Characterization of small-scale commercial chicken production in a distant rural area of a lower-middle-income country

Abstract

Poultry production can enhance the livelihoods of rural people. Poultry production in low andmiddle-income countries is dominated by small-scale backyard systems with low inputs and lowoutputs. Poultry production, productivity and generated income can be enhanced through intensi-fication; the provision of inputs such as improved breeds, feed, housing and health-care. In Kenya,poultry production systems encompass free-range, semi-intensive and intensive systems. Despite agrowing intensive sector, mostly located in and around Nairobi and other cities, indigenous chickensstill dominate poultry production. However, their productivity could be improved in semi-intensiveand intensive systems. Intensification is a relatively recent process in low- and middle-income coun-tries compared to high-income countries. The complex reality of smallholders trying to improvetheir production is poorly understood and described. We explored the commercial chicken sector ina rural area distant form major production centres, and developed a fine-scale typology of commer-cial farms in western Kenya. We surveyed 111 chicken commercial farms in 2016. We targeted farmswho sell the majority of their production, with 50 chickens or more, and in which animals wereat least partly confined and were provided feeds. Farms were found mainly to raise dual-purposeindigenous chickens in association with crop production and were not specialised towards any par-ticular product or market. Although the farmers interviewed shared many features of free-rangesystem, they expressed the wish to make a commercial activity of their chicken production, withlarge flocks and management similar to semi-intensive farms. Four types of farms were identifiedbased on two groups of variables, related to intensification and accessibility; (i) remote, small-scaleold farms, with small flocks, using a lot of their own crops as feed, (ii) medium-scale, old farmswith a lar- ger flock and well located (iii) large-scale young farms, with large flocks, (iii-a) welllocated and who buy their chicks and (iii-b) remotely located and who hatch their chicks. Thesegroups sit along a gradient of intensification. Location, which affects access to markets and inputs,determines the opportunities available to farmers and thus gives rise to further diversity in farmmanagement types. We found that commercial chicken farms in western Kenya varied greatly interms of management, opportunities and challenges