Shifting to an Inclusive Livestock Sector in the Horn of Africa
Livestock Systems as the Foundation of Livelihoods and Regional Economies
Across the Horn of Africa, livestock systems remain central to livelihoods, food security, and regional trade, supporting millions of pastoral and agro-pastoral households. However, these systems are increasingly under pressure from climate shocks, resource scarcity, market fragmentation, and structural inequalities that threaten long-term resilience and economic stability.
The learning brief, Shifting to an Inclusive Livestock Sector in the Horn of Africa, presents early evidence and learning from the 2025 Annual Outcome Survey of the Regional Livestock Programme (RLP), implemented by Mercy Corps in partnership with IGAD, Helvetas, and WHH, with funding from SDC and AFD.
Drawing on data from nearly 2,000 households across five cross-border livestock corridors in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, the brief provides a systems-level perspective on how livestock economies are evolving and what these shifts mean for inclusive economic transformation.
Resilience, Governance, and Resource Access
The findings reveal important progress in resilience-building across livestock systems. Improved governance coordination, stronger collective resource management, and better access to pasture, water, and veterinary services are contributing to increased livestock production and stronger household preparedness.
These changes demonstrate that coordinated governance and shared management of natural resources can strengthen the adaptive capacity of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities. The evidence highlights the importance of cross-border collaboration and locally grounded systems that support both productivity and resilience in increasingly volatile environments.
Market Systems and Structural Constraints
Despite gains in production and resource access, the brief emphasizes that higher production alone is insufficient to deliver inclusive growth. Weak infrastructure, fragmented markets, limited price transparency, and unequal bargaining power continue to prevent many livestock producers from fully benefiting from expanding livestock economies.
The findings suggest that future resilience will depend less on expanding production and more on strengthening market systems, infrastructure, and system-wide coherence. More functional and integrated livestock markets are necessary to improve value capture, reduce inefficiencies, and create more equitable economic opportunities across the livestock sector.
Inclusion and Equity in Livestock Economies
The survey findings also highlight persistent inequalities within livestock systems, particularly affecting women and youth. While livestock economies continue to grow, many marginalized groups remain excluded from decision-making processes, market opportunities, and equitable access to resources.
The brief argues that inclusive transformation requires deliberate attention to unequal power dynamics, access barriers, and participation gaps. Strengthening inclusion is therefore not only a social objective but also a critical component of long-term resilience and sustainable livestock system development.
Systems Change and Long-Term Transformation
The brief presents evidence of a critical transition underway across livestock systems in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. It highlights the growing importance of alignment between governance, infrastructure, resource access, and markets in shaping long-term livestock system transformation.
RLP learning insights demonstrate that sustainable resilience depends on interconnected systems rather than isolated interventions. The evidence points toward a future where inclusive governance, stronger market functionality, improved infrastructure, and equitable participation collectively determine the success of livestock sector transformation in the Horn of Africa.
