Livestock distribution Ethiopia is claimed to have the largest livestock population in Africa. However, there is paucity of data on the livestock economy.
Estimates vary from one source to another.
It is difficult to make inference about the trend of livestock population. The regional distribution of livestock in Ethiopia shows that nearly all regions have the potential to raise animals. In the highlands, livestock constitute a major part of the mixed farming system, providing draft power, producing milk and conferring a certain degree of security against crop failures. For the pastoralists in the lowlands, livestock husbandry is their sole means of survival. The only areas with no livestock husbandry are areas such as Gambella and Assosa where high level of tse-tse fly infestation.