BOTSWANA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

AND NATURAL RESOURCES

FACULTY OF AGRIBUSINESS, EDUCATION AND
EXTENSION

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED

ECONOMICS

ANALISYS OF FACTORS AFFECTING

POULTRY PRODUCTION AND MARKETING
IN SEROWE REGION

PROGRAMME: BSC AEC

NAME: AMANTLE AME GOSETSENG

SUPERVISOR: Ms PHUU SIGNATURE: _________________

STUDENT ID: 201700394 SIGNATURE: _________________

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5

LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6-7

CHAPTER 1……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8

1. 1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………8
2. 1.1 Background of the problem………………………………………………………………………………8
3. 1.2 Problem statement………………………………………………………………………………………........9
4. 1.3 Objectives of the study……………………………………………………………………………………10
5. 1.4 Significance of the Study………………………………………………………………………………..10
6. 1.5 Limitations………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10

CHAPTER 2……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12

7. 2.1 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………………………….12

CHAPTER 3…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19

8. 3.0 Research Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………….19

9. 3.1 Research Type and Design………………………………………………………………………………19
10. 3.2 Research Population…………………………………………………………………………………………19
11. 3.3 Sampling……………………………………………………………………………………………………………19
12. 3.4 Instrumentation………………………………………………………………………………………………..20
13. 3.5 Data Collection Procedure……………………………..…………………………………………………20
14. 3.6 Ethical Considerations………………………………………………………………………………………20
15. 3.7 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………………….20

CHAPTER 4…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………22

16. 4.0 Data presentation and Discussion……………………………………………………………………22

17. 4.1 Respondents background information…………………………………………………………….22
18. 4.2 Possible problems affecting poultry production and marketing…………………….28
19. 4.3 Possible solutions………………………………………………………………………………………………37
20. 4.4 DISCUSSION…………………………………………………………………………………………………4.2

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CHAPTER 5………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..46

21. 5.1 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………………………….46

22. 5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………………………………………46
23. REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………………………………………48-50

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ABSTRACT

This study provides a review of the challenges facing poultry production and marketing in
Serowe and the possible solutions through a survey. This study was conducted using a
structured questionnaire to examine challenges faced by poultry producers in Serowe and to
identify the possible solutions that can help resolve those problems. A random sample of
thirty poultry farmers was selected and given the questionnaire. The main challenges of the
industry include lack of slaughter facilities for small-scale broiler producers, lack of access
to markets, delayed allocation of land by the Land Boards, low output of marketable
chicken products due to low productivity and inadequate Extension Service. To overcome
these constraints, government intervention is required. Possible solutions to these
challenges are not farfetched, which included technical know-how for improving
production should be made available to poultry keepers through extension service, poultry
farmers should be encouraged to form cooperative societies or join existing ones to be able
to access loan for their business and addressing these challenges will prove vital to increase
production, increase animal protein availability and consumption, and reduce the rate of
food insecurity. The study revealed most farmers have the knowledge about poultry
farming and most of them were familiar with the challenges and solutions which can be
used to address the issue of poultry production and marketing

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 ACKOWLEDGEMENT

First, my sincere thanks and gratitude goes to my supervisor Miss Zorinah Phuu for
devoting her time to read through this research project report and aiding that enabled me to
continue with the study up until the end. Secondly, I would also like to extend my special
heartfelt thanks to the respondents of this study for their cooperation in providing data
which enabled me to complete this project report. Lastly, but not least I thank my parents
for the financial support that was key to ensuring that I meet the financial obligation for the
study. May God, the Almighty bless them abundantly.

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 Gender

Table 1.2 Age

Table 1.3 Level of education

Table 1.4 Influencer

Table 1.5. Profitability

Table 1.6 Years in poultry farming

Table 1.7 Reasons for doing poultry farming

Table 1.8 Number of workers in the farm

Table 1.9 Coefficientsa

Table 1.10 Model Summary

Table 1.11 ANOVAa

Table 2.1 Lack of access to markets

Table 2.2 Outbreak of Diseases and parasites

Table 2.3 Lack of investment and working capital

Table 2.4 Less access to adequate extension officers

Table 2.5 Expensive poultry feeds and veterinary drugs

Table 2.6 Shortage of day-old chicks’ suppliers

Table 2.7 Lack of slaughtering facilities

Table 2.8 Low prices offered by wholesalers and retailers

Table 2.9 Lack of utilities such as electricity, water, and telephones

Table 2.10 Poor quality feeds and unregulated supply of stock

Table 2.11 Lack of input suppliers

Table 2.12 High chick mortality

Table 2.13 Lack of refrigerated transport

Table 2.14 Low output of marketable chicken products

Table 2.15Lack of proper poultry and egg marketing information

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Table 2.16 Lack of skilled personnel/ local poultry experience

Table 2.17 Lack of cold storage

Table 2.18Delayed allocation of land

Table 3.1 Visiting farmers projects by extension officers

Table 3.2 Conducting training courses for poultry farmers

Table 3.3 Building slaughtering facilities

Table 3.4 Farmers Training

Table 3.5 Effective extension and veterinary services

Table 3.6 Provision of appropriate marketing information

Table 3.7 Formation of cooperative societies

Table 3.8 Establishment of pullet rearing facilities

Table 3.9 Expanding broiler breeding facilities

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CHAPTER 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM

The standing of poultry to the national economy cannot be overemphasized, as it has

become prevalent industry for the small holders that have great input to the national
economy. In improving rural livelihood, food security and poverty reduction in rural and
semi-urban societies, small scale poultry farming plays an important role (Badubi et. al.,
2004). Today, commercial broiler farming has become a promising and dynamic industry
with great potential, a means of reducing poverty by creating self-employment and income
generation for unemployed family members. Botswana has the highest prevalence of
poultry among all livestock (Moreki, 2011). Batswana families mostly own chickens as
their backyard farming, providing the family with a valuable source of protein and bonus
income. In Botswana, chickens are processed and sold to the retail market, meat processing
plants and training institutions. Some chickens are sold live to the locals and are mainly
from the small poultry business which lacks slaughtering and cooling facilities for
processing chickens.

