Poultry Production in West Africa: A Study of Performance and Impact

This report provides an overview of poultry farming in West Africa, with a specific focus on Nigeria, examining the performance gap between free-range and conventional production methods. The study utilizes data collected from primary and secondary sources, including a survey of 50 small-scale broiler farmers, to analyze socioeconomic factors, management systems, and production constraints. It highlights the benefits of poultry farming to agricultural academia, industries, and rural farming communities, emphasizing its role in nutrition security, income generation, and economic development. The research underscores the importance of improved management practices, farmer education, and access to resources for enhancing poultry production and bridging the performance gap between different farming approaches, ultimately contributing to sustainable agricultural intensification and food security in the region. Desklib offers a platform for students to access similar solved assignments and past papers for academic assistance.

Running Head: POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA
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Understanding the Performance gap between Free-range and Conventional Poultry
Production

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 1
Executive Summary
This study covers all aspects of poultry farming in West Africa, which is a common
practice in rural as well as urban areas. It is the most commercialized of Nigeria’s agricultural
sub-sectors. A large portion of small-scale broiler farmers in Nigeria is rural dwellers and
regularly raises livestock, for example, broilers, pigeons etc. It is also focussing on free-range
poultry production, which states that the birds are restricted to the community entirely with
no entrance to separate the confinement and it is generally accepted where property is costly
and constrained. It is exceptionally delicate and suitability to consumers is high, paying little
respect to their religious beliefs. This research gives emphasis on increased access to feed,
need for farm expansion, and effective education for the farmers. In addition, the
performance gap between free-range and conventional poultry production, benefits of
research to agricultural academia, industries and rural farming.

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 2
Introduction
Poultry Farming is a common practice in urban and some rural areas. It has developed
and grown steadily over recent years. The agriculturists use a traditional prescription to treat
chickens. The primary prospect of poultry production is market access, training facility and
ease of management. Enhancing the management practice, educating farmers, and poultry
breeds are feasible options to enhance the livelihood of the household. It is an important
source of nutrition (protein), nutrition security and income for rural households. It is an
essential part of subsistence farming and the sale of poultry creates revenue to pay for
medical care and schooling to reimburse debts (Boateng, Zickermann & Kornahrens, 2006).
This period perceived an enormous development in the industry, particularly in the
West. The size of the business grew from less than 1 million in the mid- 1960s to more than
40 million by the early parts of the 1980s (Akanni, 2007). The development of the industry
has been sustained by government initiatives and inducements in terms of technological
support, training, input support services, and others. Many of the poultry specialised staff
were products of government promoting training programmes like diagnostic services and
vaccines, which are financed, by the government. In the following an effort has been made to
discuss research methodology and benefits to agricultural academia, agricultural industries
and rural farming (Wang, Shi, Dou & Sun, 2009).
Research Methodology
Study area
This study was accomplished in Nigeria where poultry farming constitutes a main
component of the agricultural economy. It comprises 80% of the populace, which lives in
rural areas and 90% of this rural populace are farmers. Figure 1 illustrates that the percentage
of regular calories from all cattle production and the share of that coming from eggs and
poultry which states that 5% of the Nigeria population domestic production comes from
livestock. As per FAO Report (2010), poultry comes quarter among bases of animal proteins
for human intake in Nigeria and subsidizes around 27% of the national meat production.
Fruit crops, for example, pineapple, oranges, and livestock production are well known

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 3
Figure 1 Per cent of daily calories from Livestock of Nigeria
(Schneider, Gugerty, Plotnick & Anderson, 2010)
Sampling Procedure
For the purpose of this study, researchers use a simple random sampling method was
used for choosing the respondents. The respondents are farmers who rear broiler on small
scale were randomly selected to 50 respondents that was the sample size for this study. The
area is mainly rural with agriculture as their main occupation. The culture of the people
residing is homogeneous and is communality of shared customs, which ensures social order
and harmony (Okitoi, L. Ondwasy, Siamba & Nkurumah, 2007).
Data Collection
The facts for this study were selected from both primary and secondary sources using
the personal interview for poultry farmers and structured questionnaire for researchers
through random sampling technique. Descriptive statistical tools were utilized to examine the
socioeconomic attributes of the respondents, while the risk approaches embraced using a
Likert rating scale. It consists of socio-economic factors, management system adopted, a
method of land acquisition, and input-output data, for example, the source of labour,
production constraint, data on yield of broiler production.

