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.
.
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>