The country has the potential of
producing up to 500000 tons of honey and 50000 tons of beeswax per
annum
172
241 Domestic consumption About 10 of the honey produced in the country is consumed by
beekeeping households The remaining 90 is sold for income generation
of this amount it is estimated that 70 is used for brewing ldquotejrdquo and the
balance is consumed as table honey additionally beeswax is collected and
traded Honey production and value adding is a vital factor in job creation
and maintaining livelihoods ldquoTejrdquo is traditionally made in the households
andor in specialized ldquotejrdquo houses which leads to the high demand for
honey in Ethiopia and create job and self-employment opportunities
Moreover the addition of bee products to other products usually enhances
the perceived price or quality of these secondary products This can
increase the profitability of many beekeeping operations
Apart from being consumed as food bee products especially honey and
beeswax have long been used for household consumption and income
generation in Ethiopia They are high value commodities and non-
perishable products and usually considered as cash crop rather than a
subsistence commodity (IMPS 2005) Honey is widely consumed with
many medical values and beeswax has a number of individual uses
The total volume of honey production in Ethiopia in years between 2007
and 2011 was 16325742 tons of which 992 percent was consumed
domestically and 08 percent was exported Although the total volume of
honey exported increases slightly for the duration 2007-2011 domestic
consumption rate has been sustained largely with slight variation In
general Ethiopiarsquos honey exports value is still very low (1297717 kg)
relative to total honey production (163257420 kg)and domestic
consumption (161959703 kg) (Jenkins et al 2014)Tables1 below
provide detailed information about honey production domestic
consumption and export volumes in 2007ndash2011
242 Income generation and poverty alleviation At present beekeeping is largely an income generating activity that fits
well into the concept of smallholder agricultural development According
to MoA (2010) about 25 of rural households earn some income from
non-farm enterprises but less than 3 rely exclusively on income from
such enterprises Beekeeping can be practised as a safety net providing
households with extra income from the sales of honey and other potential
beehive products (beeswax pollen royal jelly propolis bee venom) It is
less vulnerable activity compared to other agricultural sub-sectors and can
be practiced in fragile environmental conditions In other hand beekeeping
173
is practiced in areas where other forms of land use are less reliable with
minimum investment of labour time and capital For economic and human
development beekeeping sub-sector has numerous potential to reduce the
national human poverty index estimated at 373 in 2006 (UNDP 2008)
with a further estimated 409 of the rural communities living in extreme
poverty (NIS 2006) Therefore apiculture provides substantial benefit to
address householdrsquos food security and poverty alleviation (SNV 2012)
These characteristics make bee products attractive commodities for
commercially oriented smallholder beekeepers The collected bee products
can be sold on the market and provide additional income to pay for school
fees or health expenses especially during periods of reduced income from
agriculture Beekeeping can eventually also lead to the development of
other income generating activities such as making of protective gear
smokers and beehives or the production of value-added products such as
honey wines (local beverage Tej) beeswax candles or wood polish
243 Supply of raw material for industries
Bee products can be used as raw materials in industries for product value
addition in most food and cosmetics industries Example honey is an
ingredient in food processing industries as a sweetener or antioxidant bees
wax is used for coating of cans in batik making or for waterproofing
fabrics
Beeswax because of its bleaching and excellent emollient characteristics
beeswax is very frequently used in cosmetics industries for cleansing
creams emollient and barrier creams depilatories lipsticks sun protection
products eye and face make upetc Beeswax is most commonly used in
its bleaching form in order to facilitate colour control of the final product
For many products such as creams the light yellow colour of clean
beeswax should not be unpleasant at all Many consumers might even
appreciate an explanation of this more natural colour
HoneyThe classical for honey in cosmetics industries during ancient
times was for beauty masks (honey almond oil and plant flours) and for
cold depilatory waxes (honey resin and beeswax)As a result honey is
used in varies cosmetics type like soaps shampoos foaming baths creams
etc as major additive product Honey has an immediate moisturizing and
soothing effect on dry skin and can reduce minor inflammations and itches
It also provides cutaneous relief assists wound healing and restores natural
174
skin moisturizing factors Honey is also capable of retaining moisture
content in a product over a wide range of relative humidity
The possible microbiological decay of dilute solutions and the tacky feel
of concentrated solutions pose the only limit to its wider use Variation in
physico-chemical parameters with seasons and honey type are a minor
drawback for industrial use Dried powdered honey is available for special
applications (Krell1996)
Table 4 Level of honey used in different cosmetics types in quantities ()
Foaming products (soaps shampoos and foam baths) 05 - 5 and
more
Creams and other emulsions 1 - 4
Face packs and masks 3 - 8
Lip glosses creams and sticks 1 - 3
Anhydrous (waterless) ointments and lipogels 5 - 15
Propolis The many beneficial characteristics of propolis have attracted
the interest of the cosmetic industry mainly in western countries It
includes anti-bacterial anti-fungal anti-viral anti-acne anti-inflammatory
and anti-oxidant activities in addition to its wound healing epithelial and
micro-circulation stimulation properties and topical anaesthetic effects Its
industrial use is only constrained by standardization and quality the same
problems that affect most other natural products and extracts However
low toxicity and good skin compatibility have been demonstrated despite
a small risk of allergic reactions (Krell 1996)
Pollen The functions and benefits of pollen in cosmetics are in some ways
similar to those of royal jelly - they are still ill defined or unknown but are
generally accepted as nourishing and stimulating However because of the
high allergy risk and its granular structure unprocessed pollen is not
favoured in the cosmetics industry Glycol extracts or the lipid fractions of
alcohol extracted pollen and can also be employed in aqueous solutions
and water emulsions (glycol extracts) or wo emulsions and anhydrous
formulations for lipid fractions (Krell 1996) Where pollen is included
directly (or alcohol extracts containing some of the colouring matter) the
colour of the cosmetic may be affected Treatment with diethylene glycol
175
monomethyl ether may be used to discolour pollen and its extracts
(DAlbert 1956)
Royal jelly Royal jelly is used in its fresh or freeze-dried form and also
mixed with a stabilizer such as lactose or glycine Any form of royal jelly
can be mixed with cosmetic products at temperatures up to 30 to 35deg C
The percentage incorporated in mixtures many years ago when royal jelly
was much more expensive ranged from 005 to 1 while today the level
commonly ranges from 05 to 1 Its ascribed beneficial characteristics
can be exploited in all preparations with which it will mix easily and
particularly for dry relaxed and aged skin The lack of scientific support
for such and more functions needs to put research inconsideration
244 Export market and Foreign currency earnings Apiculture supports the national economy through foreign exchange
earnings by selling organic bee products at premium prices on western
markets In 2006 Ethiopia endorsed the lsquoEthiopian Organic Agriculture
Systems Proclamationrsquo No 4882006 with aim of facilitating international
acceptance and market access value addition ensuring traceability from
farm to market through inspection ensuring that product labels are genuine
as well as the harmonization of organic production
For example the export values of honey have increased significantly from
a value of US$13634 in 20034 to US$900000 in 200910 (Dayandan
2015) As a consequence the International Trade Centre categorizes
Ethiopian honey export trade as a ldquostarrdquo in structural performance based
on its 122 growth in exports value and 107 growth in its share of world
exports (Paulos 2012) The Top Honey Trading CompaniesAssociations
Cooperatives in Africa are Comel Pvt Ltdco Yirgu Food packer Beza
Mar Agro-industry Ltd Rahi Honey Processing and Enterprises all from
Ethiopia (APIMONDIA 2011)
Honey and other apiculture products (ie beeswax propolis pollen royal
jelly and bee venom) are among the growing export commodities with
good potential for a number of African countries The global honey market
offers huge opportunities for Ethiopian honey Large markets include the
EU the US and the Middle east For example the EU only produced 60
of the honey it consumed in 2009 the remaining 40 was imported
(Paulos 2012)
176
Figure 1 Export of honey and beeswax value in tons from 2008-2011 (Source Gezahegne 2012)
25 Environmental sustainability
Apiculture contributes to environmental sustainability and proves to be
effective in reducing degradation and consequently adapt to climate
change impacts It is a non-destructive activity that could be employed in
the conservation of biodiversity in protected areas so that it stabilizes
fragile areas and help in reclaiming degraded lands and increases
biodiversity (Gemechis et al 2012) Beekeepers realizing that vegetation
are a source of forage for bees would guard against the destruction and be
encouraged to plants more plants for supplying pollen and nectar (Fig 3)
In other hand beekeepers as advocates of sustainable forest management
forest conservation and agronomic practices In the process many plants
are conserved and protected from destruction On other hand bees are
important pollinators and many plant ecosystems depend on the pollination
of bees for their existence and for increasing their genetic diversity (cross-
pollination) Some types of plants depend uniquely on bees for their
pollination So honeybees increase the seeds of natural vegetation which
intern enhance more young plants and then more biomass cover
Therefore beekeeping can be a practical tool for raising the awareness of
the communities of the importance of good management of natural
180
360
311
377
196
274
163197
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
2008 2009 2010 2011
Exp
ort
ed
am
ou
nt
in t
on
s
Years
Amount of honey and beeswax exported in tons (2008-2011)
Honey
Beeswax
177
resources and for stimulating their conservation thereby improving their
biodiversity
Figure 2 Potential role of honeybees in environmental sustainability
178
3 Assessments of external and internal environments
Results from the assessment of the external and internal factors using the
SWOC analysis framework will make the basis for identifying critical
issues that this strategy is formulated to address brief narrations of the
factors are provided hereunder to be followed by a matrix of summarized
accounts of the opportunities challenges strengths and weaknesses
31 Assessment of external environments
The external factors as said above were analysed using the SWOC
framework in conjunction with additional analytic tools such as PEST
(PoliticalPolicyLegal Economic Socio-cultural and Technological) and
critical considerations of current state of affairs trends of needs and
requirements and best solutions that other countries have adopted to get to
their present cutting-edge milieu with respect to research and development
in these commodities Three sub-topics are therefore discussed below to
provide deeper perspectives The current state of affairs is discussed under
general external environments trends and needs under operational external
environments and experiences of countries advanced in the research and
development of the apiculture sub-sector are discussed under the sub-
heading benchmarking
311 General external environments (PEST+) Under the general external environment analysis was made on
opportunities and challenges that arise from political economic socio-
cultural technological and environmental (PEST) dimensions Systematic
analysis of these factors would help to better understand the big picture of
external environments influencing either positively or negatively and thus
to craft the strategy so that it would make best use of the opportunities
created by the positive influences and conversely to be cautious about the
negative influences they pose or systematically address the challenges to
overcome their impairment
179
Political dimension Assessments were made whether the strategy is
aligned with the national sectorial and institutional policy strategy and
regulatorylegal frameworks and priorities Since the adoption of the
Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) and establishment
of Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries by the Government of Ethiopia
(GoE) all the policy and strategy frameworks and development programs
recognized livestock to be the engine of Ethiopiarsquos economic growth and
development yet exerting relentless strives to promote steady growth of the
industrial sector
The current GTP II which provides even greater emphasis include to
reduce poverty achieve better food security and contribute to national
income Growth Development Program (GDP) contribute to exports and
foreign exchange earnings The apiculture in this respect is among the
other livestock commodities given priority to improve the livelihood of
beekeeper societies through export markets of honey and beeswax
Therefore so many opportunities are set forth by the policy environment
to promote apicultural research As conducive the policy and legal
frameworks put in place but there are also a number of challenges that may
arise at the same time Possible types of the opportunities to make use of
and challenges to be aware of or need to be addressed from the perspective
of the policy dimension were assessed
Economic dimension The increasingly rising demand for honey and
beeswax as a result increasing population changing lifestyle and
increasing demand export market creates the opportunity for apiculture
sub-sector to thrive Such an increase in the demand side will be the
impetus for beekeepers exporters and processing industries to increase
their outputs Honey and other apiculture products (ie beeswax propolis
pollen royal jelly and bee venom) are among the growing export
commodities with good potential for a number of African countries The
global honey market offers huge opportunities for Ethiopian honey For
example the export values of honey have increased significantly rising
from a value of US$13634 in 20034 to US$900000 in 200910 As a
consequence the International Trade Centre (ITC) categorizes Ethiopian
honey export trade as a ldquostarrdquo in structural performance based on its 122
growth in exports value and 107 growth in its share of world exports
Increase in production mainly through increasing productivity and
minimizing pre and post-harvest losses while at the same time meeting the
demand of the industries for raw materials that are not only sufficient to
180
enable them run in full capacity but also fulfill their requirements of quality
standards are issues that need to be addressed The presence of large bee
colony population and diverse flora will allow the country to be self-
sufficient in honey and beeswax and also for supplying other bee products
to the potential export markets The existing economic opportunities
however are not without posing some challenges that the research team
needs to be cautious about or address during the coming years
Socio-cultural dimension Beekeeping and honey production in Ethiopia
form an ancient tradition that has been incorporated into cultural and even
religious customs Beekeepers are mostly considered as wise and have high
social values and respects in the society In some societies of Ethiopia the
number of honeybee colonies and beehives owned serves as major wealth
ranking measurement and it is considered as prestige In the rural
communities of Ethiopia honey is highly regard product and widely used
in traditional medications and also used for different cultural religious and
ritual ceremonies The use of beeswax for making of votive candles is an
integral part of the cultural heritage within the many ethnic and religious
groups Moreover production of honey mead (lsquoTejrsquo) is considered as
respected beverage and local drink during marriage and holiday festival It
is thus essential for research team and stakeholders to consider and utilize
this opportunities
Technological dimension Honeybee products are generally considered as
cash commodities and the producers supply them to the markets Most of
the crude produced and marketed in Ethiopia has been used in the local
ldquotejrdquo production However in the last two decades there has been shift in
use of honey for table consumption Hence honey and beeswax processing
