Commercial channels for wool, fibres and pelts have developed more slowly in the transition period, although commercial demand is now causing a partial revival in the industry.

Agricultural extension systems across Africa are under great pressure to become more efficient and effective.

This compendium reproduces results from several, independent research projects undertaken at the Livestock Policy Analysis Programme (LPAP) of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This reproduction brings together separate pieces of research that relate to the same goals, namely, market expansion, food security, poverty alleviation and hunger prevention. It is to showcase the power of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, particularly Gibbs sampling, in providing direct answers to policy questions. It is hoped that the empirical research showcased in this compendium will spur other researchers to apply MCMC methods and the Bayesian paradigm to the heterogeneous research projects and policy questions that employed research encounters in less developed regions.

'This study provides a review of the development of the livestock sector during the last decade and identifies barriers to livestock input and output markets for smallholder livestock producers. Potential issues for research and development that can be addressed through policy and institutional reforms are also identified. This report focuses on the pig and poultry sector. Both sectors, particularly the pig sector, have been growing rapidly and are on the verge of structural transformation, in response to both internal and external focus, i.e. the expanding domestic demand and the opportunities for export ' (from Executive Summary, p 1)

While acknowledging the role of demographic and market forces as highlighted in the quantitative assessment, the paper concludes that different pathways from transhumant pastoralism have been shaped by policies and external interventions.

This revolution presents new and expanding market opportunities for smallholder livestock producers.

The papers presented at the workshop dealt with a wide array of topics related to land management in the highlands of Tigray.