Factors affecting the marketing of livestock in South Omo Zone: The case of Hammer woreda

Abstract

Pastoralism is important to the society for poverty alleviation, food security and economic growth. It is the backbone of many African countries’ economy, particularly Ethiopia. The main objective of this study was to investigate factors affecting the marketing of livestock in terms of sales volume in South Omo Zone: the case of Hammer woreda. From 35 potential pastoralist kebeles in the woreda, 3 kebeles were selected purposively. The multi-stage sampling technique and the proportional stratified sampling technique were used to select sample pastoralists from each stratum. A total of 388 pastoralists were selected by using the systematic sampling technique. The study identified that price, infrastructure, middlemen and promotional factors significantly affect livestock marketing. The findings of this study recommend that the government should formulate and implement appropriate market and pricing policies, disseminate market information in proper media and improve road networks to enhance the effectiveness of livestock marketing in the woreda.   Keywords: Infrastructure, livestock, marketing, price, promotion.