plants have been flourishing that are targeting supply of Ethiopian honey
and beeswax to the international markets This made the country to be
registered in EU third country list of honey and beeswax suppliers since
2008 The number of these processing privately owned honey and beeswax
processing companies is still increasing What has not changed much is the
rate at which the industries were and are operating such that supply of raw
material was and still is enough for them to run and produce only below
half of their capacities An important progress being observed in the
present time is the formation of Ethiopian Honey and Beeswax Producers
and Exporters Association (EHBPEA) which is trying to develop and
implement out growers scheme to encourage beekeepers use improved
beekeeping technologies and produce more quality and quantity honey so
181
that the beekeepers can sustainably supply honey and beeswax to the
companies
Environmental dimension The contrast physiographic conditions of
Ethiopia create diverse agro-climates in very close proximity with different
rainfall growing seasons and plant flowering patterns This condition
provides an ideal opportunity for apiculture sub-sector on a large scale As
a result bees adapt to these wide range of ecologies starting from lowland
plains (lt 500 m asl) of Afar and Somalia regions to mountain areas (gt
3500 m asl) of the northern parts of the country Moreover the existence
of diverse ecologies in close proximity favours the movement of bees from
one ecology to the others which enable them to escape harsh periods and
also to exploit resources that exist at different place during different
seasons As a result about10 million honeybee colonies are believed to
exist in the country spread over many agro-ecologies (EARO 2000) Out
of the 10 million about 30 of the colony population thought to be wild
and the rest 70 has been kept in different hive types
312 Operational external environments ClientsUsers - The main clients include the Ministry of Livestock and
Fisheries the Regional Offices of Livestock and Fisheries beekeepers
Unions Cooperatives and private sector (commercial beekeepers) These
stakeholders also include actors in all sectors of the honey and beeswax
value chain including input provision processing and marketing (national
and international) The local stakeholders which due to their own mandates
and responsibilities in the country play important roles in apiculture
research and development include rural technology (Agricultural
mechanization research centers) Pre-harvest and postharvest equipment
supply enterprises Microenterprises working on production and
processing equipment supply Ethiopian standards Agency and Ethiopian
conformity assessment Agency Ethiopian Public Health Institute private
sector (traders processors) and consumers
Partners
a) National - Important partner and collaborating centers from the RARIs
include Agricultural Research centers of Tigray Agricultural Research
Institute (TARI) Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute
(ARARI) Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI) Southern
Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) Somali Region Pastoral and Agro-
182
pastoral Research Institute (SoRPARI) Afar Pastoral and Agro-pastoral
Research Institute (APARI)
Universities while primarily being learning institutions are also engaged
in research and technology generation through engagement in research
directly of their faculties and post-graduate students These include mainly
Bahirdar University Jimma University Ambo University Hawassa
University Mekelle University Addis Ababa University and other
existing and emerging universities with agricultural faculties The
ATVETs (Agricultural Technical and Vocational Educational Training)
are providing training to development agents on beekeeping as part of
government efforts to transform rural agriculture through extension
service
In addition partners also include Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development (MoFED) Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) the
Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) Central Statistical Agency (CSA)
National Meteorological Services Agency Federal Cooperative Agency
(FCA) Regional Cooperative Offices (RCOs) Ministry of Trade (MoT)
Ministry of Industry (MoI) private sector Non-governmental
multilateral and bilateral organizations and Agricultural Professional
Societies
Different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on honey
development provide physical and human capacity building for
strengthening the apiculture research This includes purchase and supply
of different laboratory facilities knowledge transfer on management and
production and improving honey marketing NGOs such as the
Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) Oxfam GB and SOS
Sahel are the key actors in apiculture sub sector Several other institutional
bodies have also emerged to promote the Ethiopian honey sector namely
the Ethiopian Honey and Beeswax Producers and Exporters Association
(EHBPEA) and the Ethiopian Beekeeperrsquos Association (EBA) These
institutional actors work together to help establish the successful
development strategies of the honey value chain in Ethiopia The EHBPEA
and the EBA cooperate with the government to organize commodity
specific workshops find solutions to industry problems facilitate honey
related policy developments and organize conferences and international
honey expositions (eg ApiExpo) The main purpose of these activities is
183
to promote Ethiopian honey and to establish promising market linkages
between different actors in the honey value chain
b) International
International partners and collaborators prospective donors and
collaborators and International Agricultural Research Centers called
Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
centers with prospective affiliation to apiculture research and development
such as ICIPE and ILRI have long been involved in supporting Apiculture
research and development in Ethiopia
32 Assessment of internal environments
Assessment of the internal environment is thus about precise identification
and articulation of strengths and weakness of the research program
Capacity in this context encompasses a wide array of topics including
institutional capacity which signifies the available or lacking human
physical and financial resources technical or technological capacity and
organizational capacity which deals with the questions of functional
integrations within and between disciplines to forge complementarities and
synergies Below are briefly discussed the elements of internal
environments examined to synthesize summaries of the Strengths and
Weakness provided
321 Resources The human physical and financial resources have a decisive power on
program implementation coordination and administration Therefore the
level of human resources capacity financial capacity and the physical
resources available and lacking were assessed and tabulated as strengths
or weaknesses
322 Inter- and intra- disciplinary integrations complementarities and synergies
The success of apiculture research depends on integrated and concerted
efforts of various research disciplines and sectors In addition to that of the
mainstream disciplines (such as breeding and genetic improvement bee
forage and pollination ecology bee health bee products quality
improvement and value addition socioeconomics and extension) there are
clear possibilities of realizing complementarities and synergies by working
184
together with experts of other fields Important among these potentially
potent areas of integration include Agricultural-Biotechnology Research
Agricultural and Nutritional Research Laboratory Forestry and Natural
Resources Management Research Agricultural Mechanization Research
Technology Multiplication and Seed Research Climate and Geospatial
Livestock Research and ICT Assessments were thus made whether or not
there could be integrated for synergies with these compelling areas of
research
323 Technologies Research on apiculture started some 20 years ago (beginning of 1996) and
during this period limited information and technologies have been
generated in area of bee managementhusbandry bee forage and bee
product processing and handling Since 2001 when the Agricultural
Research Co-ordination Service detached itself from Oromia Agricultural
Development Bureau (OADB) and re-organized itself as Oromia
Agricultural Research Institute (OARI) apiculture research has focused on
generatingdeveloping valuable information and physical technologies in
areas of bee forage identification (1000 potential bee forages species) bee
managementhusbandry bee product processing and handling
identification and control of bee enemies (16 major bee pests) and diseases
identification of local honeybee races (5 local bee races) methods of queen
bee rearing and colony multiplication low cost top bar hives construction
(chefeka hive) and others The majority of the generated
informationtechnologies have been disseminated to beneficiaries almost
in the whole country mainly to the small scale beekeepers who are
enjoying the impacts of these technologies Whether or not the changes
brought about by these informationtechnologies are in par with the
expectations are assessed to point out and build on the strengths and draw
lessons from the weaknesses
324 Organization implementation and geographic coverage
Lack of strong organizational capacity at different level is an area of
capacity weakness that affects effectiveness Different National and
Regional Research Centres various non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) higher learning institutions and ATVETs (Agricultural Technical
and Vocational Educational Training) are currently involved in apiculture
research However institutional linkage among different actors is yet
poor Organizational strengthen and weakness that would correspondingly
185
make the growth of apiculture research to take upward trend were analysed
from the centre-level institutional and national level perspective
a) Organization and Geographic Coverage at EARI Level
Holetta Bee Research Centre is responsible for the coordination of
country-wide apiculture research In addition other research centres under
the EIAR OARI ARARI TARI and SARI have launched apiculture
research programmes since 2004 However the progress made by the
centres in both human and infrastructure capacity building for the program
shows very wide variation some of the canters are still at their infant
capacity level Moreover the existing collaboration among research
centres is passive and the coordination lacks proper enforcement
mechanisms The major honey producing regions of the country western
southwester and southern are poorly addressed and the emerging research
centres in this potential honey producing areas are only crippling for long
time
b) Organization and Geographic Coverage at National Level
Apiculture research at the national level involves EARI and RARIs and
their centres Though there has been a general consensus for a country wide
coordination of apiculture research this has not been effectively realized
due to lack of binding mechanisms In addition the research centres and
testing sites even at the country wide level do not represent all the various
major and potential honey producing agro-ecologies of the country
186
33 Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Challenges by the Research Themes
Table 7 Summary of analyses of external and internal environments reflected in terms of strengths weaknesses opportunities and challenges pertaining to the different thematic research areas
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
General Modest working premises (offices laboratories experimental fields and transport facilities at center level)
Inadequate working premises (offices laboratories experimental fields and transport facilities
Favorable development policies (foreign investment Climate resilient green economy etc)
Government commitment to improve apiculture research (decentralization of research system)
Involvement of NGOs
Involvement of private sector
Emerging honeybee product quality test laboratories
Natural resource degradation
High variability of environmental factors due to climate change
Presence of national coordination to oversee regional and national apiculture research
Presence of framework for coordination and monitoring
Capacity limitation to discharge responsibilities
Lack of strong cooperation and integration among other research disciplines and institutions
Rising demand for organic and specialty bee products in the national and international markets
Increasing human population demanding apicultural
The hardship work nature of beekeeping (night work sting etc)
187
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Absence of effective and participatory MampE
technologies and bee products
Rising income at HH level
Moderate human resource
Staff with moderate training and capability
Committed and cooperative staff
Inadequate research staff
Lack of specialization and inadequate disciplinary mix
Staff turnover
Diverse agro-ecology and farming systems
Huge biodiversity resources (honeybee races honey plants etc)
Expanding watershed development programs
Farmers indigenous knowledge on beekeeping
Diversified bee products
Cost and knowledge intensive nature of apiculture research
Emerging of apiculture research team in regional and national research centers
Increased demand to invest in apiculture sub-sector
Launching of apiculture courses at higher learning institutes (local universities and ATVETs)
Possibility of integrating with agricultural sectors (horticulture forage natural resource conservation forestry crops etc)
Government attention to apiculture research and
188
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
development (expanding apiculture research in national and regional centres)
Conducive policy for research development and investment
Inadequate policy enforcement
Lack of breeding and health policy
Genetic and bee management improvement
Five honeybee races have been identified
Different honeybee colony multiplication (queen rearing) techniques have been evaluated
Improved seasonal management of in central highland bees has been developed for honey production
Low productivity and production of local honeybees
Characterization of honeybee races is not exhaustive (morphometric behavioral and molecular )
Not adopting AI technologies
Performance of offspring from different queen rearing techniques are not determined
Farmers indigenous knowledge on conservation utilization and management of beekeeping genetic resources
Diversified bee races and species across different agro-ecology of the country
High honeybee colony population
Lacking stringent quarantine system to regulate importation of genetic materials
Naturally there is high colony mobility tendency (swarming absconding and migration)
Selection and breeding of local honeybees not yet started
Good climatic zones suitable for local honeybees
Availability of large honeybee colony population in the country
Defensive nature of the local honeybees
189
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Breeding stock line not established
Lack of bee breeding stationsfarms
Tolerance of local honeybees bee races to diseases and pests
Loss of some bee genetic resources (eg stingless bees) due to deforestation and other anthropogenic pressure
Limited breeding materials for desirable traits
Presence of policies and regulations to protectconserve honeybee genetic resources
Traditional beekeeping practices with poor husbandry
Limited improved bee management techniques suitable for different agro-ecologies
Limited effort on supplementary feeds identification and characterization
No effort to develop standard ration
Management techniques for production of other honeybee products (pollen grains royal jelly venom etc) are not developed
190
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Bee forage and pollination ecology
Major honeybee plants are identified and characterized at different AEZ
Inadequate identification characterization and mapping of honeybee plants
Existence of diverse natural honeybee flora in the country
Diverse cultivated honeybee flora (crops and others)
Deforestation
Unwise use of pesticides leading to loss of some bee forages and pollinators
Potential herbaceous and shrub honeybee plants were selected multiplied and distributed
Honeybee floral calendar for different AEZ not established
The existence of diverse agro-ecology suitable for honeybee plants
Presence of diversified pollinators
There is lack of awareness and technical knowledge from the side of extension service providers (wereda experts DAs and SMS) on bee forage and pollination service
Contribution of honeybeesrsquo pollination on yield increment of some crops assessed
Pollen atlas of major honeybee plants developed
Absence of agronomic recommendations for bee forages
Limited bee forage multiplication and conservation techniques
Colony carrying capacity assessment tools not established
Beekeepers indigenous knowledge on conservation utilization and management of honeybee plants
Inadequate information on the contribution of bee pollination to
191
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
crops natural resource conservation etc
Potential pollinators and their effectiveness not adequately identified
