Abstract:
In Kenya, rural poultry farming has been recognized as an important tool for income generation as well as the
improvement of livelihood for the rural poor. However, most farming households keep indigenous chickens
in scavenging systems characterized by low productivity. In response to this, the Korea Programme on
International Agriculture (KOPIA) center in Nairobi collaborated with the County Government of Meru to
disseminate localized technologies and provide technical support to indigenous poultry farmers using the model
village approach. This paper aims to assess the impact of the project on participating poultry farmers in Meru
County Kenya. Data was collected from beneficiaries and a control group through a survey of 236 households
in the model villages. Descriptive analysis was used to compare production and profitability before and after
situations for participating farmers and compare participating and non-participating farmers. Results indicate
an increase in the use of poultry feeds, veterinary medicines and rearing of improved indigenous chicken breeds
among participating farmers. Despite an increase in in the average variable cost of production by 213% and
incidences of droughts, there was an increase in gross margin of 1190% attributed to higher eggs and chicken
sales. The study recommends that future efforts should include collective marketing to improve market access
and lower cost of production inputs. Assisting farmers to convert their groups to farmer cooperatives will not
only enable get benefits of collective action, but can also access credit for farm improvements.
