Ethiopia’s millions of cattle owners face challenges to increase the productivity of their animals. They often struggle to keep them healthy and well-fed. Managing the quality of the breed is one of the challenges that is getting better, thanks to improvements in the ways that artificial insemination (AI) services are provided.
Traditionally, AI agents travel around rural areas servicing cattle. This has often been more miss than hit, and cows often do not get pregnant. When they do, the desired female calves don’t always appear.
In its last years, the ‘Improving the Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian Farmers’ (IPMS) project initiated a series of interventions to try and improve the ways that AI services are delivered. It also sought to increase the chances of success, through hormone synchronization, and female calves, through sex-fixing.
This short film introduces the approach followed and the initial results.
