Commercialization Of Improved Poultry Farming: Determinants, Challenges, And Opportunities: The Case Of Smallholder Farming Households At Wolmera District, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The commercialization of improved poultry farming has a leading role towards nutritional, income generation, food security, poverty reduction, and livelihood improvement from the rural areas to the national level. However, specifically there is limited information to explain commercialization of improved poultry farming along with determinants, challenges and opportunities. The study was conducted in Wolmera district, Ethiopia, between April, 2021 and May, 2022; aimed at examining determinants of commercialization of improved poultry farming along with challenges and opportunities in the practice. Primary data were collected through questionnaires, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Statistical package for social science (SPSS) was used to analyze quantitative data. In this case, binary logistic regression model was used to analyze determinants of commercialization of improved poultry farming. In other way, challenges and opportunities of commercialization of improved poultry farming were transcribed and analyzed thematically. The results indicate that gender negatively; while educational level, poultry farming experience, land size, poultry size, and non-farm income of household heads positively influenced commercialization of improved poultry farming. The major challenges of commercialization of improved poultry farming were; disease outbreak, high cost of feed, lack of financial capital, poor management practices, lack of credit services, poor extension services, and inadequate power supply. In other way, the major opportunities of commercialization of improved poultry farming were; population demand, market access, availability of poultry sources, veterinary services, and infrastructure availability. It is recommended that effective vaccination should be done by veterinarians at various poultry farms to prevent disease outbreak. Alternative feed preparation at farmer level is also needed to address high cost of feed. Government should arrange credit services for the farmers at very low interest rates to address financial problems. Farmers should also focus on appropriate intensive management practices for further commercialization of improved poultry farming. Appropriate effective extension system should be arranged in the rural areas by extension officials for sustainable commercialization of improved poultry farming. Government should also arrange power supply in the rural areas for commercialization of improved poultry farming