In Serbo Kebele, located in Ethiopia’s Jimma Zone of Oromia, farmer Imran Abba Jihad has seen significant changes in his life after joining the Livestock and Fisheries Sector Development Project (LFSDP). Living with a disability and previously lacking steady income or experience in poultry farming, Imran faced ongoing food insecurity.
In 2023, he became a member of the Kena Poultry Production & Marketing Primary Cooperative. The cooperative is one of several grassroots groups supported by LFSDP that focus on including disabled farmers. Through this program, Imran and other members received 6,500 day-old chicks, a modern poultry house, equipment, starter feed, and a matching grant totaling 1,583,000 Ethiopian Birr (ETB). Training was also provided through the Farmers Field School approach.
The Livestock Farmers Field School method gives farmers practical skills by involving them directly with animals. Instead of traditional lectures, participants learn through hands-on management of livestock and peer collaboration. This helps build confidence and self-reliance among farmers as they improve their understanding of animal health and production techniques.
Despite having no prior experience with poultry farming, Imran and his team managed to raise the chicks successfully over 45-day cycles. He now receives regular dividends from the cooperative and keeps 20 young hens at home for egg production to support his family. “Previously, I had no job, no income, and no experience with day-old chicks,” said Imran. “Now I have savings and eggs for my family. I’m very grateful for the project’s support.”
The cooperative has produced 20,000 day-old chicks across five rounds while maintaining a low mortality rate of 2%. It has generated total revenues of 4.6 million ETB with an average net profit per round of about 206,400 ETB. Inspired by these results, members are looking to expand their operations further.
LFSDP is a six-year initiative funded by the World Bank along with contributions from Ethiopia’s government and local beneficiaries. With a budget of $176.2 million USD (https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P159382), it aims to strengthen value chains in poultry, dairy, red meat from ruminants, and fisheries across Ethiopia’s highlands by providing training programs as well as access to inputs and markets—particularly targeting women, youth, and people with disabilities.
So far LFSDP has reached approximately 3.2 million Ethiopian farmers—25% of whom are women—by supplying agricultural assets or services. Agriculture remains central to Ethiopia’s economy: nearly four out of five workers are employed in this sector which contributes about two-fifths of national GDP (https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/ethiopia/overview#1). However productivity is low; traditional cows yield only around 1.5 liters of milk daily while local chickens lay roughly 50 eggs each year.
To address these challenges LFSDP supports adoption of improved breeds alongside better veterinary care and stronger market connections for smallholders.
The project has organized more than 10,300 Common Interest Groups involving over 100,000 members (38% women; 27% youth), backed nearly 480 cooperatives serving upwards of 45,000 farmers (39% women), strengthened dozens of unions benefiting more than one-and-a-half million people (53% women), achieving an overall female participation rate above half among all membership groups.
Within Kersa Woreda district where Imran lives alone there are now over nine cooperatives supporting almost four thousand farmers—including fifty jobs created specifically for people living with disabilities—to promote inclusion within rural communities.
LFSDP aligns closely with Ethiopia's Ten-Year Development Plan running from 2021 through to 2030 which positions livestock as key for economic growth job creation food security—and sets ambitious targets such as tripling milk output increasing meat production sixfold boosting both egg numbers & poultry yields while emphasizing sustainable practices like breed improvement veterinary service expansion greenhouse gas reduction soil restoration & enhanced private sector involvement.
For individuals like Imran Abba Jihad these efforts provide real opportunities not just for earning income but also building resilience against poverty contributing towards broader goals for inclusive sustainable rural development.