Role of Native Chicken Breeds in Boosting up the Rural Economy by Alleviating Poverty among Women and Unemployed Youths in India

Role of Native Chicken Breeds in Boosting up the Rural Economy by Alleviating Poverty among Women and Unemployed Youths in India

Hariharan.R^1*, Alimudeen.S², Madhan Raj.N², Kathiravan.S² and Arul Sabareeswaran.T.A.²

• PhD Scholar, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Wayanad-673576
• V.Sc Scholars , College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Wayanad-673576

Introduction

Poultry is one of the agricultural sectors in India that is developing the quickest, with an annual growth rate around 8 per cent. Over the course of four decades, the chicken industry in India has seen a paradigm shift in its organisation and structure, going from a small backyard hobby to a significant commercial agri-based enterprise. The ongoing upgrades, adjustments, and applications of new technology opened the path for the varied growth in the poultry and related sectors. Along with size, productivity, sophistication, and quality have all improved. The development is not only in size but also in productivity, sophistication and quality. Development of high yielding layer (310- 340 eggs) and broiler (2.4-2.6 kg at 6 wks) varieties together with standardized package of practices on nutrition, housing, management and disease control have contributed to spectacular growth rates in egg (4-6% per annum) and broiler production (8-10% per annum) in India during the last 40 years. The annual per capita availability also increased to 60 eggs and 2.5 Kg of meat, consistently with increase in productivity. However, it is far below the recommended level of consumption of 180 eggs and 10.8 kg poultry meat per person per annum by Indian Council Medical Research.

On other hand, Country like India has 70% rural population (Population census 2011). Out of this 25.7% of total rural people come under below poverty line and poverty gap ratio in rural area is 5.05% (Poverty estimation 2011-12). Poverty has reduced considerably, from 35% in 1994 to 22% in 2012. Most of Indian rural population depends in agriculture for their economic security. Many scientific studies reported that if agriculture were to be the sole source of livelihood, a majority of such households would have remained trapped in poverty. Diversification of agriculture activities, such as livestock, fisheries, poultry and beekeeping that are more remunerative, generate a stream of income and provide a cushion against climatic shocks, and are claimed to be an important pathway to reduce poverty. Many developing and underdeveloped nations throughout the world engage in rural chicken farming with native breeds. In many nations, native birds play a crucial role in the rural economy. Although these birds are utilised to produce backyard chickens in rural areas, their genetic potential has not yet been completely explored.

Native breeds are being improved through selection, but in various nations throughout the world, it still needs to be given more priority. Over time, backyard farming has made a significant contribution to the rural setting economy of several nations. Similar to urban backyard poultry production, rural backyard poultry farming is essential to the economy’s rapid expansion. In addition to guaranteeing food supply, it gives the family security over their means of subsistence. Women and unemployed youths can also generate revenue from poultry rearing. Indigenous breeds are noted for their ability to adapt to tropical climates and resistance to disease, while the colour of their plumage helps in predator defence. Today’s rural poultry farmer places a high importance on having birds that not only lay more eggs, but also eggs of the optimum size, as well as birds that mature to the optimum body weight and have plumage that is nearly equivalent to native birds. Thus, producers have a variety of native breeds to choose from. The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of domestic chicken to rural economies.

Village or backyard production

Village or backyard production India has nearly 70% of its population living in rural areas. However, in the present scenario most of the commercial poultry production is concentrated in urban and peri – urban areas. Just 25% population living in urban areas consumes about 75-80 % of eggs and poultry meat. Non-availability of poultry products and low purchasing power of the rural people devoid them of access to the highly nutritious products like egg and meat, thereby, resulting in malnutrition. Free range and small scale semi- commercial back-yard poultry production can be advantageously promoted in rural areas, as the large commercial poultry production continues to be concentrated in urban and peri – urban locations. It can be used as a powerful tool for alleviation of rural poverty, eradication of malnutrition and creation of gainful employment in vast rural areas. The most basic and simple backyard production system involving a few hens and a cockerel is essentially a closed system.

