Socioeconomic determinants of small ruminant production: a study of smallholder goat producers in agro-pastoral areas of ethiopia

Raising goats is a common practice in Ethiopia's pastoral and agro-pastoral regions, serving as a significant source of income for the community. However, the small-scale goat farming sector does not sufficiently improve food security measures due to numerous factors. Nonetheless, limited research has been carried out to determine the factors affecting small-scale goat production in the Bena-Tsemay district. Focus groups, interviews with key informants, and a semi-structured interview schedule were used to collect primary data. The study analyzed the factors influencing smallholder goat production using OLS regression. In the OLS regression model, the gender of the household head, occurrence of drought, feed problems, and access to veterinary services all have a significant negative impact on goat production at a significance level of (p < 0.01). Age, household size, previous experience in goat farming, and availability of credit all have a significant positive impact on goat production at a significance level of p < 0.01 among the 14 identified independent variables. Further comprehensive research is required, on diseases that impact goat production in the study area.