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 4
Data Analysis
The data were administered to descriptive and quantitative analysis utilizing statistics
such as frequency distribution table, average, percentage, and means. The target population
for this study was enlisted poultry farmers as from the available data. Figure 2 illustrates the
amount of poultry production per capita in which Nigeria creates 3.66 kilograms per capita
while Niger is again the lowest manufacturer at only 0.51 kilograms per capita.A simple
random sampling technique was used in selecting the respondents that involve a random
assortment of 50 farmers (You & Diao, 2007).
Figure 2 Poultry Production
(Schneider, Gugerty, Plotnick & Anderson, 2010)
The Performance gap between free-range and conventional poultry production
A new free-range was recently recognized and a prospect to compare its dynamic
performance with conventional production under comparative management practices. Free-
range production is related to poorer bird performance, higher feed change, and higher
mortality as compared to conventional production. This performance gap results in poor
digestive health, nourishing insufficiency, and variable pasture utilization. These performance
challenges add to poor financial sustainability in the business. Broiler production is carried
out in all parts of the nation, with no social, cultural or religious inhibitions related to their
consumption. Particularly, investment in broiler initiatives is attractive in light of the fact
that, production cost per unit is low, with respect to different types of livestock, poultry meat
that is extremely delicate and commonly utilize in contrast to other birds (Połtowicz &
Doktor, 2011). In table, 1 it is estimated that most of the respondents were involved in other

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 5
economic events aside poultry production. It was assumed that 20 per cent were solely
involved in poultry production, 30% in crop agribusiness and 50 % in other economic
actions.
Table 1 Some other engagements of production-
Others No. of respondents %
Poultry Only 2 20
Agriculture(Crop Production) 3 30
Professional Employment 5 50
Comparison between free-range and conventional range chickens
Conventional chicken arises from factory farms. This means that the chickens are
packed into cages, which leads to unhealthy and unsanitary conditions very quickly. Free-
range chickens are capable to roam everywhere, get fresh air and sunlight, and have
communication with other chickens.
Free-range chickens are producing great protein source and make healthier eggs as compared
to conventional chickens are more probable to get unwell, which is why the majority of
conventional chickens are driven with antibiotics for most of the times.
The Benefit of the research to Agricultural Academia in West Africa
This research should also be a main concern and that nurturing the capacity of
organizations to produce valued research in science and engineering could aid in
transforming Africa and make broad improvements for society. It seems an improvement in
research outputs and increases in pace and quality to stepped up further. It is seen that
African researchers generate only 1 per cent, which is more doubled than their yields and
producing papers on topics from HIV, to cancer to environment change. A significant number
of academic journal realise the significance of creating, sharing, and, using information to
build human investment as a key driver of financial growth. It focuses on health and
agricultural sciences battling in serious diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS and enhances math,
science, technology, and science-based fields. It depends heavily on international

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 6
collaboration, which intends to success and growth. It coordinates higher education strategies
with development needs and rigorously implements priorities through effective funding
(Agwu, Ekwueme & Anyanwu, 2008). It promotes provincial specialization among
participating universities in territories that address specific shared provincial development
challenges.
It examines a wide array agricultural administration regime, in various regions,
concentrated on agro ecological intensification that attracts upon innovation, land restoration,
adaptation, and mitigation (Pretty, Toulmin & Williams, 2011). Researchers address several
benefits such as reduces soil nutrition deficits, imbalances that increasing biodiversity,
resource use efficiency, improves genetic adaptation to emerging and current stresses, and
managing the ecosystem. This research brings consideration to social marginalization,
corruption, power relations in a landscape, and institutional activities for multi-area
coordination. They contribute expressively to poverty mitigation, providing high-quality
protein, and enhancing food security. This market potential is an absolute economic tool for
changing the agricultural sector. This change must help in providing solutions to create jobs,
addressing the necessities of consumers, securing natural resources, etc. This research meets
the demand and dependence on global markets for food and enables countries to put
agriculture back in the right place (Corbeels, De Graaff, Ndah, Penot, Baudron, Naudin &
Rusinamhodzi, 2014).
The Benefit of the research to Agricultural Industries in West Africa
This research is benefited to agricultural industries in the context of potential
profitability as it can maximise their profits, turnover can be increased and the country’s
economy is developed. This study evaluates the economic, social, and environmental benefits
to the agricultural industries in West Africa. It begins by identifying sustainability and
priority measures. It reflects the present status of liberalisation and regional integration with
an opportunity to create esteem products, provide employment in the industry, and upgrade
income for both agriculturists and workers. It boosts productivity, improves nutrition, support
collaboration across borders, and creating sustainability (Behnke Jr, 1985).
This will enhance, adapt, disseminate, and produce improved technologies by
generating situations for regional cooperation. It also constructs institutional capacity, across
the sub-region, creates employment of youth, involves women, and adapt to climate change.

