1.     The contribution of research to the development of family poultry production systems.
 
Research in family poultry production systems has received a fair deal of criticism both positive and negative.  These contributions have enabled the family poultry Production systems to gain greater popularity amongst researchers and development practitioners as a tool in poverty reduction and in improving rural and peri-urban livelihoods.  Criticisms have arisen from academics, communities, senior government officials, politicians, technical support institutions, journalists and concerned participants in programs implemented by some NGOs and community based.  Most of the criticism has come from people who are unsure of what a family poultry production system actually entails or have over-exploited their available knowledge on family poultry production.  Uncertainty has been the ideal breeding ground for criticism.  Thus a workshop was held to address some of the issues raised by various stakeholders.  Indications from the recommendations from the workshop of theme “the potential of free-ranging poultry development in improving the livelihoods and food security of rural livelihoods” are that the following areas of problem led research should be conducted in a participatory manner on-farm with the inclusion of beneficiaries.  A few of the research questions identified by participants included
(i)                          Feeds and feeding: the identification, production (where possible), processing, utilization of natural unconventional protein sources by communities engaged in family poultry production.
(ii)                        Ethnoveterinary practices, ND-vaccine heat tolerance, the interaction between traditional family poultry management, scavenging chickens and diseases
(iii)                      The identification and development of niche markets for family poultry   products: feathers, meat, eggs/eggshells to meet the religious, socio-cultural and economic requirements of consumers.
On-going research in South Africa in particular and other countries have generated millions of ideas, skills and bits of knowledge floating in the minds of different individuals or households.  Some preliminary data from non-descript local or indigenous breeds kept under improved rearing conditions gave indications that the application of research and development activities had an impact on family poultry production.  We now have lowered impacts of the effects of diseases.  This is because of improved poultry husbandry practices, supplementary feeding and adherence to a basic poultry health program.  Overall, this has resulted in a 79% increased survivability up to 20 weeks of age, an age at first egg production of 126 days, a total number of 4 to 5 clutches of eggs of about 47g, and an average of 12 to 15 eggs per clutch produced over a 12 month period.  Last but not the least a 23% improvement in chicken live weights at 20 weeks of age amongst targeted households making use of research recommendations combined with own indigenous knowledge on rearing poultry in the traditional farming system.  There is no single individual with all the appropriate knowledge on family poultry production systems that can be applied in every country of the world or every community.  It is therefore important for researchers, development workers and households to continue exploring in a participatory manner options for maximizing the use of scare resources within communities or resource limited households to optimize the production of family poultry.   Research if appropriately applied is and will definitely continue to contribute to the development of the family poultry production system. 
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2. The development for livelihoods through family poultry - cost and opportunities.
 
Family poultry production systems by definition will include the rearing of chickens in urban and peri-urban areas with some amount of inputs being supplied to the chickens with restricted access to scavengeable feed resource base.  This aspect of family poultry production does complement the efforts of the large integrated broiler production units.    In contrast is the a low-input output extensive production system or village poultry making use of indigenous poultry genotypes found in many resource limited rural areas.  In the extensive system of village poultry production, there are varied opportunities for households not only to meet their protein food security but also the cultural, religious and economic requirements by selling or battering the chickens.  Rural households like all entrepreneurs will go into family poultry production because they want to make money or improve upon their cultural or socio-economic livelihoods. As with some commercial poultry production, they do not go into this enterprise to create jobs.  Like business people they act in their own self interest.  They are not very much aware that the consumers really determine the prices of poultry and poultry products and how much they are really willing to pay for it.  In some communities however, they are able to bargain for a fair price.  There is a need to develop family production systems to such an extent that households will see and use it as an opportunity to fill the need in a niche market place.  Households must realize that to be an entrepreneur, one must raise the necessary finance, organize the production of the chickens or chicken products (i.e feathers) as a special product that few people have (i.e. sell product in a village restaurant providing local dishes or add value by processing with spices) and take the required risks.         
Strategies for family poultry production should be based on an accurate analysis of the market situation or the situation of the farmer as an entrepreneur, a correct assessment of the qualities and resources needed to respond to the situation, and a vision of what the poultry farmer sees as achievable, desirable and realistic.  There must be room for making adjustments to meet the demands of the market for family poultry, the ability of families to change or influence the situation by being innovative in for example collecting and hatching eggs, rearing chicks, producing poultry meat and eggs at least cost, and enlisting the assistance or resources of others (i.e. the Development workers, extension advisory services) to optimize the use of scarce resources.  It may also be possible to take advantage of the growing market demands for organically produced chicken meat and eggs.  These should be free of undesirable chemical residues from insecticides or antibiotics.  Several shops including Woolworth’s do promote such products in South Africa but require high quality control standards of production.  An opportunity also exists for associations of women from rural households to supply locally grown indigenous chickens to feeding schemes in targeted schools in a pilot project in KwaZulu-Natal. South Africa.     
 
3. Competing or complementing  commercial poultry production systems?
Family poultry production does compliment the efforts of commercial production in meeting the growing needs for poultry and poultry products in South Africa.  Soon after independence, there has been a growing middle and upper class whose demands for more poultry products have been steadily increasing due to increased incomes.  Currently we do import large amounts of poultry products.  The rearing of small flocks of chickens in an intensive or semi-intensive system is also getting popular.  However due to economies of scale, lack of ready markets and sometimes poor husbandry practices such enterprises have not been very successful in comparison to large integrated operations.  For example in the area where I stay there are 27 broiler farms each with a capacity of about 400000 broiler chickens kept in fully environmentally controlled houses every 6 to 7 weeks.  However, there is still a growing demand for poultry produced under a variety of family poultry production systems to meat the demand for poultry meat and eggs.  With the formation of the Developing Poultry Farmers Organization (DPFO) in 2011 with the support of the South African Poultry Association (SAPA), it is hoped that all farmers regardless of whether they are large commercial poultry farmers or small farmers will receive technical and possibly organizational support.  This is in recognition of the fact that family poultry production systems an d commercial poultry production do complement each other to meet National Protein Food Security.  This is also important in the holistic control of diseases such as Newcastle disease and Avian Influenza.  In other situations small-holder poultry growers are contracted to grow for the large integrated operations and occupy an important place in the whole poultry value chain.  There is still much difficulty for the small producer
 
Dr Harry Swatson
 
Prof. E. B. Sonaiya
Dept. of Animal Science,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife 220005, NIGERIA.
[log in to unmask], +234 803 719 7378
Co-ordinator,
International Network for Family Poultry Development.
<www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/en/infpd/home.html>


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