Garissa County is endowed with a rich taste of livestock farming comprising of cattle, goats, camels and sheep.
It is a county that is known to be the chief supplier of animal products, especially meat, skin and hides to both the domestic and international markets.
Livestock farming provides sources of livelihood for thousands of residents in the semi-arid county.
Over the past ten years, the importance of the cattle trading among Garissa's food economy groups has been thriving due to the high valuation of local cattle breeds in terms of meat supply and the ever increasing seasonal demand for restocking in parts of Kenya and Tanzania borders.
Between 2013 and 2015, Garissa cattle rearers earned over Sh1.8 billion in meat sales in domestic and also overseas markets. In terms of imports, most of Garissa’s cattle trickle in from cross-border traders, especially the Somali livestock merchants.
Livestock is an important source of financial capital for rural poor. The semi-arid and arid lands are home to the nearly 70 percent of the national herd with estimated valuation of over Sh70 billion.
For many pastoralists, households in Garissa County, it is the sole form of savings available.