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 7
It endorsing sovereignty and contributes to security and stability in Nigeria international
standard. It fosters the production of an economic environment helpful to sustainable
agricultural intensification. This research facilitates its communication through enhanced
commitment with organisations across the landmass and building better associations with
agriculturists, the private sector, and farmers’ organizations through more prominent
activation of natural resources. It coordinates activities and promotes a vision in resolving the
general issue of underdevelopment in Nigeria. It is helpful in economic sustainability, which
includes investment, government revenue, and economic performance; social sustainability,
which states that majority of the population, is employed in agriculture and benefiting from
economies of scale. It includes employment, poverty, food security, and gender security.
Environmental sustainability paid special consideration to the use of inputs and land use for
agricultural biodiversity (Oladunni & Fatuase, 2014). This encourages trade facilitation at a
provincial level and rearranges and streamlines requirements and strategies related with
imports and exports with a specific focus on customs valuation, pre-shipment review, import
licensing. It will enhance transparency, fosters competitiveness and advance trade
(Nchuchuwe & Adejuwon, 2012). This research is benefited in agricultural industries and if
the industry grows and develops in the same way, it gains profitability and development at a
great pace.
The Benefit of the research to Rural Farming in West Africa
The benefits of this research to rural farming in West Africa are focused on
maintaining and building small-scale rural farmers for productive use. In this, green
revolution enables a game changer and offers economies of scale and productivity in the near
future. It gives emphasis on overall employment, improved food security, rural employment,
healthier economy, and more robust rural infrastructure. It helps in decision-making and
improves on their farming techniques. It contributes greatly to the provision of food and raw
industrial material. It mainly provides employment opportunities for the people, as many
theorists and researchers believed that it encompasses development planning. This had many
‘revolutions’ and significant changes in agricultural industries in the present period. This
research made rural development into massive transformation and develop new technologies
in the era. It has the desire to secure the degradation of natural resources and enhance the
need for food production to the growing population. It has increased dramatically through the

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 8
process of modernization. They put more efforts to formulate policies and strategies to spread
technology to farmers (Atta-Krah & Francis, 1987).
Moreover, it is differentiated either socially or economically based on relative sizes
and nature of their landholdings, and levels of capitalisation, which influence labour intensity
and operational scale (Kristjanson, Swallow, Rowlands, Kruska & De Leeuw, 1999). It will
increase their changed levels of cropped areas, levels of productivity, domesticated property,
and outputs. This research gives rural farming a way to move ahead in bringing success and
development to the organization in the current and prospective era (Dal Bosco, Mugnai,
Rosati, Paoletti Caporali & Castellini, 2014).
Conclusion
This research provides a detailed overview of poultry production efficiency of small-
scale broilers farmers in West Africa, Nigeria. The outcomes of the study exhibited that
poultry farming inclined the technical competence of broiler production using artificial
insemination. The particular purposes were to assess the productivity of poultry farming and
govern the factors that increase the likelihood of production. This analysis offers some
opportunities to expand poultry production and subsidizes around 25% of the cultivated local
products of the Nigerian economy. They still have to enhance their production regarding
broiler birds. These analysis objectives were to estimate effectiveness of poultry production
and control the factors prompting total revenue attained in poultry production in the study
area. It provides new economic opportunities and new advancements in the region of the
poultry sector. The poultry industry in Nigeria owns a prominent position as the chief source
of animal protein supply to the resident. It is practised in all levels from subsistence to large-
scale business operations. The poultry business has a huge capacity in Nigeria to create
employment. The potential in Nigeria is abundant and only the farmers can fill the gap and
tackle these opportunities. The challenge is to manufacture poultry products at feasible levels
in order to fill the protein supply gap in the future.

POULTRY FARMING IN WEST AFRICA 9
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