According to Moreki (2010), the poultry industry is one of Botswana’s major agricultural
industry and its value is estimated to be P1 billion. However, it faces many challenges like
any other industry, some of them being lack of access to markets, poor quality feeds and
unregulated supply of stock, lack of input supplier’s, high cost of feed and veterinary drugs.
There is also lack of utilities such as electricity, water and telephones, low prices offered by
wholesalers and retailers, lack of slaughtering facilities and outbreak of diseases and
parasites (Poultry Annual Report 2001; Moreki, 2010). Recently, there was a shortage of
day-old chickens due to the Global pandemic (Corona Virus), probably leading to very high
price increases which is one of the challenges that the poultry farmers face. Despite these
constraints, the industry is booming and growing exponentially.

The poultry sector is characterized by faster growth in consumption and trade globally than
any other major agricultural sector (Poultry Annual Report, 2001). As commercial poultry
production in Botswana has grown rapidly over the last thirty years, the industry
contributes significantly to the animal protein supply of the country. According to Anon
(2008), Botswana is currently self-sufficient in poultry meat, contributing not only to food

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security but also to rural employment. However, the country imports virtually all the pullets
from neighbouring countries, notably the Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe. There
are only two hatcheries in Botswana which can produce about 95% of the country’s Day-
Old Broiler chick requirements, which implies that 5% of the DOCs are still imported and
that most Botswana poultry production is small-scale. According to Kelebemang (2008),
the industry employed about 4, 500 people (most women) in 2008 as compared to 3, 050 in
2007.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Lack of access to markets for produce is a major source of vulnerability for those who
depend on poultry farming for income (Anon, 2004). The success of any type of poultry
operation is closely linked to the market level of the produce. In addition, chickens are an
important source of income for rural communities and the country’s main source of foreign
exchange. However, this great potential is not properly exploited. Badubi et al. (2004)
stated that small-scale broiler producers have difficulty accessing large retail stores because
they cannot supply regular broiler meat. Poultry farmers then suffer losses because they are
forced to sell to individual consumers at a very low price so that production is not wasted.
One of the heartbreaking issues is that some farmers end up selling the slaughtered
chickens to dog breeders at very cheap prices. This is due to not having enough market
where they can slaughter and deliver, hence in summer more especially, the produce must
not stay for up to a week without being sold. According to Anon (2004), supermarkets do
not buy products from small-scale broiler producers under the excuse that chickens are not
slaughtered hygienically, making it difficult for small-scale broiler producers to penetrate
the market. There is shortage of suppliers of Day-old chickens and unorganized supply of
poor-quality feeds (Moreki, 2011). Poultry Chickens require constant feeding for them to
grow faster or produce faster, but if the feeds are not enough then it becomes a problem as
buyers always wants to meet the deadline agreed upon of when to slaughter and deliver the
produce. Moreki (2011) also stated that Backyard chicken flocks and other poultry are
vulnerable to diseases such as coccidiosis and avian influenza which may result in massive
losses for the poultry owner. According to Poultry Annual Report (2001), one of the major
constraints in small-scale poultry production is lack of slaughter facilities. This makes the
supply to be slow since slaughtering must be done by hand.

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Without adequate response measures, these challenges threaten to cause setbacks to the
overall economy and to the poultry farmers. The purpose of this study is to determine the
factors that affect poultry farmers in the Serowe Region. This study will attempt to
examine the limitations posed by these problems to the growth of the poultry industry.
Recommendations on how to control these problems being faced by the industry will also
be made.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to assess the factors affecting poultry production and
marketing in the Serowe Region.
The specific Objectives of the study are.

 To identify demographic characteristics of poultry farmers in Serowe.

 To identify factors affecting production and marketing of poultry in the study
area and possible solutions to them.
 To identify available market outlets for poultry farmers in the study area.

1.4 SIGNIFIANCE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study is to to assess the factors affecting poultry production; therefore, it
is important to the poultry farmers because it will help them to be aware of the problems
and how they can solve them. The study is also significant to Government of Botswana
because from the results the government can come up with ways of mitigating those
challenges by so doing improving the production status of our country. It will also be
important to future aspiring poultry farmers to always be ready of the problems that comes
along with this industry.

1.5 LIMITATIONS

The study is limited by time which is why it will be carried out in only in one region, in this
case Serowe because the researcher is a full-time student, and she does not have enough
time to travel the whole country to collect the required data. That means the whole country
will not be covered when conducting the study to cover the time allocated for the research.
There are also not enough funds that will make it possible to carry out the study in all parts
of Botswana hence only one place is chosen to focus the study on. Another limitation is

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that most poultry farmers practice backyard farming, which means their businesses are not
commercialized as they are not registered at all, hence there are few commercialized
poultry farmers at Serowe. Also, the results will be limited by the case study sample size,
the research is based in Serowe and a few information is going to be generated unlike when
a case study was to be based on a large sample which could have generated more accurate
results.

