Earlier this year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) approved funds to support the development of value chain action plans for the Ethiopia Livestock Master Plan (LMP).

The project began on Wednesday, May 1, with the hiring of Dr. Asfaw Negassa as Value Chain Expert and Ms. Hiwot Yerga, as Program Coordinator.

ILRI is working with BMGF and the MOA to develop a Livestock Master Plan (LMP or ‘LMP Road Map’) which is intended to assist the MOA in developing a vision and strategy to inform its development support and investment planning, as well as to inform the strategies of the Foundation and other donors in their investments in Ethiopia.

The LMP will be a series of 5-year development plans for the key livestock value chains with specific strategies and timed activity plans with outputs, outcomes and expected impacts. The key chains (to be confirmed through stakeholder consultations) are expected to include: Live animals and meat, dairy, hides, skins and leather and apiculture.

The end product will be livestock value chain development or action plans that include specific technology and policy interventions to be implemented by MOA, together with its development partners (NGOs, etc.) and the private sector, with technical backstopping from international and local research organizations, and with managerial support from the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA).

The development of the LMP entails ensuring full and open consultation with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the ownership of all relevant stakeholders in the livestock sector, national and international, public and private, farmers and businesses, development practitioners and researchers, etc. As part of this process, ILRI is also assisting the Ministry to develop a Livestock Policy Support Unit (LPSU) which will be responsible for livestock sector development planning and policy analysis, including the development of the LMP.

The project also includes learning elements which will enable us to share the lessons from this experience with others trying to help African governments strengthen their agricultural development planning.

The project is coordinated by Barry Shapiro as part of his policy support to the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture. Barry’s role is part of ILRI’s strategy to deepen its engagement with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), and to raise the visibility and increase the impact of ILRI in Ethiopia, especially through influencing policy making and technology uptake, and capacity building.