Promoting family poultry production through a knowledge network and training of key staffs in development projectsOlaf ThiemeFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Animal Production and Health Division

What is Family Poultry?

• A variety of small-scale poultry production systems found in rural, urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries.

• Practised by individual families for food security, income and employment.

• Practiced by >80% of rural households in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• In rural areas it is often almost exclusively women’s activity.

Remote Village

Village with access to rural markets

Peri-urban village with access to urban markets

Food SecurityIncome Generation

Food SecurityIncome Generation

Food SecurityIncome Generation

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Traditional

Extensive Semi-intensive

Semi-intensiveSmall-scale Intensive

Location Purpose Poultry Production System

Diversity of Family Poultry

Increasing benefits from Family Poultry

• Create opportunities and platforms for knowledge sharing and capacities building;

• Support further adaptation and adoption of technologies and good practices;

• Build the capacity of decision makers, project designers and technical staffs;

• Build the capacity of rural poultry keepers, especially women, youth, indigenous and tribal peoples to adapt and adopt innovative technologies;

• Implement effective poultry development programmes.

INFPD

• International Network for Family Poultry Development (INFPD)

– document results and disseminate information

– coordinate training programmes for research and development personnel

– identify research and development priorities, funding sources and cooperation opportunities

– develop research and development – > 800 members in 103 countries

Strengthen national expertise

• Educate and motive young staffs for family poultry development.

• Key constraint is to acquire development experience.

• Training programme for Associate Poultry Advisers (APA).– Five weeks theoretical training– 4-5 months assignment to a field

programme

Training programme for APA

• APAs from Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Honduras, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Swaziland have been trained.

• Field projects were in Tanzania, Mauritania, Swaziland, Egypt, Lao PDR and Haiti.

• Results– Have adapted well into the projects with mutual

benefits– Documented & published their work– Language of APAs and finding projects can be a

constraint

• Training package will be further developed

Material and information sharing

• Improve availability of adapted and effective technologies at a wider scale.

• Improve documentation and dissemination of successful practises and exchange of knowledge and experiences through the INFPD newsletter, its website, through e-conferences and other events.

• A package of decision-making tools to assist project designers.

Mini hatcheries

• Availability of healthy DOC is key for improvement of the system

• In remote locations DOC production may be required on site

• A new „sand model“ has been developed in Bangladesh

e-conferences

• Priorities of topics were identified through survey of INFPD members

– “Opportunities of poultry breeding programmes for family production in developing countries: The bird for the poor”

– “Family Poultry interactions with other production systems: Nutritional opportunities and constraints“

– Implementing appropriate development projects

• Diversity of conditions highlights needs for country and location specific concepts

Support for the INFPD• Consultation with members of the

Network– Members’ survey– Regional meetings

• Strengthening organizational linkages with the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA)

• Need to consider members that are not technical poultry experts

A way forward for family poultry development

• Investing in knowledge sharing and capacity development is an effective tool to promote family poultry.

• Knowledge sharing at global level through a Network also assists with solving location specific issues.

• Monitoring and evaluation components of poultry projects need to be improved to capture important socio-economic data and impact on the livelihood of resource-poor households.

• A comprehensive approach for Family Poultry development is needed.

Thank You

http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/en/poultry/home.html

http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/en/infpd/home.html