Livestock production and poverty among rural farming households in Ethiopia

Abstract

Purpose This study assessed the impact of livestock production on the poverty of rural households in Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach Data from the Ethiopia Living Standard Measurement Survey 2021/2022 was employed. The study assessed poverty using additional poverty aversion parameters (skewness and kurtosis) in the Foster–Greer–Thorbecke (FGT) and the conditional mixed process (CMP) model. Findings The result shows that 49% of the livestock farming households are poor. The poverty skewness and kurtosis indices show that the bulk of the population is far from the poverty line and poverty extremities exist. The CMP estimates show that age, household size, marital status, distance to market and capital region, income and agroecology influenced tropical livestock units. Also, an additional increase in tropical livestock significantly increases the household per capita expenditure. Social implications Although livestock production positively contributed to household expenditure, poverty still exists in all regions in Ethiopia. Interventions should consider local conditions and community needs in the value chain approach. Originality/value This study examined rural household poverty beyond the conventional headcount, gap and severity by including poverty skewness and kurtosis. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2024-0415.