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CHAPTER 2

2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW

INTRODUCTION

According to Moreki (2011), the poultry industry is now considered one of the most
important success story of Botswana's agricultural development and import substitution
policy. Botswana is now largely self-sufficient in poultry meat and eggs. Since its humble
beginnings, poultry meat and egg production has grown to meet the country's greater needs.
However, the poultry industry is dominated by few large-scale producers who account for
less than 10% of the total producers but supply more than 80% of the market necessities
(Badubi et. al. 2004). The local poultry industry can be broadly divided into commercial and
traditional sectors (Moreki, 2010). The commercial sector uses exceptionally high yielding
bird species (high egg production and rapid growth rate), which are intensively reared and fed
completely, while low-yielding indigenous varieties that are unsupported tend to roam freely
in the field looking for food prevail in the traditional sector. The commercial sector can be
further categorized into small-scale (up to 20 000 birds), medium-scale (20 001 to 50 000
birds) and large-scale (>50 000 birds). Over 90% of eggs and meat come from medium and
large-scale commercial farms while the rest comes from small-scale farms.

The government has set up financial assistance programs such as Livestock Management and
Infrastructure Development (LIMID) to support citizen poultry meat producers (Ministry of
Agriculture 2006, 2010) set up poultry slaughterhouses to improve market access and
cleanliness throughout the country. Despite the potential benefits of small-scale poultry
production and Government support, the industry faces challenges including lack of market
access, high cost of feed and veterinary drugs, lack of utilities (electricity, water, and
telephones), halaal, low prices offered by wholesalers and retailers and lack of slaughtering
facilities (Poultry Annual Report 2001; Moreki, 2010).

Moreki (2011) further stated that chicken meat increased over time. In 2005 and 2009,
chicken meat production decreased by 37.7% and 11.3%, respectively. The sharp decline in
chicken meat production in 2005 has been linked to Newcastle Disease (NCD) outbreaks on
some farms in Botswana and South Africa. Likewise, imports of chicken meat increased over
time. The increase in imports observed in 2009 is linked to an increase in the number of

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immigrants from neighbouring countries due to political and economic reasons and to an
outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the Gantsi region. An outbreak of foot and mouth
disease has put restrictions on the movement of beef, chevon (goat meat), lamb and pork,
which has increased the demand for poultry meat.

REVIEWS

Adebayo and Adeola (2005) investigated the factors affecting poultry farmers in Ejigbo Local
Government area of Osun State, Nigeria. A total of 50 poultry farmers in 10 political wards
of the local government area were chosen by random sampling techniques. The interview
schedule was used to collect information from respondents. Frequency distribution and
Pearson correlation technique were used for data analysis. The study revealed that majority of
the respondents (74%) fall within the age group of 20-40 years followed by 24 percent in the
age group of 41-50 years and 2 per cent in the age group of 60 years and above. It was also
observed that 89 percent of respondents had one form of formal education or another while
11 per cent had no formal education. Given the nature of poultry farming, 63 per cent of
respondents engaged in the production of layered birds, followed by 36 per cent that keep
both layers and broiler birds. Only 1 per cent of the respondents engaged in broiler
production only. The study also revealed that majority of the respondents (70%) had birds
ranging from 1000 to 3000 followed by 25 per cent in the range of 3000 birds and above
while 5 percent had less than 1000 birds.

In addition, the results of this study showed that limited funding, high input, and labour costs
combined with unfriendly government policies have negatively affected the overall
performance of poultry farmers. Furthermore, inability of the respondents in accessing
extension services is indicative of the government's volatile politics and policies. Prior to this
study, for example, the current government largely dismissed extension commissioners in the
study area and consequently linked extension equipment (Agricultural Development
Programs) with other agencies. However, this exercise had a negative impact on the effective
functioning of the extension system and the performance of extension officers in the study
area.

The same authors concluded that age distribution of the respondents fell within the
productive age of 25-50 years. Lack of funding, infrastructure facilities, access to veterinary
and extension services, labour and government policies are some of the problems faced by

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poultry farmers in the study area. The authors recommended adjusting government policies to
improve the provision of input at grant rates, effective extension, and veterinary services.
They also said poultry farmers should be encouraged to have access to financial institutions
to obtain loans at low interest rates. Finally, extension activities should focus on training
farmers to improve production management, which allows them to use available resources
efficiently and increase productivity.

Another author, Moreki (2011) conducted a study to investigate marketing constraints in

small-scale broiler production in 13 centres of Botswana. Data were analysed using Microsoft
Excel. Descriptive statistics such as means, and percentages were used to summarize the
results. A total of 138 farmers and 178 retailers were interviewed using a structured
questionnaire. The study targeted small-scale broiler producers and retailers/wholesalers in
13 centres (Lobatse, Ramotswa, Kanye, Tlokweng, Mogoditshane, Gaborone, Mochudi,
Molepolole, Mahalapye, Palapye, Serowe, Francistown, Selibe Phikwe, and Maun). A total of
138 small scale broiler producers were interviewed and most of the respondents were from
Francistown which has a larger number of producers than the other centres included in this
study. In addition, 178 traders were interviewed.

