Dear All,
I would like to contribute to the current theme (Week 3).
1. To me development of family poultry can make an important contribution to women's empowerment because: the study of Badubi et al. (2006) in Botswana showed that most family poultry are reared and cared for by women. So if this
resource can be supported positively most women will be assisted and the effects of poverty be reduced especially in women headed families..
- The requirements would include access to markets or pronounced marketing systems to support this resource, feeds which will promote growth rates and should be affordable to the farmer, vaccination programs which will assist in disease
control and reduce mortality rates and lastly slaughtering facilities which are up to standard as per the abbatoir and slaughter facilities act. As stated the major constarints are lack of feeds, financial base to start up meaningful projects and accesss
to finance.
- I do not think they can have a negative impact since if well planned, cooperatives could be made so that women work in a group rather than individually. However, to make a meaningful project the farmer will have to be prepared to
work for the project so that returns could be realized at the end.
- A few projects that I know which were made through BONEPWA+ (Botswana Netwrok of People Leaving with HIV/AIDS) made a big difference where most women have even went ahead and bought goats out of the sales of chickens. And I do belive that if these projects
are encouraged we could see a swing in income generation especially at rural level and support to the rural economy.
- It should be understood that there are some men who are also poor and live in rural areas. Family poultry initiatives should cover both and even youths as this is a commodity which is in high demand especially in tourism areas.
2. Policies should aim at: increasing productivity of this resource
Easy access to financing for this resource
Cheap feeding resources
Land availability especially for women and youths
Proviosn of slaughter facilities
Conservation of family poultry
- I believe it is a pre-requisite since family poultry production have been marginalised by the promotion of commercial exotic flocks.
- If policies are in place we could see an increase in the availability of products from family poultry in the market place and this would increase job creation at rural level and reduce migration of people from rural areas to urban
centres
- There is not much done especially in some countries to promote family poultry, except that through the conservation strategy (FAO) some countries are now valuaing the presence of family poultry.
- In some countries like Botswana these have influenced policies because we are now seeing family poultry projects which aim at poverty eradication especially in settlements.
Regards