Comparison of economic impact of alternative constraint control measures in indigenous chicken production in Nyanza Province, Kenya

摘要

Thisstudycomparedthecostsandbenefitsofsixalternativecontrolmeasuresontheindigenouschickenproductivityconstraintswithanaimofidentifyingthemostdesirablemitigationmeasure;forimprovedproductivityofthebirds.ThestudywasconductedinMigwaandKagakvillagesinKasipuldivisionofRachuonyoSouthdistrict.Thestudyfirstusedrapidruralappraisal(RRA)toolsasdescribedbyChamber(1994);toprioritizetheconstraintslimitingindigenouschickenproductioninthestudyarea.Atwelvemonthsetofcontrolledinterventiontrialsin80studyhouseholds,nbsp;weredesignedintosixinterventionandonecontrolgroups,nbsp;nbsp;waslatercarriedouttotestnbsp;foreffectsofthemitigationmeasuresontheprioritizedconstraintsthatnbsp;were:diseases(Newcastle,Gumboroandfowlpox),predations(inchicks)andinadequatenutrition,inorderofimportance,respectively.nbsp;Productivityparametersandratesthatincludedclutchsizesandnumbers,flocksizesandstructures,mortality,hatchabilityandchicksurvivalratesweremonitoredduringtheentirestudyperiod.nbsp;Thedatawasobtainedbyactualmeasurement,onspotobservation,interviewofhouseholdmembersdirectlyresponsibleforthecareoftheindigenouschickens,communitygroupdiscussions,postmortemexaminationonsickandfreshdeadbirdsandlaboratorysampleanalysis(fromsickanddeadbirds).Benefitsandcostsanalysistechniquewasthenappliedtoidentifythemostdesirablemitigationmeasuresbycomparingthenetpresentvalues(NPVs)ofthesixalternativeinterventionapproaches.nbsp;Thestudyidentifiedintegratedintervention,whichincludedconcurrentcontrol,byvaccinations,ofimportantindigenouschickendiseases(Newcastle,Gumboroandfowlpox),preventionofpredations(especiallyinchicksbyconfinement)andimprovementofthebirds#8217;nutritionbyconsistentlyprovidingmaizegrainsandchickenleftoversupplementations;asthemostappropriateandsustainabletechnology,fortheimprovementofproductivityoftheindigenouschickens.nbsp;