The results showed that 70% of producers slaughtered their chickens in the backyards, and/or
under trees, indicating that hygiene was a major challenge. In addition, chickens were sold
alive to the public. According to the author, the results imply that the producers did not have
slaughter facilities, which causes the hygiene standards in accordance with the Cattle Meat
Industries Act of 2007 not to be met. Forty-seven percent of the famers said halaal was a
major constraint to market access. Other restraints included low prices offered by chain
stores, lack of slaughter facilities, high costs of feed and veterinary drugs, high chick
mortality, high utility costs, lack of services and lack of refrigerated transport. Similarly, 47%
of the traders said they purchased only halaal meat. These results suggested that halaal
requirement by some retailers and lack of slaughter facilities could be a hindrance to market
access by small-scale broiler producers.

Natukunda et. al. (2011) conducted a study in Kamuli Town Council and Namasagali sub-
country located in Kamuli District in Eastern Uganda. The farmers in the study area were
purposively selected as the sampling procedure used was purposive and random. Rural
Development Extensionists (RDEs) actively participated in the selection of representative
farmers in the study area. Chicken production potential and accessibility were the main

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criteria considered in the selection of farmers. Simple random sampling technique was
applied to choose 50 indigenous chicken farmers from each sub-county by giving equal
chance for those farmers who had sold indigenous chickens in the last 12 months.

The data was intensively collected through individual home interviews using organized and
pre-tested structured questionnaires. Direct observations were also used to assess the
available local chickens, chicken feeding and rearing conditions. A closer visit in and around
the residential areas of selected households and their surroundings was made to directly
observe all aspects of local chicken breeding. Relevant data such as local chicken production
systems, livestock dynamics, and production and marketing constraints that affect
profitability were collected from selected local poultry farmers and RDEs. The qualitative
and quantitative datasets were analysed using SPSS statistical analysis software (SPSS,
2007). Descriptive statistics and a Multiple Linear Regression Model were used for this
study. Tables and figures were used to present summary statistics such as mean and
percentages.

To assess the importance of the factors that influence profitability, a Multiple Linear
Regressing Model was run using the method of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). The
significance level of the variable was tested using the t-test with a significance level of 5%.
Gross margin per bird was the dependent variable. The constant α indicates the profit or loss
that the farmer would receive per bird if all other factors were constant. An error term μ was
included in the model to consider other factors that were not included in the model but still
affect the level of profit. A multiple Linear Regression Model of the factors affecting
profitability was specified as below:

GM = α + β1X1 + β2X2 + β3X3 + β4X4 + β5X5 + β6X6 + β7X7 + μ

Where:

GM = Gross margin per bird (Uganda Shillings)

α = Constant (intercept)

X1 = Total average costs (Uganda Shillings)

X2 = Distance to the nearest market (Km)

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X3 = Household size

X4 = Access to extension services

X5 = Belonging to a farmers' group

X6 = Education level

X7 = Experience in indigenous chicken rearing (years)

μ = Random error term

According to Natukunda et al. (2011), chicken and egg marketing was affected by low output
of marketable chicken products due to disease outbreak, predation and low productivity,
presence of a few market outlets, lack of proper poultry and egg marketing information to
producers and inadequate capital to expand chicken production and marketing activities.
Farmers earned an average of 5,000 Uganda Shilling (USH) per bird sold. Profit was found to
be affected by total average costs, distance to the nearest market, and access to extension
services, education level and experience. However, total average costs, access to extension
services, education level and experience were significant at 1% while distance to the nearest
market was significant at 5%.

The author concluded that Marketing of local poultry is still informal and here is hardly any
organized marketing structure. The chickens are mainly marketed alive, and this presents
many challenges in terms of transport and handling. The study identified several factors that
influence the level of profit earned by local poultry farmers. These include total average cost,
distance to the nearest market, and access to extension services, education level and local
poultry experience. Natukunda et. al. (2011) recommended to provide appropriate marketing
information to local chicken producers. This is important for improving the chicken and egg
marketing system in the study area. Another recommendation was that almost all domestic
chicken producers surveyed in the study area were interested in improving chicken
production and productivity. This could be an opportunity and potential for intervention
activities for chicken production and development.

Dinka et al. (2010) conducted a study about Major Constraints and Health Management of
Village Poultry Production in Rift Valley of Oromia, Ethiopia. The study was conducted in
five randomly selected districts of west Arsi and east Shoa zones (Siraro, Shalla,

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Shashamane, Adami-Tullu Jido kombolcha and Boset). In total, 88 poultry households were
randomly selected and interviewed using structured questionnaire. As a result, data was
collected on key barriers (health, marketing, and other issues), health management,
opportunities, and challenges of village poultry production in mid rift valley of Oromia. The
collected data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive
statistics such as mean, range, frequency and percentage were used to summarize and present
the results. Critical constraints for village poultry production in the study area were identified
as: diseases and predators, lack of proper health care, poor feeding, and poor marketing
information. Replacing native chickens with exotic chicken breeds also poses a significant
risk of depletion of native genetic resources. Newcastle Disease was identified as a major and
economically important health constraint that hinders the expansion of village poultry
production in the study area.

