he study was conducted to describe the purposes of goat keeping, breed preferences and selection criteria in Hamer and Bena-Tsemay pastoral and agro-pastoral districts of South Omo zone. Data were collected through household interviews using structured questionnaires administered to 250 respondents.

All the goats in the study districts are indigenous genotypes. In both districts, goats are kept primarily for socio-economic purposes and secondly for socio-cultural functions. The role of goats as a source of meat, milk and blood was ranked third. The households valued highly for adaptation traits of goats such as tolerance to drought and disease resistance above performance traits. The households’ 88% in Hamer and 70% in Bena-Tsemay districts prefer dual purpose goat genotypes (meat and milk) than either meat or milk types. Over 90% of households have own bucks for breeding. The households in the study districts consider larger body size and reproductive performance characteristics of individual goats and their relatives when selecting replacement animals. The study indicated that the information obtained would assist in planning suitable goat breeding and extension programs in the zone.