From Feed to Market– Women-led Backyard Poultry Resilience Project
Location: Keffi & Gauta Communities, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
Context
Backyard and small-scale poultry farmers in Keffi and Gauta—mostly women—play an essential role in local nutrition and household income. However, they face systemic challenges: high chick mortality, poor brooding practices, disease outbreaks, weak poultry housing, high feed costs, and limited veterinary support. Many are forced into distress sales of young chicks to purchase feed, reducing income and production potential. Despite their contribution to food security and livelihoods, these women receive far less technical attention than medium and large poultry farms.
Objective
To strengthen the resilience, productivity, and income-generation capacity of women-led backyard poultry farms by improving early-stage chick survival, access to veterinary knowledge, and sustainable production practices.
Approach
Our intervention model focuses on early-stage flock stabilization and women-centered technical empowerment, through:
- Feed Support & Brooding Inputs: Addressing the critical first 21 days of chick development to reduce mortalities and eliminate distress sales.
- Technical Training & Veterinary Support: Practical training on brooding, hygiene, housing, disease prevention, and responsible drug use.
- Low-Cost Housing Improvements: Introducing better ventilation, bedding, and local material solutions for healthy poultry environments.
- Market & Production Advisory: Supporting women to raise birds to optimal market age/weight for better pricing and profitability.
- Field Assessments & Follow-ups: Continuous monitoring to ensure learning adoption and sustainable impact.
SDGs Addressed
This project directly contributes to achieving multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:
- SDG 1 – No Poverty: Improves household income and economic resilience for women.
- SDG 2 – Zero Hunger: Strengthens local food systems and access to affordable animal protein.
- SDG 3 – Good Health & Well-Being: Promotes veterinary best practices and safe poultry production.
- SDG 5 – Gender Equality: Empowers women farmers through technical knowledge and economic participation.
- SDG 8 – Decent Work & Economic Growth: Enhances micro-enterprise productivity and rural livelihoods.
- SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption & Production: Encourages efficient resource use and reduced mortality/waste.
- SDG 13 – Climate Action: Supports local, low-carbon backyard farming and reduces environmental inefficiencies.
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