Small ruminants' value chain in enhancing household food security

Improved household food security can be achieved by increasing and diversifying household food production, increasing and smoothing household income and consumption and by reducing the cost of obtaining food. The value chain approach mainly focuses on linking households to growing markets, so that households can earn income to purchase additional food. Small ruminants provide meat, milk, skin, hair, manure and other products and require cheaper investment expenses to start production and fattening. Small ruminants account on average for 40% of the cash income and 19% of the total value of subsistence food derived from all livestock production (Adane and Girma, 2008). Small Ruminants value chain contribution for Chronically Food Insecure households (CFI HHs) food security has a forward and backward linkage. The forward linkage was when the CFI HHs are using the income to buy farm inputs (fertilizer, seed, etc.), to buy food items, and to minimize HH vulnerability. The backward linkage was when the CFI HH pays back the loan, pays school fees and medical expenses, covers other HH expenses and helps not to sell food items. Authors