Home-produced fertile eggs are hatched to provide replacements, birds feed by scavenging or are provided with household scraps and crop by-products; there are virtually no veterinary inputs and the remaining eggs and meat produced are consumed within the household. Such very simple subsistence poultry production systems are probably quite rare. Producers with even slightly larger flocks, generate cash income from the sale of eggs and birds within the local community. Transactions may take place directly between producers and consumers, but traders and other market intermediaries may be involved, selling on to other sectors of the poultry industry. Village or backyard production systems are widely distributed and exist in both rural and urban areas. It is estimated that today in India, about 15 percent of total poultry output is derived from “backyard” production. In areas that are less densely populated by poultry, “backyard” systems are likely to contribute a larger proportion of total poultry production. In the village or backyard sector, production is generally based on traditional local, native breeds, producing both eggs and birds for meat. In the recent past, improved backyard varieties (like Vanaraja, Gramapriya, Srinidhi, Giriraja etc.) developed mostly by public sector and a few by private sector (like Kroiler, Rainbow rooster) are substantially contributing to the total chicken egg and meat production of the country. Nonetheless, village or backyard production can make a useful contribution to dietary protein intake and incomes of resource poor households. Furthermore, given the lower opportunity costs of resources and the higher market prices offered for local poultry, backyard systems are likely to yield a positive economic return, despite increasing competition from the commercial sectors.

Native chicken and their conservation

In India, a total of sixteen indigenous breeds of chicken have been recognised and registered (Table 1). Aseel, Kadaknath, Haringhata Black, Nicobari, Ghagus, Tellicherry, etc. are some of the a very well breeds. Along with native chickens / ecotypes with key genes like naked neck and frizzle, some lesser-known native chicken ecotypes documented in the literature include Kumaon hill fowl, Tripura black, Titri, Teni, and Brown Desi. A sizable portion of native chickens are likewise of an unremarkable variety. Due to a number of circumstances, including the prevalence of diseases like Avian Influenza and other emerging and re-emerging diseases, some of India’s native chicken breeds are in danger of going extinct.

Therefore, it is crucial to take action to conserve them. The ideal and most desirable approach for conserving biodiversity of any germplasm is in situ conservation. However, as urbanization increases, there is more demand on agricultural and fallow lands, which results in expensive costs and makes it challenging to preserve native chicken on their native tracts. Additionally, the genetic foundation of native chickens is being diluted or eroded by the introduction of exotic or improved germplasm. As an alternative, ex-situ conservation efforts can help with in situ germplasm preservation since they serve as an insurance policy in the event that the local chicken population is diluted or goes extinct. The native chickens that were preserved could be employed in recovery and reintroduction initiatives in the future. Ex-situ conservation of poultry species is a challenging task, nevertheless.

Table 1. Registered native chicken breeds of India in NBAGR

(Source: http://www.nbagr.res.in/regchi.html)

Conclusions

Native breeds of poultry are extremely important for the rural economies of developing and underdeveloped nations, primarily in Asia and Africa. They are a crucial component of a balanced farming system that contributes to the sociocultural life of rural communities and women’s empowerment while serving as a source of high-quality animal protein and emergency cash income for rural households. Hardiness, or the capacity to withstand adverse climatic conditions and poor husbandry practises, is one of the most significant beneficial traits of native chicken. Native breed chickens serve as a genetic resource bank for the development of high-yielding exotic germplasm with improved climatic tolerance and disease resistance. Native breeds of chickens with low production performance may be improved through better husbandry techniques, better care, supplementary nutrients during lean seasons, as well as through selection and crossbreeding. Thus, within-breed selection rather than crossbreeding with commercial chicken breeds should be the main emphasis of breeding programmes aimed at improving indigenous chicken. This would prevent genetic erosion and dilution and aid in the protection of the native chicken’s distinctive characteristics, which are valued by farmers. Although selection in local breeds can provide the improvement permanently, crossbreeding with exotic material swiftly shown the improvement. The upgrading of native breeds of chickens through various breeding techniques aids in both their conservation in their natural habitat and the productivity of the germplasm, as rural people would be delighted to raise them due to their adaptability to harsh environments.

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