Factors affecting pollination services of bees to different crops are not identified characterized and quantified
Reference material collection and documentation facilities are limited (herbarium pollen reference slides etc)
Bee health About 16 honeybee pests and predators identified and documented
About 4 honeybee diseases identified and documented
Limited information on current distribution of economical important bee pests and diseases
Climatic conditions and environment favoring year round foraging (reduces autoinfectioninfestation)
Weak national quarantine system to control introduction of diseases and pests
Economical importance and control of major honeybee pests and predators determined and developed
No effective management strategies to control pests and diseases
Good hygienic and defensive behavior of local honeybees
Climate change causes emergence of new diseases and pests
Indiscriminate application of pesticides
192
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Toxicity effect of commonly used pesticides on honeybees determined and documented
Lack of monitoring mechanisms and early warning before the outbreaks
Huge natural resource bases for biological control development
Mobile behavior of honeybees leading to introduction and spread of diseases and pests
Existence of bee health laboratory and equipment
Limited capacity (manpower and facilities) in monitoring and diagnosis for viral and bacterial diseases
Presence of beekeepersrsquo indigenous knowledge on pests and diseases control
Presence of good partnership with regional and international bee health institutions
Lack of available IPMIDM options for control of pests and diseases
Existence of African bee health reference laboratories for further investigation of diseases and pests
Lack of information on newly emerging honeybee pests and diseases
Presence of policies and regulations on honeybee protection
Lack of information on biology of honeybee pests and diseases
Lack of information on newly emerging honeybee pests and diseases
Limited knowledge on biological control for honeybee pests and diseases
193
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Weak quarantine system to control introduction of honeybee pests and diseases
Limited information on the toxicity effect of pesticides on honeybee and their products
Limited knowledge on mechanisms to minimize toxicity effect of pesticides
Honeybee products quality improvement and value addition
Quality control and grading system for honey and beeswax have been established
Nine specialty honey types identified and characterized
little attempts to produce and utilize high value products (pollen grain propolis royal jelly bee venom)
Production of diversified specialty honey (different botanical origins)
Increasing domestic and international demand for local honey and beeswax
Fast crystallizing nature of honey
Deep-rooted traditional beekeeping production system
Honeybee products quality improvement and value addition
Harvesting techniques developed and evaluated for other bee products such as pollen grain and propolis
Growing number of processors of honey and beeswax
Recognition of the country in EU member countries
Existence of high-tech bee product quality laboratory facilities (HPLC UV-spectrophotometer etc)
Lack of value adding technologies Presence of policies for regulations of honey quality
Weak policy enforcement against the widespread adulteration problem
194
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Poor bee products processing and handling
Illegal trading of honey and beeswax (unlicensed trading and smuggling)
Lack of quality control and grading system for high value bee products
Indiscriminate use of pesticides is potential risk for contamination of honeybee products
Limited techniques and methodologies to identify adulteration of bee products
Api-mechanization
Improved moveable frame box hive evaluate and adopted
Inadequate adoption of improved beekeeping equipment
Importation and distribution of substandard pre and postharvest bee equipment
Affordable beehives from locally available cheap materials have been developed and evaluated
Shortage and high cost of pre-harvest bee equipment
Shortage and high cost of postharvest bee equipment
Involvement of private workshops in production of bee equipment
Involvement of private sector in bee equipment trading
Domestic production and supply of substandard beekeeping equipment
195
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Shortage and high cost of packaging and transporting bee equipment
Small scale beeswax rendering devices developed
Limited skilled manpower for designing and production of bee equipment
Increasing demand for pre and postharvest bee equipment and tools
Poor policy enforcement on maintaining the standard and quality requirements of bee equipment
Protective clothes and tools such as veil gloves smokers designed and developed
Shortage of workshops and machineries
Socioeconomics research extension and gender
Established and organized research process with respective research teams (socio-economics and gender research extension)
Limited information on socioeconomic and gender issues of Apiculture
Limited information on beekeeping production systems marketing and its social and economic roles
Deep-rooted traditional beekeeping practice for honey and beeswax production
The culture of producing lsquotejrsquo from honey and church candles from beeswax since time immemorial
Inefficient market regulatory system (eg trade distortions such as involvement of illegal middle men and undefined and elaborated chain)
Demonstration and scaling up of transitional beehive queen rearing and moveable frame box hive technologies
Inadequate dissemination of improved Apiculture technologies for users
Limitedno information on adoption status and impact of apiculture technologies
Consumption of table honey and lsquotejrsquois common in Ethiopia
Inadequate mechanisms of implementing quality control regulations
196
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Technical capacity buildingtraining for extension workers (DAs SMS) and farmers on improved beekeeping technologies
Limited information on value chain status for honey and beeswax and the research approach employed takes littleno consideration of developing the whole value chain
The growing number of honey and beeswax exporters
High market demand for honey and beeswax
Lack of continuous and sufficient supply of bee products for export and processing industries
EIAR has adopted the policy of gender as one of the crosscutting themes to be mainstreamed in all its implementation agenda
Limited information on gender disaggregated technology dissemination adoption and impact assessment for apiculture
High demand of honey for food processing industries
High price of honey and beeswax at local markets
Job opportunity and income source for unemployed and landless youth
Less attention given to Apiculture extension services
Two million smallholding farmers are engaged in beekeeping
The GoE has long taken a policy decision that women have equal participation in economic political and social development initiatives
197
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Technology multiplication
Available apicultural technologies to be multiplied
Lack of modern infrastructures and facilities for technology multiplication
Encouraging policy and public investment on technology multiplication
Lack of sizable private organizations on commercial mass multiplication
Establishment of technology multiplication research teams
Inadequate supply of generated technologies
Lack of certification and regulatory schemes for authenticity
Additional crosscutting themes
Strong capacity of ICT at the head quarter (EIAR) to promote the Apiculture sub-sector
Lack of a central datainformation base of Apiculture sub-sector
Weak linkages and inadequate networking for
Lack of recent reference materials (books journals proceedings e-library etc)
The GoE adopted the ICT policy and strategy
Apiculture related data collection is given little attention inconsistent and unreliable informationdata
198
Research theme Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Challenges
Climate change mainstreamed as one of the crosscutting themes in Agricultural research commodities
Climate change mainstreaming in Apiculture research is at its infant stage
Lack of information and technologies specifically tailored to address climate challenge
Lack of early warning mechanisms and tools to address emerging problems
Governmentrsquos commitment to climate resilient green economy (CRGE)
Unpredictability of climate change
Unpredictable emergence of problems due to climate change
GIS and agro meteorology research units are established in most research centres
Big technological and research capacity gap
Lack of apiculture suitability map seasonal forecast and geospatial analysis information for production and marketing
Lack of highly trained research staffs and modern facilities for GIS and meteorology research
Favorable government policy to establish GIS and agrometeorology research teams
Sophisticated GIS and agrometeorology technologies are available worldwide
High demand of apiculture technologies for adaptation and mitigation of global warming and natural resource conservation
The technologies are expensive
199
34 Benchmarking
World Production and Global leaderssuppliers Honey is produced
worldwide and is also imported globally This is attributed to the
qualitative nature of honey produced from different floral and nectar
sources in different geographical regions The world trade of honey
reached a value of USD 738 M in 2005 The majority of the production of
honey takes place in developing countries while developed countries are
the largest consumers The leading producer of honey China produced
298000 tonnes in 2005 The second and third largest producers of honey
are Turkey and Argentina who produced 82000 and 80000 tons of honey
respectively Other relatively large producers of honey in the developing
world include Brazil India Tanzania Ethiopia Mexico Kenya and
Angola Ethiopia is the largest African producer of honey in terms of total
national production based on FAOSTATS estimates It produced 41000
tonnes of honey in 2005 (fig 3)
Figure 3 World honey production in 2005 source FAOSTAT 2005
Productivity is one of the important aspects of beekeeping that is
considered as measurement of comparative advantage Hive productivity
20
6
6
6
5444
33
3
36
Major honey producers in 2005production in MT
China 298 000
Turkey 82336
Argentina 80000
USA 79218
Ukraine 71462
Russia 52126
India 52000
Mexico 50631
Ethiopia 41000
Spain 37000
Canada 36109
Others 508603
200
is dependent on many factors such as technology used (traditional
transition and frame box hives) amount of bee forage available within the
apiary protection of colony against damage by pests disease and fire
Seasonal colony management is also one of the critical factors affecting
productivity of coloniesEven though Ethiopia stands first both in
honeybee colony population and gross annual production the productivity
of colonies is very low The national average of colonies is about 5-
7kghiveannum for traditional hives 12kghiveannum and
25kghiveannum for transitional and frame box hives respectively
However the total productivity for a colony is only about
76kghiveannum irrespective of the hive types used in 2005 (CSA 2005)
This makes Ethiopia non-competitive in productivity even compared to
small honey producers like Guinea Bissau In terms of output per hive
Africarsquos most productive country is Madagascar At 30 kghive is about
four times more productive than Ethiopia Productivity in Guinea and
Zambia is 10kghive even though total national production is less than
Ethiopia See Table 5 for the top seven African countries with the highest
output per hive productivity
Table 5 Hives numbers honey production and productivity in Africa in 2005
African country Number of hives Natural honey in MT
Productivity (honey output per hive in kg)
Madagascar 131000 3960 302
South Africa 52000 1500 288
Libya 37000 800 216
Angola 1200000 24000 200
Tunisia 140000 2500 179
Guinea Bissau 6150 65 106
Tanzania 2700000 27000 100
Senegal 124600 1246 100
Guinea 60000 600 100
Zambia 50000 500 100
Ethiopia 5400000 41000 76
Source CSA 2005
201
As seen in the figure below China is also the largest supplier of beeswax
to the EU who is also an important importer of Tanzanian beeswax
Table 6 Beeswax imports from selected countries outside the EU (MT)
Exporting country 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
China 1908 1881 2362 2252 3208
USA 123 120 81 308 251
Central Africa 128 103 120 104 144
Ethiopia 52 119 17 109 109
Ivory coast 33 99 70 103 124
Australia 134 136 193 110 102
Ukraine 460 426 362 170 80
Tanzania 38 193 96 57 76
Argentina 48 64 239 116 71
Figure 4 World honey export in 2005 source FAOSTAT 2005
20
17
11
6444
33
3
33
Worlds major exporters of honey in 2005in MT
China 298000
Argentina 128 463
Germany 80210
Hungary 42610
Mexico 31836
Spain 27595
India 26351
New Zealand 25391
Canada 25017
Australia 20337
Others 241775
202
4 Strategic issues facing the apiculture research
The strategic issues presented and discussed under this section are
synthesized by filtering out those which can be addressed by the research
team and for which a strategic planning could be developed by the team
Those issues which are outside the technical domain of the team as
important as they are for the success of the subsector are not included in
this section It is felt important though to consolidate and present to the top
management in the future with the view that there would be organized a
forum where they could be discussed separately for the benefit of
promoting the apiculture sub-sector The strategic issues selected are
organized in five disciplinary themes and one general crosscutting topic
The disciplinary themes include (1) Genetic and bee management
improvement (2) Bee forage and pollination ecology (3) Bee health
where diseases insect pests and parasitic and other predators are dealt
with (4)Api-mechanization (5) agricultural economics and research
extension and (5) Technology multiplication Issues of gender equality
climate change and knowledge management are presented as crosscutting
themes under the sixth category These are presented hereunder in Table
8
Table 8 Strategic issues facing the Apiculture research commodity and their relevance in the short (1-5 years)- medium (6-10 years)- and long (11-15 years) - terms
Strategic Issues
Relevance in the
Short-term
Medium-term
Long-term
41 General
411 Lack of trained manpower in apiculture research program
Limited skill to discharge responsibilities
High attrition rate of experienced researchers
Poor interdisciplinary mix
X X X
412 Limited research infrastructure and facilities
Inadequate laboratories and lab facilities
Limited experimental fields at different agro-ecologies
X X X
203
Strategic Issues
Relevance in the
Short-term
Medium-term
Long-term
Limited herbarium workshops standard store greenhouse and lack of insectaries
Inadequate transport facilities
413 Poor linkage of research system with other stakeholders along the value chain
Lack of apiculture stakeholders platform
Limited participatory planning monitoring and evaluation
X X X
42 Genetic and bee management improvement
421 Low productivity and production of local honeybees
Inadequate characterization of local honeybees
Lack of genetically improved stock lines
Limited genetic information (eg gene actions and inheritance of traits) to meet yield and desirable behavior (hygienic less inclination to mobility defensehellipetc)
X X X
422 Poor beekeeping management techniques
Limited improved bee management techniques suitable for different agro-ecologies and seasons
Limited effort on supplementary feeds identification characterization and develop standard ration for local honeybees
Lack of specific management techniques for production of other honeybee products (pollen grains royal jelly venom etc)
X X X
43 Bee forage and pollination ecology
431 Underutilization of potential bee forages
Inadequate identification characterization and mapping of honeybee plants
Lack of honeybee floral calendar for different AEZ and colony carrying capacity assessment tools
Limited information on agronomy multiplication and conservation for bee forages
X X X
204
Strategic Issues
Relevance in the
Short-term
Medium-term
Long-term
Limited collection and documentation of reference bee forage materials (herbarium specimen pollen grain references etc)
432 Underutilization of honeybee pollination services for crop yield improvement and natural resource conservation
Inadequate information on the contribution of bee pollination to crops natural resource conservation etc
Inadequate information on potential pollinators and factors affecting pollination efficiency
Weak efforts to integrate beekeeping with other agricultural and natural resource conservation practices
X X X
44 Bee health
441 Occurrence of existing and newly emerging honeybee diseases and pests
Limited information on current distribution of economical important bee pests and diseases
Lack of monitoring mechanisms and early warning before the outbreaks
Lack of available IPMIDM options for control of diseases and pests
Limited awareness about management of the diseases and pests
X X X
442 increasing loss of honeybee colonies due to indiscriminate use of pesticides