The research study has shown that chicken product prices vary from month to month and
were determined by several factors. Some of these determinants that affect the price of
chicken products in the study area have been identified as supply and demand for chicken
products, market day types (holidays versus regular market days), and fasting times. The
supply and demand of chicken products was closely related to religious festivals centred on
Christian festivals. In addition, observations of feather colour (45.4%), physique and shank
length (37.1%), looking the type of comb (8.6%) and looking parent’s performance/pedigree
(1.1%) play great role during marketing. Therefore, they recommended designing and
implementing of research programs to collect, preserve and improve local chickens to
increase poultry production and productivity in the region

According to Mosinyi, (1999) the poultry faces many challenges and some of the
constraints include, lack of slaughter facilities, especially for small-scale farmers resulting in
poorly processed birds and lack of proper hygiene, Inadequate extension service, for example
mobile inspection; Inadequacy of transport hampers meat inspection activities leading to slow
implementation of the Livestock and Meat Industries Act; Unorganized marketing; Poor
quality feeds (nutrition); Lack of cold storage leading to meat spoilage; Lack of utilities
such as water, electricity and telephone system in the farms or rather homes where people
practice backyard farming. Badubi et al. (2004) stated that small-scale broiler producers have
difficulties in gaining access to big retail outlets because they cannot offer a regular supply of
broiler meat. The workers argue that small-scale poultry farmers do not have economies of

17
scale to compete with the large-scale commercial enterprises and therefore remain
marginalized.

CONCLUSION

In general, the poultry industry is thriving despite numerous challenges. The lack of
slaughtering facilities for small poultry producers, the spread of diseases and unregulated
marketing are the biggest challenges facing the industry. This shows that a consultancy
service is needed to expedite the training of farmers in meat processing. The poultry industry
plays a key role in Botswana's economy, creating jobs (especially for women) and alleviating
poverty in rural areas.

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CHAPTER 3

3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 RESEARCH TYPE AND DESIGN

A quantitative research design and descriptive research design will be used for the study.
They are both an appropriate method because descriptive design can yield rich data that lead
to important recommendations in practice and collects a large amount of data for detailed
analysis. In a descriptive design, a researcher is solely interested in describing the situation or
case under their research study (Lambert, & Lambert, 2012). It is a theory-based design
method which is created by gathering, analysing, and presenting collected data. This allows a
researcher to provide insights into the why and how of research. According to Maxwell
(2012), Quantitative design is for cases where statistical conclusions to collect actionable
insights are essential.

3.2 RESEARCH POPULATION

The study will be conducted at the Serowe Region. Serowe was chosen to be the focus of the
study because according to literature review, (Moreki, 2010) stated that Serowe experiences
more challenges in the poultry industry. The population chosen will consist mainly of poultry
farmers (both broiler production and egg production) since they are the ones affected.

3.3 SAMPLING

A simple random sampling method will be used to select farmers from the village wards as
sample for the study. This is the appropriate method of sampling because everyone has the
same probability of being selected to be a part of a sample hence it is not biased. A list of all
the farmers that will be participating in the survey will be made. A sequential number will be
allocated to each farmer. The sample size will be decided upon after knowing the population
size of poultry farmers. Purposive sampling technique was used to select only
commercialized horticultural farmers especially those that have been funded by government
and non- government institutions or self- sponsored. After purposive sampling, random

19
sampling was used to select 30 respondents, which was done by using sample size calculation
for simple random sampling. The Purposive sampling was used with the intention to only
select farmers who are producing for sale purposes because of the capital and labor intensive
of the nature of commercialization

3.4 INSTRUMENTATION

A self-constructed questionnaire will be used to collect data from respondents. The questions
will aim at finding out demographic characteristics of poultry farmers, their awareness on the
marketing of their produce, what challenges they are facing as poultry farmers.

3.5 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE

Questionnaires will be used to collect data from the poultry farmers. A structured
questionnaire which will be designed based on review of the related literature and objectives
of the study will be used to collect data from the sample. Farmers will be visited, given the
questionnaire papers so they can fill them up and then collected later to record the results
obtained. Direct observation will also be used.

3.6 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Full Consent will be obtained first from farmers prior to the study for attempting a
questionnaire or to be part of the survey and if they are not willing to take part then they will
not be forced to do so. Willing candidates will be issued with questionnaires instead.
Research participants will not be subjected to harm in any ways whatsoever. The protection
of the privacy of research participants will be ensured, adequate level of confidentiality of the
research data and anonymity of individuals participating in the research. The use of offensive,
inequitable, or other unacceptable dialectal will be maintained a strategic distance
from within the formulation of the Survey so that our participants will be willing to take part
without feeling disrespected.

3.7 DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE/PROCEDURE

Data collected will be analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), with
frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviation and descriptive statistics to
identify the major or most prevalent factors affecting poultry production. Linear regression
model will be used to summarize the whole model

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Y =b0 +b 1 x 1 +b 2 x 2 +… bn x n +u

Where;

Y ❑ = dichotomous response variable

b 0= constant term.

b n= coefficient of stimulus variable.

x n= dependent variables

u❑= error term.

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CHAPTER 4

4.0 DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION

This chapter shows the summary of results and discussions from the study. These are
captured under the following subtitles according to the study; Respondent’s background
information, possible problems affecting poultry production and marketing and lastly
possible solutions to those problems.

From the questionnaire, famers were asked about their background information, possible
problems affecting poultry production and marketing and lastly the possible solutions that
may be used to solve those problems. A Likert scale was used to collect all the information
so, respondents had to agree or disagree. A Likert scale is a type of psychometric response
scale in which responders specify their level of agreement to a statement typically in four
points: (1) Strongly Disagree; (2) Disagree; (3) Agree; (4) Strongly agree.

