Mortality as the primary constraint to enhancing nutritional and financial gains from poultry: A multi-year longitudinal study of smallholder farmers in western Kenya

Chickens are a widely held economic and nutritional asset in rural Africa and are frequently managed by women. Despite potential benefits of larger flock sizes, the average number of chickens kept at the household level is reported to be low. Whether this reflects decision-making to maximize benefit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one Vol. 15; no. 5; p. e0233691
Main Authors: Otiang, Elkanah, Campbell, Zoë A., Thumbi, Samuel M., Njagi, Lucy W., Nyaga, Philip N., Palmer, Guy H.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 29.05.2020
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Agricultural economics
Agriculture
Allen, Paul G
Biology and Life Sciences
Censuses
Chickens
Consumption
Correlation analysis
Cost control
Decision making
Dietary supplements
Economic aspects
Farmers
Farms
Group size
Households
Income
Livestock
Livestock losses
Longitudinal studies
Medical research
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mortality
Nutrition
People and Places
Population
Poultry
Poultry industry
Poverty
Predation
Production increases
Research and Analysis Methods
Rural areas
Sales
Small farms
Vaccination
Womens health
Kenya
United States > US
Africa
ISSN:1932-6203, 1932-6203
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Summary:Chickens are a widely held economic and nutritional asset in rural Africa and are frequently managed by women. Despite potential benefits of larger flock sizes, the average number of chickens kept at the household level is reported to be low. Whether this reflects decision-making to maximize benefits per unit labor by voluntary reduction of chicken numbers by consumption or sale versus involuntary losses due to mortality is a significant gap in knowledge relevant to improving smallholder household welfare. In a 4-year longitudinal study of 1,908 smallholder households in rural western Kenya, the number of chickens owned by quarterly census at each household was determined. Households reported gains and losses of chicken over the immediate previous quarter. Gains were classified as on-farm or off-farm; losses were classified as voluntary (sales, gifts, consumption) or involuntary (mortality, unclassified loss). The mean number of chickens owned over the 16 quarters was 10, consistent with prior cross-sectional data. Involuntary losses represented 70% of total off-take, while voluntary off-take represented the remaining 30%. Mortality composed 60% of total reported off-take and accounted for most of the involuntary losses. Household consumption, sales, and gifts represented 18%, 9%, and 3% of off-take, respectively. The overwhelming majority of off-take can be classified as involuntary off-take, principally due to mortality, that does not reflect the owner's decision to maximize value through nutritional gain, income, or social capital. This strongly suggests that there is substantial opportunity to enhance the value of chickens as an asset, both nutritional and income generating, for smallholder households living at poverty level. Our findings suggest that programs emphasizing community level poultry vaccination and feed supplementation are much more likely to be effective than those solely focused on providing chickens.
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Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0233691