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Forum on family poultry production in developing countries

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Subject:
From:
Sujit Nayak <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Forum on family poultry production in developing countries <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 6 Jun 2012 11:31:49 +0530
Content-Type:
multipart/mixed
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (5 kB) , text/html (36 kB) , Pheriwalas .docx (112 kB)
 

    Dear Coordinators and participating friends,
 
>  
> I would like to share some views on sustainability of FP system and interventions vis-a-vis the topics outlined as follows:
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> 1.   Single versus multiple (integrated) interventions for sustainable development of family poultry. 
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> ·         Are interventions in family poultry production systems required or are they so well adapted sustainable systems that they should continue as they are?
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>      Interventions are needed as and where required to make FP system sustainable. Further it needs to be changed/ upgraded when better interventions are available. We are sometimes constrained to apply a ‘one size fits all’ program in Government (national level) programs for uniform approach and ease of financial calculations. Then, at a later stage it is difficult to introduce some element we feel is very important for a particular area. Some of the interventions may be:
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> a)   Intermediate rearing/ mother units
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> b)   Supply of chicks
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> c)   Supplementary feeding 
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> d)   Biosecure / clean shelter
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> e)   Applying participatory research methodologies to learn more about specific interventions
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> f)    Participatory epidemiology
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> g)   Specific vaccination against endemic diseases
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> h)   Training - especially for first time poultry keepers
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> i)     Ensure marketing facility in clusters where there is surplus production
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> j)    Develop a niche market for their produce / branding? 
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> ·       Do holistic interventions (integrating health-genetic improvement-feeding-marketing) obtain better results in family poultry development than single interventions in one field?
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> ·         Single vs. multiple interventions - What are the costs and benefits?  
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> As stated earlier, interventions should be need-based – may be single or multiple. However, a holistic approach may definitely be better if costs are not a constraint and it is applied at a large scale to attain economies of scale. This will be similar to the stage where industrial poultry system was evolving from backyard stage- the cycle goes on. 
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>       
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> ·         How should interventions for family poultry deal with the need for supplies and access to the market?
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>     The backward and forward linkages are important and often the issue is traversing long distances, or going to remote areas where there is no motor-able road. In some places in India, a novel way is introduced where ‘Pheriwalas’ on bicycles carry the inputs and even in some areas act as link workers / vaccinators who provide the necessary health services. Some private organizations are now slowly adopting the ‘contract farming’ method by buying back the produce (especially coloured/ tinted eggs which are much in demand) through the pheriwalas.
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> (I am attaching couple of photographs of pheriwlas and their cycles alongwith cages which they use for transporting chicks/ birds and other inputs)
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>   
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> ·         Do all interventions require investment in skill building for family poultry producers?
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> I would like to share an anecdote regarding how even basic training is essential from the eyes of a layman:
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> A person who wants to take up poultry farming for the first time goes to the local vendor and tells the man, “Give me 100 baby chickens.”
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> The man complies.
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> 
> A week later the man returns and says, “Give me 200 baby chickens.”
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> The man complies.
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> 
> Again, a week later the man returns. This time he says, “Give me 500 baby chickens.”
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> “Wow!” the man replies. “You must really be doing well!”
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> “Naw,” said the man with a sigh. “I'm either planting them too deep or too far apart.”
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> Therefore, leave aside skills, we need to take care of the basic training and with every intervention skill and awareness needs to be upgraded/ updated. 
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> FP producer have often little awareness about taking care of birds, identify unhealthy birds, reporting of unusual mortalities and often no skill whatsoever in certain areas like, marketing or exchanging birds with neighbours to introduce heterozygosity; white-ant feeding and rice-husk egg-hatching (in some areas)etc. Self-Help Groups are now taking up these activities in a collective manner. 
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> Further, an innovation and skill development fund may be set aside for enabling interventions in a de-centralised manner.
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> Regards,
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> Sujit Nayak
>  
> India
>

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