Cattle Marketing In High and Low Market Access Areas in the Borana Pastoral Region of Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted in Borana zone in 2009. Borana is an economically important pastoral region of Ethiopia. Livestock mainly cattle exports from Borana contribute substantially to national foreign exchange earnings. Market access is a critical factor influencing market participation of pastoralists. This study explored cattle marketing in low and high market access areas of Borana. A cross-sectional survey of 169 pastoral households and marketing monitoring study that provided 2818 records were used to collect data from two locations representing high market access area (HMA) and low market access area (LMA). A higher proportion of HMA pastoralists practiced selling (90%) than in LMA (76%). Households in HMA sold 1.4 times more number of cattle with significantly (P<0.05) higher prices than in LMA. There was more broker interference in LMA. Livestock export is an emerging opportunity for pastoral households to improve their livelihoods. However, market information and communication systems and cooperatives need to be developed to enable remotely located pastoral households to benefit from the export business.