Limited information on the potential toxicity effect of pesticides on honeybee and their products
Limited knowledge on ways of honeybees are poisoning by pesticides
Limited knowledge on mechanisms to minimize toxicity effect of pesticides
X X X
45 Honeybee products quality improvement and value addition
451 Poor product processing and handling
Lack of information on quality control and grading system for high value bee products
Limited techniques and methodologies to identify adulteration of bee products
X X X
205
Strategic Issues
Relevance in the
Short-term
Medium-term
Long-term
Limited information on potential risk of bee product contamination
Weak implementation of quality control regulations
452 Poor value addition and inadequate use of other bee products
Lack of value adding technologies
Little attempts to produce and utilize high value products
X X X
46 Api-mechanization
461 Shortage and high cost of pre-harvest bee equipment
Limited skilled manpower for designing and production of pre-harvest bee equipment
Shortage of affordable and pre-harvest beekeeping equipment materials and tools
Lack of appropriate transporting technologies for bee colonies
X X X
462 Shortage and high cost of postharvest bee equipment
Limited skilled manpower for designing and production of postharvest bee equipment
Shortage of affordable and postharvest beekeeping equipment materials and tools
Lack of appropriate packaging and transporting technologies for bee products
X X X
47 Socioeconomics research extension and gender
471 Limited information on socioeconomic and gender issues of Apiculture
Limited information on value chain status for honey and beeswax and the research approach employed takes littleno consideration of developing the whole
Limited information on beekeeping production systems marketing and its social and economic roles
Limited information on gender disaggregated technology dissemination adoption and impact assessment for apiculture
X X X
206
Strategic Issues
Relevance in the
Short-term
Medium-term
Long-term
472 Inadequate dissemination of improved Apiculture technologies for users
X X X
48 Technology multiplication
481 Inadequate supply of generated technologies
Lack of modern infrastructures and facilities for technology multiplication
Shortage of supply of available technologies
X X X
49 Additional crosscutting themes
491 Lack of central data base and networking
Weak linkages and inadequate networking Lack of recent reference materials (books journals
proceedings e-library etc)
X X X
492 Climate change
Lack of information and technologies specifically tailored to address climate challenge
Lack of early warning mechanisms and tools to address emerging problems
X X X
493 Lack of GIS and Agrometerology research
Lack of apiculture suitability map seasonal forecast and geospatial analysis information for production and marketing
Lack of highly trained research staffs and modern facilities for GIS and meteorology research
X X X
Note the mark ldquoXrdquo denotes that the issue is relevant and needs to be tackled
207
5 Research themes and strategic interventions
Considering the complex nature of the issues to be addressed by the
research team most of the research topics are multi-institutional multi-
thematic multidisciplinary participatory and need to be implemented in
collaboration with farmers beekeepers processors extensionists and a
wide range of other partners to be involved in the whole spectrum of the
apiculture sub-sector Aligned to the goals and priorities of EIAR and
guided by the current national agricultural growth and transformation
framework the research strategy is believed to benefit beekeeper farmers
bee product processors traders exporters and others involved in the honey
value chains and the nation at large The research themes are built on seven
major research programs as briefly discussed hereunder and the strategic
interventions designed for each of the strategic issues elucidated under
section IV above and spanning the short- medium- and long- terms of
fifteen years (2016-2030)
51 Research themes
511 General The Livestock master plan (LMP) which is aligned with the countryrsquos
second growth and transformation plan (GTP II) is primarily focus on
enhancing livestock production The second five-year Growth and
Transformation Plan (GTP II) of Ethiopia also projects the livestock sector
still play a vital role to transform into industrialization In this regard
apiculture could contribute much since bee products are used as product
value addition and sources of raw materials for the expansion of agro-
industries such as food cosmetics and various industrial chemicals
Nonetheless the shortage of honey and beeswax supply due to traditional
production system and technology limitation for the diversification and
utilization of other potential bee product (pollen propolis royal jelly bee
venom) are presently hindering local industries to produce valuable
products to their full capacity It is therefore vital to have a strategy of
product diversification and value addition for import substitution
In order to pursue such an important agenda of national urgency the
research should focus on two important issues that (i) the apiculture
research should be strengthened in terms human resources (ie the
researchers engaged in apiculture research should be equipped with
208
modern techniques and methods of beekeeping improvements) and
research facilities (ie insectary greenhouses modern equipment for
honey quality analyses and biotechnological tools) and (ii) the
stakeholders involved in the honey value chain in general need to have a
strong functional influential and sustainable forum that will shape up the
future of apiculture research production processing trade consumption
and product diversification
512 Beekeeping and genetic improvement (BGI) So far apiculture research has been conducted for decades with the aim of
improving production and productivities of the sub-sector However the
annual honey and bees wax production is estimated to 54000 and 5300
metric tons respectively and this is only 10 of the countryrsquos production
potential (CSA 2012) This mainly owing to incessant traditional way of
beekeeping practices which exerted poor management techniques and low
genetic performance of local bees
Currently there is an increased demand for honey and beeswax products
in Ethiopia as well as in the international markets To meet with the
growing demand of honey and beeswax much of the focus will be on
developing improved bee management techniques suitable for different
agro-ecologies and seasons Moreover characterizing and selecting better
performing indigenous stocks rearing and breeding new varieties that are
high yielding adapted to a variety of environments and resilient in the
face of multiple stresses such as climate change emergence of new pests
and diseases and other biotic and abiotic factors
The strategy will generally seek to accelerate beekeeping and genetic
improvement by using both conventional and modern methods and
technologies that make it possible to improve management and increase
traits of desire genetic materials and to select with greater precision This
will involve stronger integration of conventional queen rearing techniques
with modern tools such as AI and methods of biotechnology including
molecular markers genomics proteomics and related fields Improving
data access and management will be another area of focus to optimize
breeding efficiency
513 Bee forage and pollination ecology Over 7000 species of flowering plants exist in Ethiopia of which most of
them are melliferous plants These abundant natural resources needed for
beekeeping provide nectar pollen or both pollen and nectar to the
209
honeybees for their maintenance reproduction and for the production of
honey and beeswax From the locally adapted bee flora bout 800 species
were identified and characterized as potential bee forages with the kind of
resources (nectar andor pollen) they are offering to the honeybees
Through consistent forage on such flowering plants bees also make
significant contributions to the yield and quality increment of crops and
maintain environmental sustainability and biodiversity To this end
research will focus on tackling identifying characterizing and mapping
major bee forages establishing honey floral calendar and colony carrying
capacity for different AEZ Moreover the issues identified under
pollination ecology are thought to address also quantifying and enhancing
the efficiency of bees in crop yield improvement and biodiversity
conservation through mitigating limiting factors
514 Bee health One of the most effective ways to make apiculture production more eco-
efficient is to achieve yield stability and reduce the chances of bee
mortality and colony decline due to diseases pests and poisoning
substances To this end the research will focus assessing information on
epidemiology of common honeybee diseases and pests and develop
suitable prevention and control package It is also imperative to consider
and aware the potential toxicity effect of commonly used pesticides on
honeybees and their products to develop pesticides risk minimizing
options
515 Honeybee products quality improvement and value addition
Bee products quality and value addition is the core theme of apiculture
commodity designed to investigate on different aspects of bee products
quality improvement and value addition Poor product processing and
handling with inadequate value addition practices are limiting factors to
meet the current demand and supply of standard honey and other bee
products in Ethiopia To this fact the research should focus generate and
adopt improved bee product processing and handling technologies
develop quality control and grading system for honey and beeswax and
enhance utilization of other potential bee products (like pollen propolis
royal jelly bee venom)
516 Api- mechanization The main challenges associated with bee product processing and handling
is shortage and high cost of pre amp post-harvest bee equipment Both pre-
210
and post- harvest operations are done manually and losses of both
quantities and qualities of produce are compromised It is therefore
imperative to consider this field of research to constitute part and parcel of
the research strategies of apiculture commodity
517 Socioeconomics research extension and gender The socio-economics and extension group is one of the core members of
the apiculture research and it is as such the vanguard of the group to bring
in stakeholders together to formulate relevant research agenda as they do
also taking out promising research results to demonstration processes
Addressing issues related to socio-economics and research extension in the
strategy is the key to attain the successes that the research team envisages
518 Crosscutting themes Gender The role of women in the agricultural system is critical as women
contribute 70 percent of farm labor at harvesting and in post-harvest
activities But women farmers have only limited access to resources
services land and credit Unequal gender relations often make women
more vulnerable to the effects of poverty land degradation and climate
change If the gender gap were eliminated FAO34 asserts that total
agricultural output would increase Cognizant of this the strategy upholds
integration of gender concerns into research objectives technology
development extension and evaluation frameworks
Climate change In Ethiopia climate change is already having an impact
on the livelihoods of different communities in different corners of the
country Therefore the apiculture research strategy will place due
considerations to availing technologies that would help the honey value
chain actors to respond to climate change through adaptation andor
mitigation approaches
Knowledge management (ICT) Through KM interventions aided by
new information technologies it is possible to help improve smallholdersrsquo
access to resources that help them improve their beekeeping productivity
and competitive ability KM will also help to create research products in a
more collaborative manner that makes them more suitable for diverse
audiences For this purpose the research team will make results more
readily available spearhead formations of multi-stakeholder platforms that
facilitate interaction and promote learning for change mentoring and
networking
211
52 Strategic interventions
Table 9 Strategic interventions planned to address critical issues facing the Apiculture research
commodities in the short- medium- and long- terms
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
521 General (Relevant Across Themes)
11 Lack of trained manpower in apiculture research program
Short term trainings on- modern laboratory equipment
and tools Long term trainings on
various disciplines
Researchers or technicians trained or specialized in modern instruments and tools
Researchers specialized in advanced research disciplines
Researchers or technicians trained or specialized in modern instruments and tools
Researchers specialized in advanced research disciplines
12 Limited research infrastructure and facilities (laboratory lab facilities digital library standard store greenhouse herbarium insectary etc)
Establishment of standard laboratory herbarium and honey quality analysis and AI instruments
Availing some basic molecular biology materials such as Laminal hood DNA extraction tools soxolate extractor Gel electrophoresis and PCR etc
Establishment of metal workshop standard insectary and greenhouse
Availing some advanced quality analysis equipment (GC-MS LC-MS GLC etc)
Continue to modernize the lab facilities to attain state of the art in biotechnological and quality analyses
212
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
13 Poor linkage of the research system with other stakeholders along the value chain
Strengthening already established apiculture research centers
Strengthening apiculture development stakeholders platform
Promote Ethiopian honey and beeswax to establish promising market linkages in the honey value chain
Continue strengthening the apiculture development platform
Establishing new international and national stakeholders platform
Continue strengthening the national and international apiculture development platforms
Expected Outputs from strategic interventions on general issues Capacity built resulting in well-qualified researchers equipped with modern techniques of apiculture research and quality analysis Capacity built to result in well-equipped laboratory herbarium metal workshop insectaries and greenhouse facilities A strong and functional stakeholders platform established that is instrumental for promoting development of the apiculture sub-sector
522 Genetic and bee management improvement
21 Low productivity and production of local honeybees
Characterize and select better performing indigenous stocks
Development of suitable colony multiplication techniques
Establishment of bee breeding stations
Adopting AI technologies
Breeding of selected stock lines
Use biotechnological tools to characterize and study genetic variations
Generate genetic information on traits of importance for local bees (ie elucidating the biological
Continuing breeding of better performing stock lines
Continuing generating information on traits of important for local bees
213
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
basis for productivity gains by quantifying the patterns of genetic variabilities inheritance gene effects genetic predictions and other variables
22 Poor bee management techniques
Development of improved bee management techniques suitable for different agro-ecologies and seasons
Minimize colony mobility (swarming absconding migration)
Identifying standard ration for local honeybees
Developing specific management techniques for production of other honeybee products (pollen grains royal jelly venom etc)
Continuing developing improved bee management techniques for different agro-ecologies
Characterizing and developing standard ration for local honeybees
Continuing developing improved bee management techniques for different agro-ecologies and diversified bee products
Continuing characterizing and developing standard ration for local honeybees
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Beekeeping and Genetic improvement issues Selected and maintained genetically improved indigenous stock lines Suitable colony multiplication techniques for indigenous bees developed Established bee breeding stationsfarms and AI technologies adopted Developed improved seasonal bee management techniques Reduced bee colony mobility Developed standard bee supplementary feeds
214
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
523 Bee forage and pollination ecology
31Underutilization of potential bee forages
Identifying characterizing and mapping major bee forages
Selection and improving major honeybee plants
Establishing honey floral calendar and colony carrying capacity for different AEZ
Collection and documentation of reference bee forage materials (herbarium specimen pollen grain references etc)
Integrating beekeeping with other agricultural and natural resource conservation practices
Identifying characterizing and mapping major bee forages
Selection and improving major honeybee plants for nectar and pollen grain production
Establishing honey floral calendar and colony carrying capacity for different AEZ
