Small Ruminant Containment in Protective Sheds

Secure Shelters, Thriving Flocks

Small Ruminant Containment in Protective Sheds is a technology that offers essential shelter to small ruminants like goats and sheep, benefiting both the animals and farmers. These cost-effective shelters, constructed from locally available materials, protect the livestock from predators, harsh weather conditions, and disease transmission to humans. These sheds are well-ventilated, properly drained, and equipped with feed and water troughs, contributing to improved animal health and productivity. Additionally, they play a vital role in waste management and biosecurity. Small Ruminant Containment in Protective Sheds is a valuable solution for small-scale farmers, enhancing animal well-being while remaining affordable and adaptable to different environments.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

7•6

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 7/9; level of use 6/9

Project adoption

The technology has been integrated in the ENSURE project: in 7 regions of the East African Community

Goal: 3,000,000 farmers (50% women)

149,940 lead farmers and promoters trained

Budget: USD 13.14 million

Implementation period: 2024–2027

See project details ›

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive medium

Under 18: Positive medium

Women: Positive medium

Climate adaptability: Moderately adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Problem

Predator Attacks: Animals left in open fields or makeshift shelters are at risk from predators.
Theft: Livestock left unattended can be stolen.
Finding Food: Animals that aren’t properly confined have to roam a lot to find food.
Diseases: When animals live close to humans, there’s a risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans.
Bad Weather: Young animals need protection from bad weather.
Cost: Small-scale farmers often can’t afford to build good shelters.

Solution

Protection from Predators: These shelters provide a safe environment for small ruminants, protecting them from predators and theft, reducing losses.
Disease Control: By minimizing close cohabitation with humans and other animals, these sheds help reduce the risk of infectious diseases spreading from animals to humans.
Improved Feeding: The inclusion of feed and water troughs within the shelters ensures that animals have access to better nutrition and clean water, contributing to their health and productivity.
Weather Protection: Shelters offer protection from inclement weather, ensuring that animals are shielded from harsh conditions such as extreme heat or cold.
Waste Management: The design allows for efficient waste management by directing urine and feces away from the animals, maintaining a cleaner and healthier environment.
Biosecurity: Controlled environments within the sheds enhance biosecurity measures, reducing the risk of disease transmission.
Adaptability: Shelters can be constructed from locally available materials, making them accessible to small-scale farmers who might not afford elaborate structures.

Key points to design your program

Protective Housing for Small Ruminants provides safe and controlled shelters that protect sheep and goats from predators, theft, harsh weather, and disease risks. By improving housing conditions, feeding, watering, waste management, and biosecurity, the technology increases animal survival, health, welfare, and overall herd productivity while reducing production losses. Designed to be built with locally available materials, it offers an affordable solution for smallholder farmers. The technology is well suited for livestock development, climate resilience, animal health, and rural livelihood programmes, contributing to SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 13 (Climate Action). It creates opportunities for women and youth through livestock production, shelter construction, and related service enterprises. To successfully integrate this technology, consider the following key actions :

Identify vulnerable mixed crop–livestock production areas where predation, theft, disease exposure, and harsh weather significantly reduce livestock productivity.
Establish partnerships with ILRI, veterinary services, extension services, producer organizations, and local artisans to promote animal welfare, biosecurity, and appropriate shelter design.
Invest in affordable protective housing infrastructure, including shelters, feeding areas, watering facilities, ventilation systems, and manure collection structures using locally available materials where appropriate.
Strengthen technical capacity by training farmers, extension agents, and local builders on housing management, biosecurity, hygiene, ventilation, animal welfare, and disease prevention.
Promote integrated manure management to improve nutrient recycling and strengthen crop–livestock production systems.
Promote local artisan and construction service networks to support shelter construction, maintenance, and wider adoption while creating business opportunities for women and youth.
Monitor programme performance through indicators such as animal mortality, disease incidence, theft and predation losses, herd productivity, adoption of improved housing practices, and the participation of women and youth.

12,000 USD

Benefit in a year

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology\’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology\’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 7 out of 9

Semi-controlled environment: prototype

Level of use 7 out of 9

Used by some projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension (ENSURE)

Project funder: African Development Bank & East Africa Community
Planned Budget: USD 13.14 million
Location: East African Community (Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda)
Planned duration: 2024–2027
Deployment means: On-farm demonstrations, training, digital tools (SMS, IVR, video, radio, pictorial guides), bundled inputs + advisory services, Training of Trainers (ToT)
Project main implementer: East African Community (EAC)
Project Description: Strengthen agricultural extension systems using digital tools, private-sector approaches, regional coordination, and multi-commodity focus (maize, cassava, rice, drought-resilient crops).
Objective: Promote regional extension, enhance advisory services, scale climate-smart technologies, build sustainable private sector–led extension systems, strengthen policy and regulatory frameworks.
Expected outcome: Increased adoption of improved technologies, improved farmer productivity and profitability, enhanced access to quality inputs and pest management solutions, strengthened resilience to climate and pest risks, regional market integration, job creation for youth and agripreneurs.
Figures of adoption: Target 3 million farmers reached over 4 years, digital extension pilots in 7 EAC states, training of extension agents, lead farmers, cooperatives, and youth agripreneurs, rollout of Pest Information Management Systems (PIMS).
Profiles of adopters: Smallholder farmers, women, youth agripreneurs, cooperatives and producer organizations, public and private extension agents, National Plant Protection Officers (NPPOs).
Lessons learnt: System-level approaches needed beyond technology delivery, digital tools most effective with in-person facilitation, supportive policy/regulatory environment critical, regional harmonization boosts scalability and cross-border diffusion of technologies.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Burkina Faso	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Cameroon	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mali	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Niger	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
South Sudan	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Uganda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zimbabwe	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid		–		–
Humid	–	–	–	–

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

The steps for constructing Small Ruminant Containment Sheds are:

1. Floor Elevation: Raise the shed's floor to approximately 1 meter above the ground using wooden planks that are at least 2.5 cm thick.

2. Floor Gaps: Leave a 1 cm gap between the wooden planks to allow urine and feces to drop to the ground, ensuring a cleaner environment.

3. Alternative Flooring: Alternatively, you can use commercially available non-slip PVC flooring, which can be purchased online or from livestock accessory suppliers.

4. Side Walls: Construct side walls with brick or wood, reaching a height of 0.5 to 0.75 meters.

5. Upper Wall: Finish the upper part of the walls with wire mesh up to a height of 2.5 meters to provide ventilation.

6. Roofing: Use gable roofing made of corrugated sheets, which helps protect the animals from the elements.

7. Extended Eaves: Extend the eaves of the roof by 0.5 meters from the wall to provide shading and protection from rain splash.

8. Feeding Troughs: Create space for externally mounted feeding troughs within the shed.

9. Weather Covers: In cases of cold or inclement weather, you can attach nylon or tarpaulin covers to the eaves for additional protection.

10. Separate Sheds: If possible, design smaller, separate sheds to confine and isolate sick animals for better disease management.

Last updated on 3 July 2026