Village chicken and egg value chains and their links to nutrition and gender

1. Village chicken and egg value chains
and their links to nutrition and gender
Julia de Bruyn & Johanna Wong
PhD candidates
Faculty of Veterinary Science
& Charles Perkins Centre

2. Acknowledgements

3. The importance of women’s nutrition
• Links between maternal stunting and
offspring outcomes
• Importance of preconception nutrition
• Increased requirements associated
with pregnancy and lactation
• Phenomenon of “eating down” during
pregnancy
• Capacity to meet recommendations
for breastfeeding of infants
• Micronutrient requirements of mother
and children
Wong, 2015

4. Intergenerational effects of undernutrition
ACC/SCN, 2000

5. Tanzanian Food and Nutrition Centre, 2014
Challenges for women in resource-poor settings
Environment where
breastfeeding women live
Nutritional information for
breastfeeding women
Alders, 2014
Alders, 2014
de Bruyn, 2014

6. Strategy Advantages Disadvantages
Supplementation
Provision of large doses of
micronutrients (pills,
capsules or syrups)
Rapidly targets affected
or at risk populations;
Suitable when periodic
dosage is sufficient
Significant expense;
Requirements for effective
supply, distribution and
compliance
Food fortification
Addition of micronutrients
to processed foods
Potentially cost-effective;
Relatively rapid, wide and
sustained impact;
Doesn’t require radical
dietary changes
Must be consumed in
adequate amounts, be
readily-absorbed and not
affect sensory properties
Dietary diversification
Improvements to
availability, access and
consumption of nutrient-
rich foods
Most sustainable option;
Increased intake of
multiple food constituents
simultaneously
Complexity and long time
frame for implementation;
Requires behaviour
change and education
Nutrient delivery: intervention strategies

7. Introducing family poultry
Extensive
Scavenging
Semi-intensive
Small-scale
Intensive
Number of birds Less than 50 50 – 200 More than 200
Genotype Local or crossbred
Local, crossbred or
commercial
Commercial
breeds
Feed source
Scavenging +/-
supplementation
Some scavenging
+ supplementation
Commercial
balanced ration
Housing
May or may not
be provided
Variable quality Good-quality
Labour requirements Minimal Moderate Moderate
Village poultry

8. Owned by majority of households in
low-income food-deficit countries
• Suit local taste preferences
• Premium price in markets
• Lack of inputs to support intensive
production systems
• Not in competition with commercial
poultry, raised intensively
•
• Source of petty cash
• Bioavailable protein & micronutrients
• Control of pests (plant and animal)
• Manure for vegetable gardens
• Social credit: ceremonies and rituals
• Assets for women and children
•
• Low-input (labour and capital)
• Scavenge for feed
• Smart and agile
• Broody behaviour
• Very high benefit-cost ratio
1. Accessible form of livestock
10-20%
30-40% 70-80%
2. Work within local systems
3. Efficient production system 4. Multiple roles and benefits
Why involve village poultry?

9. Owned by majority of households in
low-income food-deficit countries
• Suit local taste preferences
• Premium price in markets
• Lack of inputs to support intensive
production systems
• Not in competition with commercial
poultry, raised intensively
•
• Source of petty cash
• Bioavailable protein & micronutrients
• Control of pests (plant and animal)
• Manure for vegetable gardens
• Social credit: ceremonies and rituals
• Assets for women and children
•
• Low-input (labour and capital)
• Scavenge for feed
• Smart and agile
• Broody behaviour
• Very high benefit-cost ratio
1. Accessible form of livestock
10-20%
30-40% 70-80%
2. Work within local systems
3. Efficient production system 4. Multiple roles and benefits
Why involve village poultry?

10. Household environment
SEMI-INTENSIVE
SYSTEM
Feed Labour People
Eggs
and Birds
Village poultry value chains
Village
environment
Feed
Local market
Feed
Other inputs
Local market
Regional or
national capital
markets
Household environment
SCAVENGING
SYSTEM
Feed Labour People
Eggs
and Birds

11. Wong, 2015
Household Village
Regional
market
Breakage during transport
Limited storage options
Village poultry value chains: EGGS
Young, 2012Alders, 2012

12. Household Village
Regional
market
National
market
Mortality during transport
12
2400 chickens travel on trucks from Singida town to
Dar es Salaam 3 times a week (Alders, 2012)
A network of traders bring chickens from villages to
markets in Singida town (Bagnol, 2011)
Village poultry value chains: LIVE CHICKENS
Disease

13. Addressing key constraints to production
Newcastle disease (ND)
• Nominated as priority by village
poultry-keepers
• Disincentive to invest time and resources
• Thermotolerant ND vaccine
• “Community vaccinator” model
• Participatory training program
• Cost recovery system
Other considerations in a post-ND control environment
• Increased incidence of other diseases
• Increased pressure on finite feed resources
• Access to markets for sale of poultry and eggs
Wong, 2014

14. 14
Pre-Newcastle disease control
SALE OR
CONSUMPTION
de Bruyn, 2015
Potential for nutritional outcomes
Post-Newcastle disease control
Gender
sensitivity

15. Wong, 2014
Thank you.
julia.debruyn@sydney.edu.au
johanna.t.wong@sydney.edu.au