Collection and documentation of reference bee forage materials (herbarium specimen pollen grain references etc)
Developing bee forage agronomic recommendations and multiplication techniques
Evaluating and adopting introduced technologies
Optimizing utilization of honeybee forages flowering at different seasons in different areas
Integrating beekeeping with other agricultural and natural resource conservation practices
Identifying characterizing and mapping major bee forages
Selection and improving major honeybee plants for nectar and pollen grain production for dearth period management
Establishing honey floral calendar and colony carrying capacity for different AEZ
Developing bee forage agronomic recommendations and multiplication techniques
Evaluating and adopting introduced technologies
Optimizing utilization of honeybee forages flowering at different seasons in different areas
Integrating beekeeping with other agricultural and natural resource conservation practices
Collection and documentation of reference bee forage materials (herbarium specimen pollen grain references etc)
215
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
32 Underutilization of honeybee pollination services for crop yield improvement and natural resource conservation
Assessing the contribution of bees in natural resource conservation and crop yield
Identifying and evaluating potential pollinators other than honeybees
Identifying and evaluating pollination affecting factors
Integrating beekeeping with other agricultural and natural resource conservation practices
Assessing the contribution of bees in natural resource conservation and crop yield
Identifying and evaluating potential pollinators other than honeybees
Identifying and evaluating pollination affecting factors
Integrating beekeeping with other agricultural and natural resource conservation practices
Developing adaptation and mitigation mechanisms against pollination limiting factors
Evaluating and adopting technologies mitigating pollination limiting factors
Assessing the contribution of bees in natural resource conservation and crop yield
Identifying and evaluating potential pollinators other than honeybees
Identifying and evaluating pollination affecting factors
Integrating beekeeping with other agricultural and natural resource conservation practices
Developing adaptation and mitigation mechanisms against pollination limiting factors
Evaluating and adopting introduced technologies
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Bee forage and pollination ecology issues Developed major bee flora data base Established honey floral calendar and colony carrying capacity for different agro-ecologies Increasedoptimized utilization of honeybee forages Improved bee forage agronomic practices Developed multiplication and conservation techniques for major bee forages Adopted introduced technologies
216
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
Quantified and enhanced role of bees in natural resource conservation and crop production Enhanced efficiency of bees for crop pollination and natural resource conservation through mitigating limiting factors Identified potential pollinators other than bees and designed utilization mechanisms
524 Bee health
41 Wide prevalence and newly emerging honeybee diseases and pests
Identifying monitoring and mapping of major bee diseases and pests
Determining economic importance of honeybee diseases and pests
Developing suitable preventive andor control methods
Investigating use of bio-pesticides (botanical microbial bee products) to treat honeybee diseases and pests
Evaluation and adoption of diseases and pest controlling technologies
Investigating the behavioral attributes of local honeybees against diseases and pests
Identifying monitoring and mapping of major bee diseases and pests
Determining economic importance of honeybee diseases and pests
Developing suitable preventive andor control methods
Developing and validating bio-pesticides (botanical microbial bee products) to treat honeybee diseases and pests
Evaluation and adoption of diseases and pest controlling technologies
Investigating the behavioral attributes of local honeybees against diseases and pests
Identifying monitoring and mapping of major bee diseases and pests using cutting age tools
Determining economic importance of honeybee diseases and pests
Developing suitable preventive andor control methods
Developing and validating bio-pesticides (botanical microbial bee products) to treat honeybee diseases and pests
Evaluation and adoption of diseases and pest controlling technologies
Investigating the behavioral attributes of local honeybees against diseases and pests
217
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
Investigating the honeybee diseases and pests dynamism and associated risk factors
Assessing and documenting ethno- botanical practices
Awareness creation on management of the diseases and pests
Investigating the honeybee diseases and pests dynamism and associated risk factors
Validating ethno- botanical practices
Awareness creation on management of the diseases and pests
Investigating the honeybee diseases and pests dynamism and associated risk factors
Awareness creation on management of the diseases and pests
42 Increasing loss of honeybee colonies due to indiscriminate use of pesticides
Generating information on the potential toxicity effect of pesticides on honeybee and their product
Identifying toxicity aggravating factors (time duration mode of application formulation etc)
Developing techniques to minimize toxicity effect of pesticides
Creating awareness on the proper use of pesticides (agro-chemicals)
Providing feedbacksevidences to support policy makers
Generating information on the potential toxicity effect of pesticides on honeybee and their product
Identifying toxicity aggravating factors (time duration mode of application formulation etc)
Developing techniques to minimize toxicity effect of pesticides
Creating awareness on the proper use of pesticides (agro-chemicals)
Providing feedbacksevidences to support policy makers
Generating information on the potential toxicity effect of pesticides on honeybee and their product
Identifying toxicity aggravating factors (time duration mode of application formulation etc)
Developing techniques to minimize toxicity effect of pesticides
Creating awareness on the proper use of pesticides (agro-chemicals)
Providing feedbacksevidences to support policy makers
218
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Bee health issues Identified major bee diseases and pests prevailing in the country Determined economic importance of diseases and pets Developed and adopted appropriate bee diseases and pests control technologies Developed bio-pesticides for diseases and pest treatments Determined potential toxicity of commonly used pesticides and aggravating factors Recommended pesticides risk minimizing options Initiated pesticide application policy Established sound collaboration between growers and beekeepers on proper use of pesticides
525 Honeybee products quality improvement and value addition
51 Poor product processing and handling
Generating and adopting improved bee product processing and handling technologies
Characterizing honeybee products (biological chemical physical)
Developing quality control and grading system for honey and beeswax
Assessing contamination sources for honeybee products and recommending the possible mitigation methods
Generating and adopting improved bee product processing and handling technologies
Characterizing honeybee products (biological chemical physical)
Developing quality control and grading system for pollen and royal jelly
Developing mitigation methods for honeybee products contamination
Developing protocol to identify adulteration of bee products
Generating and adopting improved bee product processing and handling technologies
Characterizing honeybee products (biological chemical physical)
Assessment of honeybee products contaminationresidues using high- tech instruments
Developing quality control and grading system for pollen and propolis
219
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
Developing protocol to identify adulteration of bee products
Creating awareness on quality management
Generating information on potential risk of bee product contamination
Creating awareness on quality management
Generating information on potential risk of bee product contamination
Creating awareness on quality management
52 Limited value addition practices and inadequate use of other bee products
Developing techniques to diversify the utilization of bee products like honey beeswax and propolis(value addition)
Diversifying the utilization of bee products (honey beeswax propolis pollen grain)
Developing techniques to diversify the utilization of bee products (honey beeswax propolis pollen grain royal jelly and bee venom)
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on honeybee products quality improvement and value additional issues Bee product characterized and quality standardized Bee product adulteration identification protocols developed
Utilization of bee products diversified and enhanced
526 Api-mechanization
61 Shortage and high cost of pre amp post-harvest bee equipment
Evaluating and improving the performances of different pre amp post harvesting beekeeping equipment and materials
Evaluating and improving the performances of different pre amp post harvesting beekeeping equipment and materials
Continuing evaluating and improving the performances of different pre amp post harvesting beekeeping equipment and materials
220
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
Human resource capacity building for designing and production of pre amp post-harvest bee equipment
Human resource capacity building for designing and production of pre amppost-harvest bee equipment
Human resource capacity building for designing and production of pre amppost-harvest bee equipment
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Api-mechanization issues Pre and post-harvest equipmentrsquos and materials improved Information generated and human technical capacity enhanced
Appropriate and affordable pre and post-harvest equipments and materials developed
527 Socioeconomics research extension and gender
71 Limited information on socioeconomic and gender issues of Apiculture
Generating information on value chain status for honey and beeswax
Availing information on beekeeping production systems marketing and its social and economic roles
Generating information on gender disaggregated technology dissemination adoption and impact assessment for apiculture
Generating information on value chain status for honey and beeswax and other high value products
Continuing generating information on gender disaggregated technology dissemination adoption and impact assessment for apiculture
Generating information on value chain status for honey and beeswax
Continuing generating information on gender disaggregated technology dissemination adoption and impact assessment for apiculture
72 Inadequate dissemination of improved Apiculture technologies for users
Demonstrating evaluating and promoting proven technologies
Disseminating proven information and technologies
Demonstrating evaluating and promoting proven technologies
Disseminating proven information and technologies
Demonstrating evaluating and promoting proven technologies
Disseminating proven information and technologies
221
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Socioeconomics research extension and gender
Information on bee product value chain status generated
information on beekeeping production systems marketing and its social and economic roles availed
Gender disaggregated technologies disseminated and adopted
Beekeeping technologies impact assessment conducted
Proven apiculture information and technologies disseminated
528 Technology multiplication
81 Inadequate supply of generated technologies
Building modern infrastructures and facilities for technology multiplication
Increasing supply of available technologies
Building modern infrastructures and facilities for technology multiplication
Increasing supply of available technologies
Increasing supply of available technologies
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on Socioeconomics research extension and gender
Modern infrastructures and facilities for technology multiplication established
Supply of available technologies enhanced
529 Additional crosscutting themes
91 Lack of central data base and networking
Establishing linkages and networking for efficient information collection compilation and dissemination
Establishing linkages and networking for efficient information collection compilation and dissemination
Establishing linkages and networking for efficient information collection compilation and dissemination
222
Strategic Issue Strategic Intervention
Short-term (1-5 years) Medium-term (6-10 years) Long-term (10-15 years)
Availing recent reference materials (books journals proceedings e-library etc)
Availing recent reference materials (books journals proceedings e-library etc)
Availing recent reference materials (books journals proceedings e-library etc)
92 Climate change
Addressing climate change problem in research programs to increase resilience of vulnerable communities
Developing early warning mechanisms and tools to address emerging problems
Addressing climate change problem in research programs to increase resilience of vulnerable communities
Developing early warning mechanisms and tools to address emerging problems
Addressing climate change problem in research programs to increase resilience of vulnerable communities
Developing early warning mechanisms and tools to address emerging problems
93 Lack of GIS and Agrometeroogy research
Building human resource capacities and modern facilities for GIS and meteorology research
Generating information on apiculture suitability map seasonal forecast and geospatial analysis information for production and marketing
Building human resource capacities and modern facilities for GIS and meteorology research
Generating information on apiculture suitability map seasonal forecast and geospatial analysis information for production and marketing
Expected outputs from strategic interventions on crosscutting issues
Modern ICT infrastructures and facilities established
Climate change mainstreamed and resilient Apiculture technologies developed
Early warning mechanisms and tools for climate change related emerging problems developed
Data bases on apiculture resources production and marketing developed
223
6 The next steps
Following the approval of the strategy document by the top management
of EIAR it is essential to prepare the implementation plan without which
this strategy is not going to reach fruition The implementation plan
document will come out as Volume II of the research strategy which will
serve as the blueprint to guide the National Apiculture Commodity for the
next fifteen years (2016-2030) The major contents of the implementation
plan will revolve among others around the following topics
Develop implementation plan
Develop monitoring and evaluation plan
Develop impact assessment plan
Develop reassessment plan for the strategy
In order to expedite the development of the implementation plan it will be
important to develop a common Guideline that will serve the EIAR
Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate to provide guidance to
the research teams develop implementation plans This Guideline is useful
to communicate the goals of the strategic plans and establish uniform
approaches The Guideline will contain important considerations in
planning a project(s) from the developed strategic plan including building
research teams of various roles and levels It will generally be of
importance that researchers planners and evaluators will need to become
familiar with the Guideline to prepare successful projects from the
strategic plans as well as provide realistic estimates of resource
requirements for implementing the strategic interventions projected for the
short- medium- and long-term timeframes The Guideline will therefore
be prepared with the intention of providing a common structural and
conceptual framework that can be followed by the respective teams of
research commodities for preparing the implementation plans of their
respective strategies
224
7 References
Admassu A Gizaw E Amssalu B and Debissa L (2006)The effect of honey
bee (Apis mellifera L) on seed production of Allium cepa (variety Adama
red)
Amssalu B Nuru A Radloff S E and Hepburn H R(2004)Multivariate
morphometric analysis of Honeybees (Apis mellifera L) in the Ethiopian
regionApidologie35 71-84
Ayalew K (2001) Promotion of beekeeping in rural sector of Ethiopia
Proceedings of the third National Annual Conference of Ethiopian
Beekeepers Association (EBA) September 3-4 2001 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
pp52-58
APIMONDIA (2011) 42nd International Apicultural Congress 21th-25th
September Issue 005 The African Magazin March 2011 Buenos-Argentina
Berenbaum M R(2007) The Birds and the Bees-How Pollinators Help Maintain
Healthy Ecosystems Testimonial before the Subcommittee on Fisheries
Wildlife and Oceans Committee on Natural Resources US House of
Representatives 26 June 2007
Bradbear N 2009 Bees and their role in forest livelihoods A guide to the services
provided by bees and the sustainable harvesting processing and marketing of
their products FAO Pub
