BACKYARD POULTRY FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND NUTRITIONAL

Dr. Sheikh Adil Hamid, PhD Student

Division of Livestock Production and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Shuhama, SKUAST-K, Kashmir, India

What actually is Backyard poultry farming (BPF)?

Backyard poultry farming (BPF) implies traditional rearing of usually desi chicken (typically 5-15 in number) by rural masses especially women folk in the backyard of their households. It is by and large envisioned as a hobby in urban regions but constitute a lifeline in rural areas; providing nutritional security particularly to the children and pregnant women or even remuneration via sale of surplus production. In BPF, birds are countenanced to forage during the day time while at night they are plied with some low cost shelter. BPF relies on minimal cost inputs in the form of kitchen waste, cheap locally available grains, worms, insects, leaves and other scavenging material. Backyard poultry birds are highly adaptable and resistant to diseases. Male birds are ordinarily consumed for table purpose or used for recreation activities while as the female counterparts are typically retained for egg production. In India, BPF plays a crucial role in the livelihood of millions of souls.

What BPF does in women empowerment and nutritional security?

1. BPF has the potential to alleviate poverty and uplift the socio-economic status of poor rural masses. Besides income generation, it provides valuable animal protein at minimal cost and empowers women.
2. It plays a vital role to check malnutrition in rural children and pregnant women besides acting as a source of regular income.
3. It springs up entrepreneurship skills in women folk which in turn bristles decision making confidence, besides becoming self sufficient.
4. It limits the economic dependence of women on male counterparts of their family.
5. It is easy to carry off, hence wielding becomes comfortable for women folk.
6. It utilizes leisure time of the family members.
7. It serves as efficient waste disposal system by converting kitchen waste and left over grains into valuable protein.
8. It aids in pest control and weed clearance.
9. Poultry manure coming out of BPF is an excellent source of organic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that can be put-upon for manuring household vegetable fields.
10. Desi eggs and birds of BPF unit have higher demand and fetch more price than commercial similitudes.

What are the shortcomings in BPF?

1. BPF is one of the most neglected sectors in animal husbandry.
2. With the furtherance in commercial poultry farming and change in life style, BPF has shown a declining trend in rural areas.
3. Reluctance of women folk either due to insufficient funds to purchase the stock or de-motivation from men folk.
4. In rural areas, consumption of poultry eggs and meat is quite low, mainly because of poor availability and low purchasing power.
5. Traditional desi birds have low production potential, attaining 0.5 kg at 6 months and producing just 50-60 eggs/year.
6. Reluctance of private players to enter this sector.
7. Predation problems and un-organized marketing structure.

What has been done regarding BPF?

In purview of the low production potential of desi birds, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, State Agricultural Universities and Private firms developed improved backyard poultry varieties having have high production potential of attaining 1 kg at 10-12 weeks and producing 120-150 eggs/year.

Some of the popular strains developed are:

These improved backyard strains resemble desi birds in appearance and have the following features:

• Fast growth
• Attractive feather colour pattern
• Fair disease resistance
• Large egg size
• Better survival rate even under adverse climatic conditions
• Aroma and taste of meat and eggs similar to that of desi birds.

What needs to be done regarding BPF?

1. Motivation of rural people particularly women folk to rear backyard poultry for nutritional security and socio-economic upliftment.
2. Need to popularize high producing improved backyard varieties among rural people through awareness campaigns.
3. Distribution of quality germplasm through Animal Husbanday Departments, NGOs, KVKs etc.
4. farms need to rear backyard birds for catering the needs of local areas.
5. Developing backyard poultry units in every village.
6. Organization of need based trainings for the women folk.
7. Developing backyard poultry cooperative societies to share ideas and strengthening rural market system.
8. Necessary support in terms of health care must be rendered.
9. Outreach to the poorest of poor.
10. Creating Self Help Groups for gender empowerment and encouraging money saving habits.
11. Diversification in terms of rearing poultry species other than chicken.

Conclusion

BPF is a crucial asset in improving the economic and nutritional status of rural poor especially women folk using minimal inputs. Having varied agro-climatic conditions and vast varieties of improved backyard strains available, India has a great potential in backyard poultry production.

Please follow and like us: