Pastoralists are largely dependent on livestock for their wellbeing. Therefore, studies of livestock production and management in terms of milk, reproduction, weight gains, health and mortality are critical in understanding constraints and opportunities for improvements. The objective of this chapter is to review such studies for the Borana system that were conducted during the 1980s. The primary emphasis is on cattle because cattle are the dominant species herded by the Boran in the southern rangelands. Other species covered to a lesser degree include small ruminants, camels and equines.