4.1 RESPONDENT’S BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. GENDER

Table 1.1 Gender

Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Female 21 70.0 70.0 70.0
Male 9 30.0 30.0 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Out of all the 30 respondents that were contacted, 21 of them were females with a higher
percentage of 70.0% while 9 were males with a lower percentage of 30%. This shows that
females are more involved in poultry farming than males.

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 2. AGE

Table1. 2 Age
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 16-25 19 63.3 63.3 63.3
26-35 6 20.0 20.0 83.3
36-45 3 10.0 10.0 93.3
46-55 2 6.7 6.7 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The ages of respondents would show the energy level and the importance attached to the
project. The table above shows that there are 19 individuals from the age range of 16-25 and
6 individual farmers from the age range of 26-35, meaning that more youth are involved in
poultry farming with a percentage of 63.3 and 20.0, respectively. Looking at the results,
elderly people are less involved in poultry farming since the numbers show that only 3 people
are from the age range of 36-45 and 2 from 46-55.

3. LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Table 1.3 Level of education

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Illiterate 4 13.3 13.3 13.3
Junior 16 53.3 53.3 66.7
Senior 7 23.3 23.3 90.0
Tertiary 3 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The results shows that there are 16 people with Junior education involved in poultry with a
percentage of 53.3%, followed by 7 people holding Senior secondary education with a
percentage of 23.3%. This shows that the participants are fairly educated, high literacy level is
an indication of possible high success rate of poultry. There are 4 illiterate farmers who practice

23
poultry, and only 3 who possess tertiary education. This basically means that more people
with Junior education are the ones who practices poultry farming while the illiterate and
tertiary people are less involved.

4. WHO INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO GO FOR POULTRY FARMING?

Table 1.4 Influencer

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Parents 3 10.0 10.0 10.0
Siblings 2 6.7 6.7 16.7
Yourself 25 83.3 83.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Most of the poultry farmers are the ones who encouraged themselves to venture into poultry
farming. This is depicted by the above results as it shows that 25 out of 30 with a percentage
of 83.3% respondents indicated that they influenced themselves to go for poultry farming.
This shows that they are in poultry farming willingly. Only 16.7% of the respondents were
influenced by parents and siblings.

5. IS POULTRY FARMING PROFITABLE?

Table1.5 Profitability
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid YES 16 53.3 53.3 53.3
NO 14 46.7 46.7 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Respondents were asked if poultry farming is profitable or not and from the 30 individuals,
14 disagreed with the statement and 16 agreed with it being profitable. 46.7% of the
respondents showed that there is no profit in poultry farming while 53.3% indicated that they
get profit from it. This indicate that farmers in Serowe region get income from poultry
farming while some do not.

24
 6. HOW YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN IN POULTRY FARMING

Table 1.6 Years in poultry farming

Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid 2 to 4 years 14 46.7 46.7 46.7
4 to 6 years 16 53.3 53.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The table above shows that 53.3% of the farmers have between 4 to 6 years in the poultry
industry, meaning that they have developed more experience in poultry farming. 46.7% of the
farmers had 2 to 4 years in poultry and that means they have less time being in the poultry
industry, an indication that could mean that they still lack some experience.

7. REASONS FOR BEING IN THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

Table 1.7 Reasons for doing poultry farming

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid commercial purposes 30 100.0 100.0 100.0

The results clearly shows that all the 30 respondents practice poultry farming only for selling
and making profit instead of family consumption.

8. NUMBER OF WORKERS

Table 1.8 Number of workers in the farm

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Less than 5 26 86.7 86.7 86.7
5 to 10 4 13.3 13.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Out of 30 respondents 26 indicated that they have less than 5 employees while only 4 had 5 to
10 employees. This means that most farmers do not need more employees as their poultry
farms do not require more workers.

25
 Table 1.9 Coefficientsa
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Std.
Model B Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) -15.921 1.515 -10.507 .000
Gender 4.579 .844 .249 5.427 .000
Age 2.761 .880 .293 3.136 .005
Level of Education 1.340 1.040 .127 1.288 .211
Influencer 2.356 .697 .171 3.379 .003
Years in Poultry 3.000 1.109 .173 2.705 .013
farming
Profitability 3.264 1.079 .188 3.024 .006
Number of workers .490 1.271 .019 .386 .703
a. Dependent Variable: RESPONDENT

Table 9. shows that an econometric model was run to analyse the influence of factors to
production, a linear regression model was used. We look at the beta signs of the factors, the t-
statics, standard error, and the significance. All the factors have a positive relationship with
the dependent variable since there is no negative sign. A 1% increase in Gender will lead to a
4.6% increase in the dependent variable of which that is the poultry farmers when all things
are held constant. Similarly, a 1% decrease in Gender will lead to 4.6% decrease in the
number of poultry farmers or production, cetris paribus.

Age will result in a 2.8% increase in the number of poultry farmers or productivity when it
increases by 1% all things held constant, and its 1% decrease will lead to the number of
poultry farmers decreasing by 2.8%.

The results also shows that when all things are held constant, a 1% increase in education will
result in 1.3% increase in production or the number of farmers. Likewise, production and the
number of farmers which are the dependent variable will decrease by 1.3% when level of
education decreases by 1%, all things held constant.

The results shows that 1% increase change in the influencer, that is the person who
influenced the farmer to venture in poultry farming, leads to an increase in productivity and

26
number of poultry farmers by 2.4%, of course all things held constant. Correspondingly, a
decrease in 1% leads to a decrease in productivity and number of poultry farmers by 2.4%.