CSA 2006 Statistical Abstracts Central Statistical Agency Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
CSA 2008 Statistical Abstracts Central Statistical Agency Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
CSA 2009 Statistical Abstracts Central Statistical Agency Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
CSA 2012 Statistical Abstracts Central Statistical Agency Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
225
Cvitkovic D Grgic Z Matasin Z Pavlak M Filip J and Gajger T (2009)
Economic Aspects of Beekeeping Production in Croatia VETERINARSKI
ARHIV 79(4) 397-408
FAO (2008)Statistical yearbook FAOSAT
GDS (2009)Integrated Value Chain Analyses for Honey and Beeswax
Production in Ethiopia and Prospects for Exports The Netherlands
Development Organization (SNV)
Gemechis L Y (2015) Honey production and marketing in Ethiopia American
Journal of Life Science Vol 3(1) 42-46
Gemechis L Kibebew W Amssalu B Desalegn B Admassu A (eds) (2012)
Apiculture research achievements in Ethiopia Oromia Agricultural Research
Institute Holeta Bee Research Canter 2012 Holeta Ethiopia
Gezahegne T (2012) Apiculture in Ethiopian Agriculture Third ApiExpo Africa
2012 26th-29th September 2012 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Girma D (1998)Non-Wood Forest Products in EthiopiaEC-FAO Partnership
Program (1998-2000) Addis Ababa pp 1-5
Hartmann I(2004) The Management of Resources and Marginalisation in
Beekeeping Societies of South West Ethiopia Paper submitted to the
Conference Birding Scales and Epistemologies March 17 ndash 20 2004
Alexandria
James R Pitts-Singer TLBee pollination in agricultural ecosystems New York
Oxford University Press 2008
Klein AM Vaissiere BE Cane JH Steffan-Dewenter I Cunningham SA Kremen
C Tscharntke T (2007) Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for
world cropsProc R SocB 274303ndash13
Krell R (1996) Value added products from beekeeping Agricultural Services
Bulletin No 124 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations Rome Italy
Mamo G (1976) Practical Aspects of Bee Managements in Ethiopia
Proceedings of First International Conference on Apiculture in Tropical
Climate London UK pp 69-78
226
Mikhail M Jenkins G P and Barichello R R (2014)Honey production in
Ethiopia A Cost- benefit analysis of modern versus traditional beekeeping
technologies
MoARD (2003) Honey and Beeswax marketing and development plan 2003
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
MoARD (2007) Livestock Development Master Plan Study Phase I Report -
Data Collection and Analysis Volume N - Apiculture Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Ministry of Agriculture amp Rural Development
Nicola B 2002Taking the sting out of beekeeping Arid Lands Information
Network East Africa (CD-Rom) Nairobi Kenya
Nuru A (2007) Atlas of Polen Grains of major honeybee flora of Ethiopia
Holleta Ethiopia Holeta Bee Research Centre
Nuru A (2002) Geographical races of the Honeybees (Apis mellifera L) of the
Northern Regions of Ethiopia PhD dissertation Rhodes University South
Africa
Poulos D (2012) Ethiopian Honey Accessing International Markets With
inclusive Business and Sector Development Journal of Seas Change
available at wwwsnvworldorgensectorsagriculture retrieved on April
82014
Ruttner F (1988)Biogeography and Taxonomy of Honeybees Springer-Verlag
Berlin Germany
Williams JH (1994)The dependence of crop production within the European
Union on pollination by honey bees Agric Zoo Rev 6229ndash57
EARO 2000(Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization)Apiculture
research strategy Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization Animal
Science Research Directorate45p
FAO 2009 Bees and their role in forest livelihoods A guide to the services
provided by bees and the sustainable harvesting processing and marketing
of their products Rome
Berenbaum MR 2007 The Birds and the BeesmdashHow Pollinators Help Maintain
Healthy Ecosystems Testimonial before the Subcommittee on Fisheries
Wildlife and Oceans Committee on Natural Resources US Houseof
Representatives26 June 2007
227
FAO (2007) Crops browse and pollinators in Africa an initial stock taking
Rome
Lay-flurrie K (2008) Honey in wound care effects clinical application and
patient benefit Br J Nurs 17(11) S30 S32-6
Lietaer C 2007 Apitherapy practical guide for remote areas in developing
countries Not published (Thesis)
229
Sericulture Research
Strategy
(2016 - 2030)
231
Lists of abbreviations and acronyms
NSRP National Sericulture Research Program
NSRS National Sericulture Research Strategy
EIAR Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
ADLI Agriculture Development Led Industrialization
RDPS Rural Development Policy and Strategy
GTP-I Ethiopian Growth and Transformation Plan I
GTP-II Ethiopian Growth and Transformation Plan II
ATA Agricultural Transformation Agency
USAID United States Agency for International Development
RESARP Reengagement of Senior Agricultural Researchers Project
SWOC Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Challenges
PASDEP Participatory Agricultural Sustainable Development to Eradicate Poverty
DFL Disease Free Laying
233
Executive summary
The Government of Ethiopia recognizes the importance of agriculture in
the Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) plan Rural
Development Policy and Strategy (RDPS) and Growth and Transformation
Plan II (GTP II 2016-2020) Achieving the goals set forth in the plans
will require a research strategy focusing on the three major government
goals in agriculture - food security import substitution and export
promotion As a result Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
(EIAR) in strengthening Ethiopian agriculture over the next decade or so
will depend on its ability to attune itself to understand and readily respond
to urging socio- economic environmental and policy demands of the
country for agricultural technologies information and knowledge In a bid
to face up to the challenges and proficiently deliver outputs that are in par
with national and sectoral economic drives EIAR is seeking to develop
long term research strategies
To this effect the long term National Sericulture Research Strategic plan
(2016-2030) envisions improving the livelihood of Ethiopian farmers
engaged in silk production by developing resilient and market competitive
technologies which will reduce poverty and environmental degradation
and enhance foreign exchange earnings Our approach will be to adapt and
generate market competitive technologies and information for increased
production productivity and product qualities through partnership-based
approach with region based and national and international institutes and
organizations working on sericulture research and development
It is known that the livelihood of the majority of Ethiopians is dependent
up on agriculture and poverty is still the major challenge of the country
Therefore poverty alleviation requires not only increased food production
but also additional on farm and off farm income generation technologies
like silk production (sericulture) Silk production is very important to
generate income to create job opportunities and to diversify exportable
items As a result sericulture research has been initiated by EIAR and it
has produced promising outputs Different varieties of silkworms and feed
plants were recommended Several packages of information were
generated with regard to silkworm management and post-harvest handling
234
practices as well as agronomic practices and pest management strategies
of feed plants However there are still significant production and
productivity gaps as compared to bench mark countries
It is believed this strategic plan is formulated to bring about a substantial
improvement of the current silk production and productivity by filling up
basic gaps using different research interventions As a result strategic
issues and intervention areas are critically analyzed and categorized in
different themes that include Genetics and Breeding Pest Management
Silkworm and Feed plant Management Seed Multiplication and
Distribution Agricultural Economics Extension and Gender Capacity
Building Agricultural Quality and Nutrition Research Laboratory
Agricultural Mechanization
Accordingly introductionadoption of appropriate silk production and
processing technologiesinformation from countries of similar setting
generation of best technologicalinformation packages with in the country
as well as promotion and multiplication of improved ones with appropriate
research back up will be the major areas of research involvement
Therefore partnershiplinkage with national and international institutions
working in the subject area will be strengthened Hence it is believed that
on station and on farm sericulture productivity levels will be much nearer
to the levels to be reached by sericulturally advanced countries In effect
it is projected that 30 and 20 increase in productivity of mulberry and
eri silkworms respectively will be achieved at the end of each phase In
addition the productivity of castor and mulberry as feed plants are
projected for an increase in leaf yield productivity by 10 and 20
respectively Finally it is perceived from this strategy that suitable and
productive packages of sericulture technologies or information will be
produced and disseminated to producers by using proven technological
multiplication and popularization schemes leading to achievements of
overall targets set by the country
235
Sericulture Research Strategy
(2016 - 2030)
1 Introduction
11 Background
Agriculture still remains the backbone of the Ethiopian economy It
contributes the lions share in terms of output income employment and
raw materials provision to the emerging industry In this case Ethiopia has
developed and adopted its long-term development strategy called
Agricultural Development-Led Industrialization (ADLI) In this strategy
agriculture has been given the priority and expected to serve as an engine
of growth for the economy To this end several national development
plans like PASDEP (200506-200910) GTP I (201011-201415) and the
current GTP II (201516-201920) have been implemented since the early
1990s All those development plans focus on the commercialization of
smallholder agriculture through specialization in agricultural commodities
that have high demand in local and export markets In this case sericulture
has a strategic importance in the agricultural sector as the country requires
both increased grain production and also additional on farm and off farm
income generation through diversified agricultural activities such as
sericulture (silk farming)
Sericulture is an agro-based cottage industry which plays an important role
in improving the rural economy because of its high employment and
income generation capability Silkworm is an important economic insect
and also a tool to convert leaf protein into silk The ago-industrial use of
silk production and its economic benefits finely contributed to the
silkworm promotion all over the world (Ramesh-Babu et al 2009)
Availability of the required resources to produce silk and suitability of the
agro-climatic conditions in Ethiopia is believed to open up a secure
opportunity to utilize the technology in the country for income generation
and employment opportunity to people of various social groups Moreover
familiarity of Ethiopians in spinning of other fabrics such as cotton is
believed to give an added advantage of adopting the technology in this
country
236
In Ethiopia silk is produced by domesticated mulberry silkworms and eri
silk worms The former is a monophagous type that feeds exclusively on
mulberry leaf while the latter is polyphagous in nature and feeds on leaves
of different plants including castor as primary feed and others such as
cassava In the country the history of silk production goes back to the
1930s when the Italians realized the suitable agro-climatic conditions for
growing feed plants and rearing silk worms They introduced and grew
mulberry plants and conducted silkworm rearing As a result they proved
the potential of growing mulberry plants in diverse agro ecologies and
altitudes
However sericulture technology generation has got due attention by EIAR
very recently in 2000rsquos As a result research and development activities
were initialed by Melkassa Agricultural Research Center (MARC) and
encouraging results have been obtained in the country Presently silk
production practices have been carried out at different parts of the country
which includes Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoplersquos (SNNP)
Oromia Tigray and Amhara regional states Different buyers or
processors have established product purchasing and processing systems as
well as international market linkages However there is a huge
productivity gap which needs the attention of all stakeholders as compared
to sericulturally advanced countries
12 Rationale for developing NSRP strategy
Currently silk production system in the country can be categorized into
two The first system is the one undertaken as sideline activity by rural and
urban households which is mainly characterized by its small scale nature
without investment in required facilities like housing and rearing facilities
engagement of all household members in the activity and limited
engagement in processing Whereas the second system is characterized by
the commercial nature of the production where there are full time workers
existence of rearing facilities like feeding tray feeding stand and
mountages and engagement in processing However a production and
productivity level of silk has been found very low This could be justified
by a number of challenges faced by sericulture development in the country
which needs to be addressed in order for the industry to succeed further
Therefore to bring substantial improvement of the current silk production
and productivity and contribute to countryrsquos goals efficient research and
237
development strategies should be devised which may include on farm
evaluation of technological options generation of in country technologies
introduction and adaptation of new technologies from countries of similar
setting scaling up the best ones and appropriate research back up
As a result a national research strategy needs to be developed to lead
sericulture research to fulfill the needs of farmers and the public at large
for food security and import substitution of silk by fulfilling the
requirement of a growing demand Ethiopia has the potential to export silk
because of its suitable agro ecology conditions for both silkworms and feed
plants The strategy document will be used as a guideline and road map to
direct research undertakings in developing reliable technologies that will
boost silk production This will help then contribute to achieve Ethiopiarsquos
long term vision of becoming a middle income economy
13 Vision
Seeing sustainable improvement in livelihood of beneficiaries through
provision and utilization of improved and demand-oriented sericulture
technologies information and knowledge by 2030
14 Mission
Availing and disseminating improved and demand-oriented sericulture
technologies information and knowledge for beneficairies at different
agro-ecologies through participatory and integrated approach
15 Goal
The goal is to adapt and generate sericulture technologies and information
that enhance production and productivity thereby to improve income and
livelihood of beneficiaries and stakeholders in Ethiopia contributing to the
overall developmental objectives of the agriculture sector viz assuring
social wellbeing food security and poverty alleviation
16 Objectives
161 General objective
To improve silk production and productivity in Ethiopia through effective
and sustainable technology and information generation adoption and
238
dissemination thereby contributing to poverty alleviation economic
growth employment generation and Agricultural Growth and
Transformation objectives of the country
162 Specific objectives
1 Generate develop adopt and promote improved sericulture production
and management technologies knowledge and information that would
increase sericulture production productivity and profitability under
different agro-ecologies of Ethiopia As a result the productivity of
silk cocoon will be projected to increase from 475 to 8208kg100 DFL
(eri silkworms) and 2908 kg100 DFL to 6388kg100 DFL at the end
of the implementation of this strategy
2 Improve the silk cocoon quality traits (silk ratio length cocoon weight
defective cocoons etc) to make silk and silk products produced in
Ethiopia as competitive and acceptable as possible for both domestic
and international markets
3 Improve the awareness of the farmers in silk farming as a profitable
venture and silk cocoon production and by products of silk farming
create gain full income
4 Increase an income earning opportunities of silk cocoon producers
traders processors and other partners involved in silk cocoon and silk
products supply chain
5 Ensure that the production management processing of silk and the
benefits obtained from production and value addition is socially
economically and environmentally sustainable and brings about an
ldquoinclusive growthrdquo through equitable share of the benefits among the
partners operating all along the supply chain
6 Ensure that womenrsquos contributions in the production and value
addition processes of silk farming is fully recognized thereby
increasing opportunities for their empowerment in decision making all
