ABSTRACT
The estimated goat population of Ethiopia and the newly-independent state of Eritrea is 18.1 million (FAO 1992). They are kept in a wide range of production systems reflecting the diversity of the Ethiopian and Eritrean environments. It was generally believed that the majority of the goat population is kept by pastoralists in the lowlands of the south, east and west, while the remainder is found in small flocks in agropastoral areas and on mixed highland farms. But recent survey work has revealed that the majority of goat farmers are found in the densely populated highlands where goats are of great economic importance.
