Livestock Based Drought Response in Aga Wayu, Sabba Boru and Gumi Eldalo woredas of Guji Zone, Oromia Region The mid-November federal NDRMC ‘alert’ confirms late onset, erratic and poor autumn Hagaya rains in southern Oromia region (also across the whole of southern Ethiopia). As these rains follow poor spring Ganna rains, the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) to the DRM ATF is describing southern Oromiai region as in the ‘alarm’ phase of the drought cycle with a high probability of moving to a full drought emergency in the coming month. 

Mercy Corps (MC) proposes lifesaving and livelihood protection interventions in Guji zone of Oromia  Region. The interventions are presented under the HRD’s objective 2 and informed by field missions including the recent meher assessments and associated strategic documents that have been prepared to improve drought risk management outcomes. 

Following the delayed onset, erratic and poor autumn Hagaya rain and the poor regeneration of browse and pasture, livestock that were already in poor condition have continued to lose weight with the result that pastoral households have little or no access to milk and increasing numbers of households are reporting livestock deaths.

Recognizing the forecast for intensifying drought conditions and the escalating threats to livestock the SAG issued a Livestock Contingency Plan that prioritized destocking – commercial and slaughter and animal health, in particular for those animals receiving supplementary livestock feed.

Mercy Corps proposes to address the most vulnerable households affected by the adverse effects of the Indian Ocean Dipole in Aga Wayu, Sabba Boru and Gumi Eldalo woredas of Guji Zone, Oromia Region. The proposed interventions will help improve pastoral livelihoods and help reduce the vulnerability of pastoral households to current and future shocks by protecting livestock asset value through accelerated commercial off-stake.

Output 1: Protect livestock asset value through provision of destocking subsidy to livestock trading enterprises for the stimulation of off-take of cattle.

To reduce the pressure on natural resources for livestock nutrition, protect core breeding livestock in order to support pregnant, lactating and dry productive females, and to protect the value of the livestock assets, MC will support accelerated commercial off-take through the provision of “smart” subsidies to around 9-12 registered and licensed local and regional livestock trading enterprises to stimulate off-take of animals from drought affected areas. 

Targeting destocking activities within markets that are in the areas worse hit by adverse drought conditions will enable households to preserve the value of their livestock, their main assets, and provide income from livestock sales through the reestablishment of normal market conditions. The intervention is expected to help reduce and offset any emerging livestock mortality in the coming seasons in the most severely affected areas in Guji Zone. The direct impact is expected to be $1.77M to $ 2.01M increase in incremental sales as a result of off-take of 6,200 cattle from affected households.

Output 2:  Provide veterinary products through a restricted value vouchers scheme

One of the effects of drought is the deterioration of livestock resistance to infection and diseases and increased vulnerability to internal and external parasites. Meanwhile, due to other pressing cash needs, households have low capacity to purchase livestock preventative care. Therefore, providing affected households with vouchers redeemable for specific products and services from selected and contracted Private Veterinary Pharmacies (PVPs) would provide much-needed drugs for core-breeding livestock while also strengthening the network between livestock owners, Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs), PVPs and veterinary product wholesalers while boosting local technical and financial capacity.