National Validation of the Luna Enterprise model as an exemplar livestock marketing system

The APMD project under its SO1 is mandated to enhance continental visibility, share evidence and knowledge on pastoral market systems that is achieved through the documentation, synthesis and dissemination of proven models and best practices that inform regional learning and guide sector-wide decision-making. It is, therefore, on this basis that the project undertook a data collection exercise to document the Luna Enterprise as an exemplar livestock marketing system in Ethiopia. The data collection applied a mixed methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative tools to capture market performance, investment flows, supply-demand dynamics, financing mechanisms and operational realities across the livestock value chains. 

Following the completion of the data collection, the project team conducted an integrated analysis designed to generate a coherent, credible and investment-oriented narrative that accurately reflects the performance, viability and scalability of the Luna livestock marketing system. The analysis deliberately integrated quantitative indicators such as costs, revenues, margins and returns on investment (ROI) with qualitative insights on governance, financing, risk management and market behaviour thus ensuring both analytical rigor and contextual depth. 

Given the investment focus of the case study and its intended use for continental learning, policy dialogue and private capital mobilization, it is critical that the emerging findings are validated at the national level to ensure that the case study authentically reflects operational realities, aligns with stakeholder experiences and situates Luna within the broader Ethiopian livestock market ecosystem. 

While the data analysis provided strong empirical evidence, validation through stakeholder engagement would be essential to:

• Authenticate operational realities captured in the analysis, including supply chain performance, investment dynamics and market risks.
• Triangulate findings with perspectives from public institution, private sector actors, financiers, producers and sectoral associations and unions.
• Strengthen credibility and ownership of the case study by ensuring national stakeholders recognize the findings as accurate, fair and contextually grounded. 
• Refine investment narratives to ensure they are realistic, market-aligned and attractive to private capital.
• Identify omissions, misinterpretations or emerging dynamics that may not have been fully captured during the field data collection.

Feedback from the validation workshop will be systematically incorporated into the final case study. The validated product will then be packaged for dissemination through continental platforms, investor engagements, and knowledge products thus contributing to enhanced visibility, evidence and learning on bankable pastoral livestock marketing systems.