Livestock are the principal components of Ethiopian agricultural sector. It is estimated that the sector contributed about 45% of the Agricultural Domestic Product (GDP), 20% of the total GDP and 20% of the national foreign exchange earnings. In a recent estimate, the per capita consumption of milk, meat and egg is 60 liters, 9 kg and 4 eggs, respectively. These figures are very low compared to the world average consumptions for the respective products. However, in order to improve supply of livestock products, a due focus has been given to the livestock sector particularly for dairy, poultry, beef and beekeeping with the ‘Lemat Tirufat’ initiative and ‘10 in 10’ perspective development plan of the government.

Livestock research directorate is among one of the pillars of the research directorates established in the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR). The directorate is striving for quality and robust research to significantly contribute food security, foreign earnings, import substitution, availing adequate raw material for local agro-industries and job creation. The major strategic missions of the livestock research directorate are:

1. Generating and/or adapting suitable technologies, information and knowledge
2. Demonstrating and scale-up of proven technologies
3. Building awareness and skill of technology users and
4.  Multiplication of initial/ source livestock technologies
5. Currently the livestock research directorate is organized into 12 national research programs in the mandated Federal research centres and Regional research Institutes (indicated in the Table). Within the programs a total of 47 research projects are crafted and implemented in the Federal and Regional research centres. Moreover, about 372 research activities have been undertaken under the livestock directorate research engaging about 150 researchers in the respective programs. Documentation of completed research activities in an increasing volume of proceedings over time is one of the performance indicators of the directorate. Accordingly, close to 493 papers have been published in the last 6 years alone in 9 volumes. Furthermore, the livestock research directorate has strong research collaboration with International organisations/Institutes, domestic institutes and different development partners.
   1. Dairy Research Program
   The national Dairy Research Program is metamorphosed from erstwhile dairy research section under animal production division in earlier times which named as dairy research project, process and very recently reached to the program level. Dairy research program is carried out research for development in key identified priority problems to support sustainable improvement to the livelihood of poor livestock keepers of the country. The main activity of the program is to identify constraints of dairy cattle, conduct phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the existing indigenous cattle resources; improve production and productivity by modern management practices and crossbreeding with improved exotic breeds and develop technologies that enhance quality and safety of dairy products. More over the program also undertakes an innovative research approach that enables job creation for youth and women through demonstration and evaluation of best bet technologies under village-based scheme.
   The program is coordinated nationally from Holetta Agricultural research Centre. All over the country the program has about 68 research activities registered in six mega projects. Several technologies and information were generated and demonstrated to farming communities and other stakeholders through demonstration and trainings. The program is also conducting source technology multiplication and provision in different implementing centers for key stakeholders. There are 9 national and 7 regional implementing centers and 4 Universities working for the realization of the mission of the program.
6. The program is working with the following objectives:
7. To generate and adopt technologies that improves production and productivity of dairy animals;
   to develop technologies that enhance quality and safety of milk and milk products; to collaborate
   with National and International agencies for dairy research for development; to provide advisory
   service to dairy industry, dairy farmers and other dairy development agencies, partners with local
   and international organization to meet the mission of the program and to act as a referral Centre
   on dairy research for development in the country.

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