A study of the perceptions of rural farmers towards the feasibility of interventions in their village poultry system

Abstract

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.