From pastures to prosperity through global markets: reimagining the future of Ethiopia’s livestock

In the dry plains of South Omo, Ethiopia, Shawiki spends his days caring for his animals. On a daily basis, he guides his goats to green pastures for grazing, attends to their health with steady care and ensures they have ample access to water. Like generations before him, these animals are more than just livestock, they are his life and livelihood.

For years, this routine remained unchanged. Shawiki had control over the rhythm of his daily life. However, for all those same years, one thing remained entirely out of his control: the prices he received at the market. These were shaped by factors beyond his influence.

Today, something small but powerful has begun to shift that reality.

Standing beside his herd, Shawiki takes out his mobile phone and scans a tiny ear tag attached to a goat’s ear. Instantly, detailed information appears: birth date, vaccination history and health records. 

This is part of Ethiopia’s new Livestock Identification and Traceability System (LITS). Through simple ear tags linked to mobile technology, livestock can now be registered, tracked and verified throughout their lifecycle. What was once based on memory and informal systems is now backed by transparency and real data.

“It’s like each animal has its own identity,” Shawiki explains. “Now, buyers trust what we are selling and we benefit from that.”LITS is one component of the project “Capacity building to upgrade the livestock value chain in Ethiopia”, launched by UNIDO, China and Ethiopia in 2021. This system has now transformed each animal from a simple source of income into a documented asset, connecting farmers to markets, providing insurance and loan access and opportunities for prosperity far beyond any village.

Redefining the value of livestock

Stories like Shawiki’s are unfolding across Ethiopia. The country holds the largest livestock population in Africa with over 70 million cattle, 95 million sheep and goats and 8 million camel. Livestock contributes to around 20 percent of national export earnings and supports millions of livelihoods around the country.

Yet despite this abundance, Ethiopia’s presence in the global meat trade remains below one percent.

The gap is not about numbers; it is about systems. For decades, the sector has faced structural challenges from weak traceability and fragmented standards to limited veterinary and inspection services and low levels of commercialization. Without verifiable data on origin, health and quality, Ethiopian livestock has struggled to access premium international markets.

Capacity building to upgrade the livestock value chain in Ethiopia is helping to bridge that gap. Rather than addressing isolated issues, the initiative adopts a systemic approach linking farmers, institutions, policies and markets into one coherent framework.

For pastoralists like Shawiki, the impact is immediate. Thanks to animal verification and traceable identification that results in increased buyer confidence, better prices at market and eligibility for livestock insurance and credit services.

Implemented across 21 districts and 200 villages, the system is expected to benefit more than 100,000 pastoralists.

Strengthening systems for quality, skills and governance

The project is not only improving the lives of farmers, it is reshaping Ethiopia’s entire livestock sector, revamping the country’s institutions and policies. 

Laboratories are being upgraded with advanced diagnostic technologies that can detect veterinary drug residues, working to ensure international compliance with food safety standards. Since 2021, more than 1,132 people have undergone training in meat inspection, laboratory analysis, slaughterhouse management and digital livestock systems, with women accounting for 15% of trainees.

A laboratory expert conducting meat residue testing at Animal Product and Input Quality Testing Center

At the policy level, the project helped introduce significant reforms across Ethiopia, including the development of the Animal Health and Welfare Proclamation and regulations that modernized legal frameworks that had remained untouched for more than five decades. New frameworks covering food safety and quality, feed additives, drug residue and disease control have also aligned national systems with global requirements that lay the foundation for export readiness. With stronger systems in place, Ethiopia is gradually positioning itself for entry into high-value markets.

This shift is already becoming visible, with Ethiopian meat producers and exporters now more actively engaging with global partners.

A new chapter 

With the LITS system securely in place, Shawiki’s way of life is now forever changed, just like it is for so many communities across Ethiopia. Cattle, goats, sheep and even camels are no longer just livestock, they have been redefined as documented assets that open the door to new opportunities.

As collaboration between UNIDO, China and Ethiopia continues, the foundations being built today are set to carry the sector forward for years to come.