Breed and trait preferences of Sheko cattle owners in south western Ethiopia

Abstract

Sheko is among 32 recognized cattle breeds in Ethiopia (DAGRIS, 2007) and is the only taurine of the east African region (Hanotte et al., 2000). Sheko is kept by smallholder farmers of different ethnic origins that inhabit its breeding tract. These smallholder farmers practice crop dominated crop livestock agriculture and rear different types of farm animal species. Like their subsistent smallholder counterparts in developing countries; Sheko cattle keepers have broad perspectives for breed and trait preferences. Our study has documented breed and trait preferences of Sheko cattle keepers in south western Ethiopia, which represents the natural breeding tract of Sheko cattle. Breed and trait preferences usually vary based on the production system and the community’s need. Therefore, this could result in re-ranking of preferences for a particular trait or breed of interest under different production environments. Our study was, therefore, intended to elicit the knowledge of Sheko cattle owners on breed and trait preferences using phenotypic ranking.