The number of years a farmer has in poultry farming increases productivity and the
dependent variable by 3% when it increases by 1%, cetris paribus. A 1% decrease in the
number of years a farmer has will lead to a decrease of 3% on the number of farmers and
productivity when all things are held constant.

A 3.3% increase in productivity and the number of farmers will be observed when
profitability increases by 1%, and when profitability decreases by 1% then productivity and
the number of farmers decreases by 3.3% all things held constant.

Lastly, a 1% increase in number of workers will lead to a 0.5% increase in productivity when
all things are held constant. Also, a 1% decrease in number of workers will lead to a 0.5%
decrease in productivity when all things are held constant.

Table 1.10 Model Summary

Std. Error
Mode R Adjusted of the R Square F Sig. F
l R Square R Square Estimate Change Change df1 df2 Change
1 .992a .984 .979 1.280 .984 192.698 7 22 .000
a. Predictors: (Constant), How many workers are in this farm? Who influenced your decision to go for
Poultry farming? Is poultry profitable? Gender, Age, How many years have you been in Poultry
farming?, Level of Education

The table above shows a summary of the model, the R square, which shows the goodness of
fit of the model or a statistical measure of how close the data are to the fitted regression line.
The model explains 97.9% of the variability of the response data around its mean.

27
 Table 1.11 ANOVAa
Sum of
Model Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 2211.432 7 315.919 192.698 .000b
Residual 36.068 22 1.639
Total 2247.500 29
a. Dependent Variable: DEPENDANT VARIABLE
b. Predictors: (Constant), How many workers are in this farm? Who influenced
your decision to go for Poultry farming? Is poultry profitable? Gender, Age, How
many years have you been in Poultry farming?, Level of Education

4.2 POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AFFECTING POULTRY PRODUCTION AND

MARKETING

1. LACK OF ACCESS TO MARKETS

Table 2.1 Lack of access to markets

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 15 50.0 50.0 50.0
Agree 12 40.0 40.0 90.0
Disagree 2 6.7 6.7 96.7
Strongly Disagree 1 3.3 3.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

A question was asked if lack of access to market was a challenge in poultry farming and from
the results, 15 respondents strongly agreed and 12 agreed that indeed it is a problem. Only 2
farmers disagreed and 1 strongly disagreed about it not being a challenge. It has shown that
farmers cannot penetrate the market with their chicken products because there is no access to
it which is a very serious problem in terms of profit maximisation.

2. OUTBREAK OF DISEASES AND PARASITES

28
 Table 2.2 Outbreak of Diseases and parasites
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 2 6.7 6.7 6.7
Agree 1 3.3 3.3 10.0
Disagree 17 56.7 56.7 66.7
Strongly Disagree 10 33.3 33.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The results above shows that diseases and parasites are not a cause for concern in poultry
farming at Serowe since most respondents disagreed and strongly disagreed by 56.7% and
33.3% respectively. This means most farmers are not affected by outbreak of diseases and
parasites. 6.7% of the respondents strongly agreed while 3.3% agreed, meaning that less
population of poultry farmers are affected, and more farmers are not affected.

3. LACK OF INVESTMENT AND WORKING CAPITAL

Table 2.3 Lack of investment and working capital

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 18 60.0 60.0 60.0
Agree 8 26.7 26.7 86.7
Disagree 4 13.3 13.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Lack of funds seems to be a problem for poultry farmers hence they are not able to maintain
and sustain their business. This is shown by the above results since 18 respondents with a
percentage of 60% strongly agreed and 8 respondents agreed that indeed lack of investment
and working capital is a problem. The capital and investment could be used for many things
such as transport, buying feeds and to market the products just to mention a few. Only 4
respondents disagreed which means they do not have money problems in their poultry
business.

29
4. LESS ACCESS TO ADEQUATE EXTENSION OFFICERS

Table 2.4. Less access to adequate extension officers

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 11 36.7 36.7 36.7
Agree 12 40.0 40.0 76.7
Disagree 5 16.7 16.7 93.3
Strongly Disagree 2 6.7 6.7 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Out of 30 respondents, 11 strongly agreed that there is less access to suitable extension
officers with 36.7%, followed by 12 farmers who agreed by 40%. This means that more
farmers at Serowe are not exposed to extension officers that would help them whenever they
need help about something concerning poultry farming. The results also shows that 5 and 2
respondents disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively which means they do not have a
problem when it comes to meeting extension officers.

5. EXPENSIVE POULTRY FEEDS AND VETERINARY DRUGS

Table 2.5 Expensive poultry feeds and veterinary drugs

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 12 40.0 40.0 40.0
Agree 9 30.0 30.0 70.0
Disagree 7 23.3 23.3 93.3
Strongly Disagree 2 6.7 6.7 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Respondents were asked if they have a problem of expensive poultry feeds and veterinary
drugs and out of the 30 respondents, only 12 strongly agreed and 9 agreed. This means more
farmers at Serowe have a challenge when it comes to buying poultry feeds and drugs for their
chickens as they are not able to afford them. Seven respondents disagreed together with two
who strongly disagreed which means that less farmers can afford the feeds and drugs.

30
6. SHORTAGE OF DAY-OLD CHICKS’ SUPPLIERS

Table 2.6 Shortage of day-old chicks’ suppliers

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 8 26.7 26.7 26.7
Agree 1 3.3 3.3 30.0
Disagree 9 30.0 30.0 60.0
Strongly Disagree 12 40.0 40.0 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table 17. above confirms that shortage of day-old chicks is not a problem faced by poultry
farmers at Serowe since 40% and 30% of the respondents strongly agreed and disagreed
respectively while only 26.7% and 3.3% strongly agreed and agreed, respectively. This shows
that only a small number of farmers face this problem.