along the supply chain
7 Play key role in building technical capacity of farmers development
agents (DAs) subject matter specialist (SMS) researchers partners
and others to enhance their uptake and utilization of new technologies
knowledge and information availed by the research system and science
think-thank
239
17 Guiding principles
In order to accomplish its mission and fulfill its obligations the national
sericulture research program has established a set of guiding principles
and criteria for selecting research thematic areas and major activities for
the implementation of the strategy The sericulture research will
accordingly be guided by the following basic and unwavering
principles
Be an integral part of the national development efforts of EIAR and
thus all its research programs must be founded on the policies and
priorities of the institute embracing the notions of cost-effectiveness
and responsiveness to stakeholders in both the public and private
sectors
Contribution to food security and livelihood improvement of men
women and young farmers
Utilize and promote combinations of the conventional innovative
and advanced science and technology and ensure high science
quality with due regard to addressing possible ethical social and
environmental impacts during project formulation and
implementation
Promote capacity building and institutionalization of integrated
multi-disciplinary multi-institutional livelihood-based approaches
with various partners and stakeholders on the basis of comparative
advantages
Give due attention to inclusiveness in terms of addressing important
agro-ecologies and equal opportunity for all must use gender-
sensitive approaches to empower women
Ensure effective monitoring mechanisms and evaluation systems
Demonstrating transparency and good governance and others
240
2 Importance of the sericulture sub-sector
21 Agriculture
Farming silkworms and producing silk is one of the oldest of commercial
activities to survive into the modern world since its discovery in China
5000 years ago According to FAOs statistics approximately 60 countries
have been involved in sericulture industry development in the world
However major silk production is limited to Asian Latin American and
African countries Among them the major silk producer countries are
China India Brazil Uzbekistan Vietnam Japan Turkey South Korea
Thailand Bangladesh Bulgaria Indonesia and Iran On the other hand
African countries which are producing silk includes Madagascar Kenya
Ethiopia Nigeria Botswana Zimbabwe Zambia Uganda and Ghana
Hence these developing countries are directing their development
strategies on the production and productivity in rural areas and are
integrating agricultural practices with sericulture (Annex 1 Major silk
producing countries in the world Annex 2 Major silk consuming countries
in the world and Annex 3 Major silk producing countries in Africa)
Silk has played an important part in the social and religious life of Ethiopia
from the earliest days of the Kingdom of Axum This silk was imported in
large quantities from India Arabia and China and stored in vast caverns in
the central highlands of Ethiopia and Ethiopian Emperors would make
prodigious gifts of silk to other churches Ceremonial umbrellas binding
of sacred books covers for wooden altars and spectacular hangings have
all been produced from silk over the centuries Apart from some historical
traditions along the Kenyan coast Ethiopia has long been the only major
silk weaving region in eastern Africa
However there were no known records of silk being produced in the
country until the period of the war with Italy In 1930rsquos the Italians
realized the suitability of climatic condition for rearing of silkworms
growing of feed plants and availability of necessary resources They
introduced and planted mulberry varieties and conducted silkworm rearing
but this had been stopped immediately when Italians left the country Later
on attempts were made to revive the industry during the 1970rsquos when
alternative cash crops (sericulture spices rubber tree pulses and
horticultural crops) were assessed as a result of the sudden devastation of
the major export crop (coffee) by coffee berry disease (CBD) But it didnrsquot
241
succeed because of lack of trained manpower and the prevailing political
and economic situation In addition CBD resistant varieties were obtained
to give the government some level of relief concerning the export So
sericulture research and development has been discontinued However the
sericulture project has been reinitiated jointly by Ethiopian Institute of
Agricultural Research EIAR and Ministry of Science and Technology
MST in early 2000rsquos and an exciting opportunity for producing silk came
in to re-emergence with the introduction of silkworms again in Ethiopia
Silkworm is an important economic insect and also a tool to convert leaf
protein into silk Silk proved a valuable and much-desired product which
brought about cultural cross-pollinations and the spread of language
religion and technology and increased civilizations knowledge of the
larger world Silkworms are also providing importance to genetic research
because the silkworm is thoroughly domesticated because the silk industry
makes use of controlled breeding programs creating a finite list of genetic
lines that geneticists are learning to make use of in the study of mutations
inherited traits and other facets of genetic research
Sericulture as an agro-based industry involves a variety of activities from
feed plant cultivation and silkworm rearing to silk cloth production and
there is a long chain of specialized operations Thus it provides
employment for a large number of people including women youth elderly
and disabled groups and creates income generating opportunity without
disturbing the existing socio-cultural balance and normal farming
activities It also reduces migration of people from rural to urban areas by
providing high output with minimum investment in their locality (FAO
1976) In addition both on-farm and off-farm sectors of the industry have
high potential to convert their wastes into useful byproducts of commercial
value
From sericulture point of view leaf is the main product used to feed
the silkworms Like any other field crops it also yields substantial
quantity of above ground bio-mass at the end of crop season Feed
plant stems from good source as pulp in paper industry and forms a
good stratum for oyster mushroom culture In addition the stems can
be used in hut roofs fire wood fences and other on-farm uses
During rearing of silkworms it has been estimated that 45 per cent of
the total leaves fed to silkworms goes as waste in the form of unfed
leaves and shoots So these wastes including silkworm excreta can be
242
effectively used as manure or in biogas production and substrate for
mushroom cultivation In addition silkworm leaf litter contains higher
NPK than cow dung thus it can be used as a organic manure in crop
husbandry and in replacing chemical fertilizers
22 Food feed and nutrition
Many insects (including silkworms) are an extremely rich source of high
quality proteins fats essential vitamins and minerals (Bose et al 1991)
Insect proteins have been reported to be superior or equivalent to soya
protein (Friend 1958) Potential of silkworm pupae is similar Thus it is
serving as a good dish to human beings especially in Southeast Asian
countries The nutrient elements proved to meet the needs of human being
towards physical fitness and have a curative effect in curing diabetes In
addition silkworm wastes and pupae from cut cocoons are found to be
used as fish pig and poultry feed Furthermore it is one of the promising
technologies that have proved effective in augmenting agricultural income
in different countries Thus it will allow the farmers to buy and use other
food items using income generated from the sale of silkworm farming
industry
23 Importance in the national economy
Economically sericulture plays an important role as source of income for
small producers and means of livelihood for craftsmen involved in cottage
industries Sericulture serves as source of foreign exchange earnings and
also offers considerable employment opportunity on farms and in the
textile industries The potential of sericulture in generating employment is
particularly immense in rural areas where land is scarce and population is
high The low gestation period high returns ease of larvae handling make
sericulture an ideal business for different social classes of people such as
women youth handicapped or weakerolder sections of the society
Improved sericulture technologies practiced by rural farmers for the
production of silk cloth will generate additional income Silkworm farming
results in to multiple diverse products used as an inputs leading to income
generation
243
231 Supply of raw materials for diverse-industries and import substitution
Sericulture as a business not only benefits farmers and laborers but also
agro-based cottage cosmetic pharmaceutical textile paper and other
industries by providing one or the other raw materials to these industries
It is known that silk as a raw material is used to produce very quality and
beautiful clothing products from agro based textile industries The fabrics
made of silk is used for making parachute tire soft sky jackets
comforters sleeping bags scarves ties etc It is also used in surgery in
internal suturing In addition the byproducts have also very interesting and
productive services like
The stems of castor plant form a good source of pulp for paper
production
The castor oil can be considered as commercial product from eri-
culture as a side line business So castor oil is sold either for
pharmaceutical or industrial use because it can be used as a basic
ingredient in the production of nylon sebacic acid plasticisers and jet
engine and other lubricants heavy duty automotive greases coatings
and inks paints varnishes surfactants polyurethanes soaps polishes
fly papers and many other chemical and cosmetic derivatives
Medicinal and pharmaceutical applications of castor oil are also
diverse The oil from the seed is very well known to clear the digestive
tract in cases of poisoning The oil has a remarkable antidandruff
effect The oil is sometimes used as a vehicle for medicinal and
cosmetic preparations It is useful in the treatment of dermatosis
Mulberry stems and leaves can be used for several purposes The
stems are used as raw material for paper and pulp production The
leaves and roots of mulberry have several medicinal values including
antidiabetics and antihelmentic Fruits of mulberry are used to produce
citric and acetic acids
In addition recent studies in silkworm byproducts are finding new and
environmentally benign materials New commercial markets such as
cosmetics animal feeds dietary additives as well as diverse medical
products and optical technologies are beginning to integrate silk materials
(Altman et al 2003) The unique microstructure optical properties
molecular composition and mechanical properties of silk are being
recognized for their potential for biomedical and industrial use
244
232 Export market and foreign currency earnings
Sericulture could also be used as a means of diversifying agriculture and
alternative to cash crops for domestic andor export markets Therefore it
can contribute to foreign exchange earning of the country Ethiopia The
demand for Ethiopian silk products is very high For example one of the
Ethiopian silk companies known by SABAHAR exports its silk products
to more than 20 companies in 13 countries (wwwsabaharcom)
24 Role of sericulture in the farming systems and environmental sustainability
Silk production is an eco-friendly activity Silkworms may provide a tool
for sustainable rural development and conservation of fragile habitats as
the feed plants can be cultivated in unused areas and degraded lands
(Thangavelu et al 1983) Moreover small scale silk farming may be a
new business to support subsistence farmers who have been physically or
economically displaced from national parks and protected areas
Sericulture technologies are environmentally friendly and promote the
conservation and utilization of natural resources which are being depleted
rapidly in this country for cultivation of annual crops Cultivation of host
plants serves in balancing environmental ecology in addition to being a
food for silkworms It can be grown in vacant lands hillsides and water
shade areas and contribute to soil conservation and provide green cover
The stalk twigs and branches are used as fuel in place of firewood and
therefore reduce the pressure on natural vegetation or forest The waste
from silkworm rearing can be recycled and serve as inputs to garden and
other crops cultivation The compatibility of the host plants in the
intercropping systems with numerous food crops amp its service as fence
make them benign to the environment Because of the deep rooted and
perennial nature they can be used in soil conservation Moreover as silk
production is labor intensive and agro-based activity the involvement of
smoke emitting machinery is minimal thereby helping environmental
sustainability
245
3 Assessments of external and internal environments
In order for the Strategic Plan to best meet its objectives and accomplish
its mission it has to go through a process of analyzing and identifying
forces and factors influencing its conception formulation action and
implementation Two categories of such influencing forces or factors are
recognized external and internal factors The external factors represent
those influences that are not under the direct control of the research team
and thus are outside the EIARrsquos domain of authority while the internal
factors represent those influences that exist and operate within the
research system of the institute regardless of the geographical locations
where a particular influence is coming from The resources and
experiences readily available to the research team are examples of the
internal factors while the government policy and the national extension
systems represent good examples of the external factors
To identify understand and determine the external and internal forces that
influences (positively or negatively) the NSR strategic plan
implementation and impact success SWOC (Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities amp Challenges) analysis was used as strategic external and
internal assessment tool by the NSR team SWOC-analysis could help the
team to identify and face its greatest challenges and weaknesses and find
out the most promising opportunities and strengths of the external and
internal environments to prepare the strategic plan SWOC analysis helps
the team to gain full awareness of the main external and internal factors
with both positive and negative influences that may affect decisions on the
strategic planning The positive influences arising from external factors
create opportunities while their negative influences would surface as
challenges Similarly the positive influences arising from internal factors
constitute strengths of the sericulture research system while their negative
influences reveal the weaknesses of the sericulture research system The
ultimate purpose of performing a SWOC analysis is to clearly reveal these
positive forces that could be harnessed and built up on them to work
together and negative forces that need to be recognized and possibly
addressed for the strategic planning to meet NSRP objectives
246
Results of the assessment of the external and internal factors using the
SWOC analysis framework are the basis for identifying critical issues
facing the NSR program and that this strategy is formulated to address too
Thus brief narrations of the external and internal factors are provided
hereunder to be followed by a matrix of summarized accounts of the
external factors (opportunities amp challenges) and internal factors (strengths
amp weaknesses)
31 Assessment of external environments (AEE)
The external factors as said above were analyzed using the SWOC
framework in conjunction with additional analytic tools such as
PEST(Political Policy Legal Economic Socio-cultural and
Technological) and critical considerations of current state of affairs (both
representing the general external environment) trends of needs and
requirements of key stakeholders (operational external environment)
and best solutions that other countries have adopted to get to their present
cutting-edge setting with respect to research and development in the
program (benchmarking) These three sub-topics are therefore
discussed below to provide deeper perspectives of NSR program
external environment Summaries of the AEE are then presented in a
tabular form at the end of this section in Table 2
311 General external environments (PEST+)
Under the general external environment analysis was made on
opportunities and challenges that stem from political economic socio-
cultural technological technical and environmental (PEST +)
dimensions Methodical analysis of these factors would help to better
understand the big picture of external environments influencing either
positively or negatively and thus to craft the strategy so that it would
make best use of the opportunities created by the positive influences and
conversely to be cautious about the negative influences they poseor
systematically address the challenges to overcome their impediment
