Kenyan small-scale chicken farmers have found a solution to address the diseases affecting their poultry productivity through accessing the Gender Inclusive Vaccine Ecosystem (GIVE) for Newcastle disease.
According to Professor Salome Bukachi, the Principal Investigator of the GIVE study project, a case study done in Makueni County showed that the county realized at least Ksh.7 billion in earnings from poultry farming.
“These results were despite the outbreaks of Newcastle disease which was the most significant constraint to chicken productivity and was endemic with frequent recurrence of outbreaks throughout the year,” Prof Salome said.
“The disease can easily be prevented if the uptake of the vaccination was improved and thus the reason why the study was done to establish the barriers in access to poultry vaccine.”
She said the four-year study found that the biggest barrier was the low uptake vaccine which stood at 15%, the long-distance farmers covered to access a certified agro vet and the lack of smaller packages doses of vaccine vials as those available were in sets of 100 vials which were not affordable to small holder farmers who had limited knowledge and skills in improved poultry management practices.
“ There are a lot of diseases that impact on the productivity of chicken and one of them is the New Castle disease which wipes chicken all at once and farmers have to start all over again from scratch” Prof Bukachi said.
KALRO Research scientist Dr Judith Chemuliti, also noted that the Newcastle disease is a significant constraint to chicken production because it causes high mortality, often of the entire flock, denying farmers the opportunity to earn better incomes and improve their livelihoods.
“Newcastle disease vaccines are available, effective, and easy to use, but most farmers do not vaccinate due to inadequate knowledge and limited access to vaccines”, she explained.
GIVE which is an implementation of a four-year vaccine research study undertaken by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), in collaboration with the University of Nairobi (UON), and Cooperative University of Kenya (CUK) has seen Women move from lower socioeconomic ladder to the upper socio-economic ladder.
The rearing of indigenous chicken has proved to be a viable income-generating venture among small-scale poultry farmers in rural areas to pull out of the poverty bracket.
Such chicken fetch higher prices in the local market compared to broilers but challenges of disease control hinder the majority of women who venture into poultry farming to realize their full potential in terms of returns
