Livestock production and feed resource constraints in Akaki and Lume districts, central Ethiopia

East Shewa in central Ethiopia represents a smallholder crop-livestock mixed farming system in which crops and livestock play a mutually supportive role. Formal and informal surveys were carried out to assess the major constraints in livestock production. The survey revealed that shortages of feed resources constituted a major restriction to raising livestock productivity. Livestock have multiple roles in sustaining the livelihoods of rural communities, the vital one being draught power for crop production. The study stresses that improving the livelihoods of rural communities in mixed farming systems calls for multidisciplinary approaches to address constraints faced in both livestock and crop production.