Political dimension Assessments were made whether the strategies
aligned with the national sectoral and institutional policy strategy and
regulatory legal frameworks and priorities Since the adoption of the
247
Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) by the GoE all
the policy and strategy frameworks and development programs
recognized agriculture to be the engine of Ethiopiarsquos economic growth
and development yet exerting relentless strive to promote steady growth
of the industrial sector The current GTP II which provides even greater
emphasis to industrialization places utmost priority to those agricultural
sub-sectors fostering supply of raw materials for the growing agro-
industries and import substitution The sericulture in this respect falls
among the commodities given such precedence Therefore so many
opportunities are set forth by the policy environment to promote research
and development in the sub-sector As conducive the policy and legal
frameworks put in place are there are also a number of challenges that
may surface in due course Conceivable features of the opportunities to
make use of and challenges to be aware of or need to be addressed from
the perspective of the policy dimension were assessed and sorted out in
a matrix of opportunities and challenges presented in Table 2
Economic dimension The increasingly rising demand for sericulture
products create the opportunity for the sector to thrive Such an increase
in the demand side will be the impetus for both the farmers and
processing industries to increase their outputs The research has to
therefore keep pace with the need of the farmers to increase production
and productivity while at the same time meeting the demand of the
industries for raw materials that are not only sufficient to enable them
run in full capacity but also fulfill their requirements of quality
standards The existing economic opportunities however are not
without posing some challenges that the research team needs to be
cautious about or address during the coming years The volume of
production is too small to satisfy the demand of the industry and the
productivity is too poor as well These are again detailed out in Table2
Socio-cultural dimension Ethiopian farmers have long culture of
spinning and waving fibers like cotton This could be used as a good
opportunity to transfer them to processing silk fabrics On the other
hand the local community has a cultural taboo on management and
utilization of worms including silkworms It is thus essential for the
research team together with its key stakeholders to unravel the
opportunities that it can make use of and challenges that it has to face up
to in order to address or change the perception of the farming society
248
Therefore the opportunities accruing and challenges emanating from
socio-cultural settings around production processing and trade are
examined and presented as elements of the SWOC analysis in Table 2
again
Technological dimension Outstandingly peculiar feature of silk
products is the fact that right after production the produce has to be taken
to the industries for processing in to garments At present the farmers are
majorly restricted to producing silk cocoons and selling directly to the
processors However they could add some values to their silk cocoon like
making silk threads and handmade silk garments to make additional
income if they had small scale processing technologies and the required
processing skills Furthermore the agro-industries currently working in
the sector are of cottage types They should also be strengthened to be
more competitive in the international market Therefore this is a good
start that should be pursued to consider value chain approach which in the
future will play a key role for the sub-sector to gain momentum There are
sericulture production and processing technologies developed and being
implemented by traditionally sericulture countries around the world
(India China Japan Korea etc) that can be harnessed as an opportunity
to improve the low volume of silk cocoon production and poor
productivity of the same These opportunities and challenges related to
the technological perspective were assessed and scrutinized using the
available technology (ICT) the detail of which are presented in Table 2
Environmental dimension Existence of a wide diversity of agro-
ecology in Ethiopia suits to grow feed plants of silk worms like
mulberry castor and cassava Such a diversity of ecological factors and
crop types on the other hand provides a fertile ground for range of
biotic agents such as pathogens insect pests weeds and other menaces
to coevolves with and survive on the crops The damages from these
biotic factors coupled with climatic and edaphic factors hindering
normal growth and full fruition of the crops are among the primary
issues that the research team would target to address It is therefore
rational to distinguish what opportunities these environmental factors
could offer in order to take advantage of them while at the same time to
be prepared to tackle the challenges they may pose In Table 2 are thus
presented detailed aspects of both the opportunities and challenges
surfaced as a result of the analysis of the environmental dimension
249
312 Operational external environments The stakeholder analysis
Operational external environment is by and large about analysis of
stakeholders where by identification of key stakeholders in the value
chain of the sericulture sector the role they play to strengthen the sub-
sector and their demands that they would like the research system
delivers are elaborated A list of such stakeholders with different roles
and demands were examined Different as they are the research team
recognizes that the tiny bit of the role each of these stakeholders plays is
crucially important for successful designing and implementation of the
strategy and the outputs and impacts thereof Therefore assessments were
made what opportunities the research team could make use of and by the
same token what challenges it should face up to coming from these
stakeholders by merely being involved in providing services of
agricultural extension production processing trading and research
313 Benchmarking
Sericulture industry is a backbone of many developing and developed
nations sustaining the livelihood of millions of people Large quantity of
raw silk is being produced and exported annually helping many countries
to obtain hard currency The leading raw silk producers in the world is
China followed by India producing 146000 and 28 708 metric tons of raw
silk per annum respectively (wwwworldatlascomworld leaders in silk
productionhtml) The experiences of some countries (including China and
India) are described here to be used as a reference with respect to
improvement of silk yield and quality in Ethiopia
With regard to employment In India alone about 8 million people lead their
lives being employed in sericulture sector In China this sector employs
about 1 million workers In addition approximately 500000 households
are involved in sericulture industry development activities in order to
generate their income resources in BACSA (The Black Caspian Seas and
Central Asia Silk Association) countries It was reported that silk
productivity from China is estimated from about 209 preserved silkworm
varieties on their cocoon filament properties and obtained an average
filament length of 840m longest 1273m shortest 344m and average
reliability is 794 By the same investigator the maximum cocoon weight
and shell ratio were 219 gram and 2575 respectively
250
(wwwfaoorgdocrepad108e05htmlPresent state and achievement of
research and management on silkworm germplasm maintenance)
On the other hand the sericulture industry has witnessed a quantum jump
in raw silk productivity in India In India the age old multivoltine hybrids
have been replaced by multivoltine times bivoltine and bivoltine hybrids The
average yield of 25 kgs of cocoons100 dfls in the recent past has increased
and currently the average yields are in the range of 70 ndash 80kgs100 dfls The
new technology besides doubling yields has also led to qualitative
improvements in cocoon production The reasons behind such an
improvenmt include obtaining the following research outputs
The eri silkworm lsquoC2rsquo for commercial exploitation
lsquoGhar Sodhonrsquo a fumigant room disinfectant for silkworm disease
management
The newly developed Plant growth regulator (Benzyl adenine + KCl)
Results indicated an improvement of 292 mulberry leaf yield over
the control
A new mulberry varieties known by G-2 and Victory 1 evolved
through conventional breeding technique for rain fed and irrigated
planting conditions
Three new bivoltine hybrids viz FC3 x CSR15 (Three way cross
hybrid) to rear all through the year D2 x D13 (Single hybrid) suitable
for favorable seasons and (Dl x D2) X (D13 x Dl1) (Double hybrid)
to rear all through the year were developed which are having a yield
potential of 65-70 kgl00 dfls
An improved cross breed L15 x FC2 has been developed through
conventional breeding It is having the advantages of high
survivability (gt90) shorter larval duration (22-23 days) high
productivity (178kg cocoonl0000 larvae) and shell percentage
(2155)
251
Table 1 Current and estimated silk worm and feed plant productivity in short medium and long term periods in comparison with Indian bench marking
Description
Current status
projection
Estimated status to cope with bench mark country
(India)
Ethiopia India Short term
Medium term
Long term
1 Silkworms
11 Eri (cocoon yield100 DFL in Kg)
475 734 20 570 684 821
12 Mulberry (cocoon
yield100 DFL in Kg) 291 750 30 378 491 639
2 Feed plants
21 Castor (fresh leafha (tone)
12 14 10 132 145 16
22 Mulberry(fresh leafha (tone)
40 70 20 48 576 691
Moreover silk production in East Africa has a history of more than 30
years Among 11 countries in the region production of cocoons and silk
thread from silkworms occurs in Ethiopia Kenya Madagascar and
Uganda and production of cocoons and silk using wild silk insects (wild
silkworms) is also performed However their operations are in the
extremely immature phase In Ethiopia farmers produce silk throughout the
year but commonly due to shortage of feed during dry season they tend to
reduce production in some areas Furthermore farmers with better access
to the existing market have got better economic benefits and produce on
average four times per year As per the reported productivity level
producers can get 475 kg of silk cocoon from 100 disease free layings
(DFLs) of eri silkworms or 2908 kg from 100 DFLs of mulberry
silkworms This is very low as compared to productivity of producers of
other countries
252
Table 2 External factors affecting development of sericulture research
External factors
Opportunities Challenges
Political Policy Legal
Existence of Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) policy and its consecutive plans like Growth and Transformation Plans (I amp II)
Unavailability of specific policies in favour of sericulture development (credit incentive investment land etc)
Absence of local Universities or Higher Learning Institutes to provide sericulture courses
Economic
Huge human resource to fulfil the labor requirement for the technology
Strategic location of the country to the leading consumers Middle East and Europe
Availability of some processers who start to buy process and export products
Infrastructure improvement in the country like road
Minimum investment and land requirement to expand the sub-sector
Limited buyers and processors with enough experience on the sector and their poor linkage with stakeholders
Low cocoon quality and low production level to compete at international markets
Weak marketing network between producers and buyers and National and International markets
Socio-cultural
Long standing traditional wisdom of spinning and weaving of textile like cotton
Low level of awareness and knowledge of farmers about the technology (cultural tabu inadequate technology promotion etc)
Technological Availability of impoved
silkworm strains and feed plant varieties else where
Lack of linkage with reliable international seed sources to obtain high yielding silkworm strains and feed plant
253
External factors
Opportunities Challenges
Strong demand for improved seed
Existence of small scale silk processing enterprises
varieties Absence of mass seed
producing companies or organizations to satisfy the demand in the country
Lack of skill and equipments for silk processing at different level
Environmental
Existence of wide diversity of favourable agro-climatic conditions for feed plants growing and silkworm rearing
Climate change leading to unpredictable production seasons and susceptibility of silkworms to major diseases
Stakeholder analysis
Existence of strong demand for silk production by major stakeholders like Processors Exporters Ministry of Livestock and Fishery Resources Ministry of Industry amp Ministry of Trade
Existence of producers at different parts of the country
Low cocoon production and quality
The producers and production areas are less networked
32 Assessment of internal environments
Assessment of internal environments is an important process whereby
the research team examines the capacity that exists within the EIAR
system and can readily be utilized by the team to deliver outputs Such
a capacity that is readily available for the team denotes the strength of
the team while the capacity which is required to deliver the outputs but
falls short to exist symbolizes the weakness of the team Assessment of
the internal environment is thus about precise identification and
254
articulation of strengths and weakness of the research program Capacity
in this context encompasses a wide array of topics including institutional
capacity which signifies the available or lacking human physical and
financial resources technical or technological capacity and
organizational capacity which deals with the questions of functional
integrations within and between disciplines to forge complementarities
and synergies Below are briefly discussed the elements of internal
environments examined to synthesize summaries of the Strengths and
Weakness provided in Table3
321 Resources
The human physical and financial resources have a decisive power on
program implementation coordination and administration Therefore
the level of human resources capacity financial capacity and the
physical resources available and lacking were assessed and tabulated as
strengths (when available) or weaknesses (when lacking)
322 Inter- and intra- disciplinary integrations complementarities and synergies
The success of sericulture research depends on integrated and concerted
efforts of various research disciplines and sectors In addition to that of the
mainstream disciplines there are clear possibilities of realizing
complementarities and synergies by working together with experts of other
fields Important among these potentially potent areas of integration
include Agricultural-Biotechnology Research Agricultural and
Nutritional Research Laboratory Land and Water Resources Management
Research Agricultural Mechanization Research Technology
Multiplication and Seed Research Climate and Geospatial Crop Research
and ICT It is also imperative that within process integration of
commodities of the livestock research process (forage animal nutrition
animal health poultry and fish) is very essential Therefore assessments
were made whether or not there could be integration within and between
for complementarities and synergies with these compelling areas of
research
323 Technologies
As has been said earlier a concerted research on sericulture started recently
Some silkworm and feed plant varieties were recommended Suitable
agronomic recommendations (spacing planting date and harvesting date)
255
for castor cultivation identified Easy and economically feasible silkworm
management practices have been generated Major and minor diseases and
insect pests were identified for both silkworms and feed plants but their
management measures are being worked out Whether or not the changes
brought about by these technologies are in par with the expectations are
assessed to point out and build on the strengths and draw lessons from the
weaknesses
324 Organization implementation and geographic coverage
Lack of strong systems and procedures (ie organizational capacity) at
different levels is an area of capacity impediment that affects effectiveness
Poor intra-and inter-institutional linkages are also sources of limitation for
rapid progress Organizational strengths and weaknesses that would
correspondingly make the growth of sericulture research to take upward or
downward trend were analyzed
Table 3 Internal factors affecting development of sericulture research
Internal factors
Strengths Weaknesses
Resources
Human
Presence of organizational structure for sericulture research program and assignment of researchers and support staff
Good commitment of researchers to generate and promote sericulture technology
Inadequate researchers and support staff in number and competence (skill experience etc) at different centres (research production processing)
Lack of accountability and reporting system when working with regional structures
Physical
Existence of modest laboratories and facilities in some research centres and Higher Learning Institutes
Lack of silkworm breeding and rearing laboratories equipped with relevant basic rearing and technological facilities