Impacts of Community‐Based Breeding Programs on Growth and Reproductive Performance of Ethiopian Sheep Breeds: A Meta‐Analysis

This review evaluated the impact of community‐based breeding programs (CBBPs) on growth and reproductive performance traits of Ethiopian sheep breeds. A systematic search of articles published between 2000 and 2024 was conducted using PubMed, African Journals Online (AJOL), CAB Direct, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, and relevant grey literature and reports. All retrieved articles were managed using the Zotero reference manager. Of the total 51 articles identified, 22 met the predefined inclusion criteria and contained sufficient quantitative data for meta‐analysis were included in the analysis, while the remaining 29 articles were used for descriptive analysis to assess trends and provide qualitative support. Meta‐analysis indicated that CBBPs generally improved growth traits, with nonsignificant pooled increases of 0.41 kg (95% CI = −0.09, 0.92) in birth weight and 2.19 kg (95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.13, 4.51) in weaning weight and statistically significant improvements of 4.01 kg (95% CI = 1.15, 6.88) in 6‐month weight and 3.97 kg (95% CI = 0.54, 7.40) in yearling weight. Reproductive performance showed a significant improvement in litter size of 0.25 (95% CI = −0.00, 0.51). Descriptive analysis indicated a 7.58% increase in 6‐month weight and an 11.36% reduction of lambing interval (LI) under CBBPs. Overall, these findings underscore the significant role of CBBPs in sustainably enhancing the productivity of indigenous sheep breeds and improving livelihoods in resource‐limited settings. To maximize impact, female reproductive traits, particularly age at first lambing (AFL) and LI, should be included as key breeding objectives, and standardized performance recording system should be adopted across CBBPs to support scalable and sustainable breeding programs in Ethiopia.