Village poultry production system: Perception of farmers and simulation of impacts of interventions

This study identified perception of poultry farmers’ on impact of interventions in village poultry production and quantified the impacts of interventions on flock and economic performance using modelling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on perceptions of poultry keeping and performances from 240 randomly selected households in two districts of Ethiopia. Crop was the major source of income, and poultry generated supplementary income. Farmers perceived that demand and price of poultry products increased. Majority of the farmers believed that additional inputs would not lead to higher income. A dynamic simulation showed that the base situation made a positive financial contribution. Vaccinations had the largest positive impact on flock performances and using improved indigenous chicken had the smallest. Application of interventions had the largest effect on flock performances in the base situation but did not lead to profitability. The sensitivity analysis showed that feed cost had the largest impact on the profitability followed by housing, vaccination and breed. Farmers’ perceptions affected their decisions regarding implementation of interventions. Simulated interventions increased productivity but only in a few cases the increased incomes outweighed the additional costs. Interventions need to be tailored towards the local situation to ensure improved productivity and improved income. Key words: Poultry, smallholders, flock performance, profitability.