Andassa Livestock Research Center was established as Cattle Breeding and Multiplication Ranch in 1964 by USA point-four project so as to conserve and improve Fogera cattle and handover by Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). In 1982 and 1997 the center was given additional mandate to breed, multiply and distribute Fogera cattle with Holstein Friesian crosses and reproduce chickens, respectively. During this era, the center has distributed 339 crossbred heifers. On top of this, the ranch distributed 105,103 Day old chicks, 45,233 Pullets and Cockerels, 5,579 Spent layers, cocks and much more fertile and table eggs.

It was then renamed as Andassa Livestock Research Center in 2000 under Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI). Currently, it is the sole livestock research center with the objective of generating, adopting and promoting demand driven and market oriented livestock technologies so as to improve the livelihood of livestock producers.

Mandate Locations

The Center is mandated to undertake scientific research on major livestock production constraints in Western part of Amhara Region in five administrative zones (West Gojam, East Gojam, Awi, South Gondar and Bahir Dar special zone). The center also conducts research beyond these areas of the region and develops different technologies and recommendations which can be adopted all over the country.

Strategic location

Andassa Livestock Research Center is situated in the heart of Blue Nile, 22 km away from the capital city of Amhara Region, Bahir Dar on the road to Tis Abay. It is located in 110 29' N latitude and 370 29' E longitudes with an elevation of 1730 masl. It receives average annual rainfall of 1150 mm with temperatures ranging from 6.5-300C. The center lies on 360 ha land, of which 50 ha is used for construction and covered with bushes and 310 ha is using for grazing land, hay production and irrigation activities.

Existing center potential

As part of the research capacity building program, the center has brought modern poultry equipment’s /hatchery/ for exotic layer and broiler parent stock, animal feed formulation and expertise training feed mill and mixer machine, modern barns for fogera and crossbred dairy cows, modern forage irrigation site, mini animal nutrition and animal health laboratories, field and service vehicles. The center has a year round river that flows throughout the year across its compound. This river can be used as drinking water for cattle and irrigation during dry season. The center has more than 500 pure fogera cattle kept for breed conservation and improvement purpose, modern parent stock poultry research facilities and feed mill machine. Those senior researchers specialized on specific commodities in the center can be an asset and good opportunity to share their experiences, knowledge and skill future livestock research.

Mandate Research Focuses

The mandate of the Center is to research on animal breeding and genetics, animal feed and nutrition, animal health, apiculture, seed research and technology multiplication, socioeconomic and agricultural extension research, animal product and byproduct and its linkage with human nutrition targeting to alleviate poverty, contribute to a better quality of life and to promote livestock and industry linkage for sustainable development through optimizing animal productivity. The institute will also work on raising the practical knowledge of extension workers, private investors, small and medium livestock enterprises, and livestock farmers.

Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives

Vision

Andassa Livestock Research Center (ALRC) aspires to see food secured and poverty free society in a sustainable environment in the country in general and in Amahra Region in particular.

Mission

Andassa Livestock Research Center (ALRC) is shouldering a mission to execute demand driven, market oriented, agro-ecological based, development oriented, problem solving and participatory livestock research activities to the huge mass of the rural poor, urban and peri-urban farmers and investors.

Goal

Objectives

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