Strategies in the Development and Promotion of Village Chicken in Africa

It is indisputable that raising village chicken is one of the major agricultural activities that has continued sustaining the livelihoods of resource poor rural farmers in Africa. The village chicken is credited for fulfilling multiple functions of food security, provision of animal protein from meat and eggs, the creation of employment for underprivileged groups and facilitating cultural obligations. Studies have confirmed that advancing village chicken production could not only correct the gender roles and stereotypes that exist in rural communities in Africa, but also act as practicable mechanism for poverty reduction. This implies that village chicken rearing may set down a decisive entry point in reinforcing the influence of women in the individual households and rural communities at large. Any future village chicken based developmental work and research should adopt a holistic approach focusing on gender relations, cultural, socioeconomic and biological factors. On the other hand, village chicken rearing could be a vital component of a climate resilience animal production intervention strategy for resource poor farmers.