Camel Husbandry Practices in Borana Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

Camel husbandry is a vital means of pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods in Borana Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. However, this has not been well documented. Thus, a cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2015 to August 2016 in Yabello, Moyale, and Gomole districts of Borana Zone. The study utilized household surveys and focus group discussions to evaluate camel husbandry practices, reproductive and production performances, and production challenges. A total of 132 households were selected and interviewed by using semi-structured questionnaire and the data was analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 20). The majority of the respondents were men (89.4%), illiterate (88.6%), and agro-pastoralists (58.3%). While all respondents possessed camels, 81.9% of their camels were females and 67.6% were adults. From August 2011 to August 2016, camel population increased by 60.8% and the median household ownership increased from 10 to 15. The findings showed that camels provide milk and meat, cash income, transportation, and social and cultural functions ranked from first to fourth. However, 62.9 %% and 97.7% ranked cattle and cattle milk first to camel and camel milk, respectively. Camel management responsibilities are shared among family members, yet more than 95% of feeding, watering, milking, breeding, healthcare, and marketing activities were performed by males. Natural browsing trees and salt supplementation were the main camel feed sources, while surface water, ponds, boreholes, and deep wells comprised the primary water sources. Age at first parturition, gestation period and calving interval were 59.86 ± 3.43 months, 12.05±0.21 months, and 24.00±2.84 months respectively; and females produced 6-15 calves in their lifetime. Breeding bulls mate about 36.36±9.42 females per year and serve for 13.39 ±4.54 years. The study identified significant milk yield differences (p < 0.001) between the wet (5.60±2.50 liters) and dry (3.54±1.35 liters) seasons. The major camel production constraints included recurrent drought (33.3%), feed and water shortage (22.7%) and camel diseases (19.0%). Overall, this study highlights the importance of integrated measures to address feed, water, and disease problems in order to improve camel production in Borana Zone. National and regional policymakers should pay due attention to address the pressing feed, water and health challenges.