An Analysis Of Factors Hindering The Development Of Indigenous Chicken Production In Smallholder Farming Communities Of Zimbabwe, A Case Of Ward 10 In Bindura District
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The research was designed to analyze the factors hindering indigenous chicken production inn Zimbabwe’s rural communities with particular reference to Bindura district. A sample of 105 households was drawn from a population of 1050 smallholder farming households. A Questionnaire was administered and interviews conducted to generate date from the sampled participants. Collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 (1997). The response rate for this research was 95.2% which resulted in a sample of 100 households being actively involved in the study. The findings of this study revealed that village chicken production is an important facet of smallholder livestock production as it is rated highly for its multi-purpose functions and low input requirements. Farmers rarely sell village chickens as they are viewed as an investment to cushion unknown eventualities. Provision of manure, sanitation, entertainment and time telling
were found to be latent functions of indigenous chickens. Low input production systems based on scavenging resulted in inadequate management in
terms of housing, feeding and health care, which resulted in high incidences of predation, theft, malnutrition and diseases that caused high mortality rates and uneconomic productivity. High chick wastage rate were found to be the most significant factors hindering village chicken production (p< 0.05). Although farmers viewed high mortality and low productivity as the major constraints in village chicken production, the study revealed that mortality was a result of mediocre management systems practiced. The challenges were exacerbated by lack of funding which compromised research and extension and limited access to information on modern indigenous chicken production technologies. The study finally recommended that intervention strategies should seek to improve on housing, nutrition and health care to reduce chick mortality rates.
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