Economic and nutritional importance of small animal production in central Ethiopia

The role of own agricultural production has long been the subject of a debate in the development literature as to whether the particular mix of crops grown by farming household has an independent effect on the households food consumption patterns and nutritional well-being. However, the role of livestock keeping especially small animals (i. e., chickens, sheep and goats) in improving the food security and child malnutrition problems has rarely been considered. This study examined small animal production and their role on household income, expenditure and animal source food consumption. The association of small animal production and nutritional status of children and their biological mothers were also assessed. Besides, the relative importance of various household and community characteristics that may have a significant role in determining income, expenditure and nutritional status of children in central Ethiopia were evaluated. A longitudinal cohort study design method was used to capture all incomes and expenditures of resource-poor rural and urban households including nutritional status of children based on anthropometric measurements starting at the age of six month for one year. Thus, by examining small animal production and evaluating the importance of small animals as a source of foods of animal origin and its contribution to income, expenditure, and nutritional wellbeing this book is developed to provide information for subsequent intervention studies on small animal production and child nutritional wellbeing.