Community-based breeding programs for sheep in Ethiopia: Performance evidence for scaling up

Area of Science:

• Animal Breeding and Genetics
• Agricultural Science
• Development Studies

Background:

• Community-based breeding programs (CBBP) are participatory strategies empowering farmers in sheep genetic improvement.
• Ethiopia's low-input systems benefit from CBBPs focusing on indigenous breeds like Bonga and Horro sheep.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize evidence on the implementation, performance, and optimization of sheep CBBPs in Ethiopia.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of CBBPs in enhancing productivity and adaptation in smallholder systems.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of CBBPs in Ethiopia from 2001-2025.
• Analysis of phenotypic and pedigree data for breeding value estimation and selection.
• Synthesis of reported genetic gains and heritability estimates.

Main Results:

• Moderate to high heritability for key traits in CBBP populations, especially Bonga sheep.
• Measurable genetic gains in 6-month weight (0.11-0.21 kg/year) and improved reproductive traits (litter size).
• Confirmation of selective breeding's effectiveness in enhancing productivity without compromising local adaptation.

Conclusions:

• CBBPs demonstrate effectiveness in improving Ethiopian sheep productivity and reproduction.
• Challenges include data fragmentation, estimation errors, and coordination issues.
• Integrating data recording, meta-analysis, mobile/genomic tools, and market linkages is crucial for scaling CBBPs.