Adopting Poultry Breeds in the Highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

There are 56.5 million species of poultry in Ethiopia. Local chickens constitute about 99% of poultry population in small-scale rural farms (Alemu and Tadelle 1997). The total poultry egg and meat production is estimated to be about 78, 000 and 72, 300 metric tones, respectively. However, per capita consumption of these products is very low relative to the world and African standards. The predominant rural poultry production systems are characterized by low input, scavenging and traditional management. Local breeds under traditional management system receive some supplementation based on available grains, by-products, and food scraps. Moreover, rural poultry suffer serious losses from predators and diseases. Though the effect of poultry disease is well known, conventional treatment techniques are expensive to use and are not adequate in coverage and protection for rural chickens. The indigenous birds are small and low in meat and egg production (EARO 2000). For example, the productivity of scavenging hens is 40-60 small-sized eggs/bird/year (Tadelle 1996; Alemu and Tadelle 1997). On the other hand, the modern poultry production system is limitted and confined to urban and peri-urban areas. It contributes less than 2% of egg and meat production in the country. Although poultry sector holds an important position for economic development and food security in Ethiopia, systematic studies have not been conducted to assess the rate and intensity of adoption of exotic poultry breeds and farmers’ response to improved poultry technologies. Information regarding use of exotic poultry breeds and associated improved management practices (feeding, housing, health, etc.) is very limited. Adoption behaviors may be depicted by more than one variable. It may be depicted by a discrete choice, whether to use an innovation or not, or by a continuous variable, which indicates to what extent an innovation is used. The specific objectives of this study are to examine the rate and extent of adoption of exotic poultry breeds and to identify and quantify factors that influence adoption of poultry production technologies in rural small-scale poultry production systems. The rate of adoption in this study refers to the percentage of farmers who have adopted exotic poultry breeds. The intensity of adoption is the proportion of exotic poultry breeds against a total poultry population that a given household possess.