7. LACK OF SLAUGHTERING FACILITIES

Table 2.7 Lack of slaughtering facilities

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 12 40.0 40.0 400.0
Agree 18 0.0 60.0 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Small-scale farmers lack slaughter facilities, thus leading to poultry meat being processed
under unhygienic conditions to the detriment of the consumers. The results confirms that lack
of slaughtering facilities is problem in poultry farming. All the farmers agreed to this as
shown above, 12 respondents strongly agreed while 18 agreed meaning that there are no
slaughtering facilities at Serowe for poultry farmers.

31
8. LOW PRICES OFFERED BY WHOLESALERS AND RETAILERS

Table 2.8. Low prices offered by wholesalers and retailers

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 21 70.0 70.0 70.0
Agree 5 16.7 16.7 86.7
Disagree 4 13.3 13.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Looking at the above table, 70% of the farmers strongly agreed that they have a problem of
being offered to sell their produce at low prices by wholesalers. Five respondents also agreed
while only 4 disagreed which means they are happy with the prices offered or they can make
profits after selling their produce to the wholesalers. Despite that, more farmers indicated that
this is a problem they face hence more of them are not able to make profit from selling to
wholesalers.

9. LACK OF UTILITIES SUCH AS ELECTRICITY, WATER AND TELEPHONES

Table 2.9 Lack of utilities such as electricity, water, and telephones

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 18 60.0 60.0 60.0
Agree 11 36.7 36.7 96.7
Disagree 1 3.3 3.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table 20. above shows that majority of the respondents (96.7%) agreed to having lack of
utilities. Those include electricity, water and telephones that helps run a business. Only 3.3%
disagreed which means they have access to those utilities for their poultry business. Utilities
especially water and electricity are a necessity for small day-old chicks for them to grow as
they are more prone to dying because of cold.

32
10. POOR QUALITY FEEDS AND UNREGULATED SUPPLY OF STOCK

Table 2.10 Poor quality feeds and unregulated supply of stock

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Agree 4 13.3 13.3 13.3
Disagree 20 66.7 66.7 80.0
Strongly disagree 6 20.0 20.0 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The above table shows that majority (80%) of the poultry farmers at Serowe disagreed that
they have a problem of poor-quality feeds and unregulated supply of stock which means that
they do not have a problem in obtaining stock and the feeds are good quality. Only 13.3%
agreed to having this problem.

11. LACK OF INPUT SUPPLIERS

Table 2.11 Lack of input suppliers

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 17 56.7 56.7 56.7
Agree 13 43.3 43.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The results above shows that 17 respondents strongly agreed that there is lack of input
suppliers at Serowe. All the farmers agreed to having this problem because 13 respondents
also agreed to it. No farmer disagreed which means it is a serious problem.

33
12. HIGH CHICK MORTALITY

Table 2.12 High chick mortality

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 14 46.7 46.7 46.7
Agree 9 30.0 30.0 76.7
Disagree 7 23.3 23.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Serowe poultry farmers showed that there is high chick mortality in their farms as 14
respondents strongly agreed and 9 agreed that they have this problem. Out of the 30
respondents, 7 totally disagreed that they have this problem which means that they do not
have high chick mortality in their farms. This result shows that majority of the farmers are the
ones affected.

13. LACK OF REFRIGERATED TRANSPORT

Table 2.13 Lack of refrigerated transport

Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 23 76.7 76.7 76.7
Agree 7 23.3 23.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

All the farmers confirmed that there is no refrigerated transport at Serowe that is used to
transport chicken products to consumers or wholesalers. This is a problem since chicken and
chicken products needs to be stored in cold places so that they do not get spoilt. Twenty-three
respondents strongly agreed, and 7 respondents agreed. No farmer disagreed.

14. LOW OUTPUT OF MARKETABLE CHICKEN PRODUCTS DUE TO PREDATION

AND LOW PRODUCTIVITY

34
 Table 2.14 Low output of marketable chicken products
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 26 86.7 86.7 86.7
Agree 4 13.3 13.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

As the results above shows, all the respondents agreed that there is low output of marketable
chicken products due to predation and low productivity. Twenty-six respondents strongly
agreed while four of them agreed. This means that farmers produce less of what they could
initially produce because there is low productivity and predation hence low profits.

15. LACK OF PROPER POULTRY AND EGG MARKETING INFORMATION TO

PRODUCERS

Table 2.15 Lack of proper poultry and egg marketing information

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 19 63.3 63.3 63.3

Agree 11 36.7 36.7 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Marketing information is not availed to producers on how, where, and when to market their
products since majority of the respondents agreed that it is indeed a problem that they have as
poultry farmers. The results shows that 19 of the respondents strongly agreed and 11 of them
agreed. It also shows that no farmer disagreed that they have this problem.

16. LACK OF SKILLED PERSONNEL/ LOCAL POULTRY EXPERIENCE

35
 Table 2.16 Lack of skilled personnel/ local poultry experience
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 6 20.0 20.0 20.0
Agree 5 16.7 16.7 36.7
Disagree 3 10.0 10.0 46.7
Strongly Disagree 16 53.3 53.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The table above shows that there are skilled personnel in poultry farming since less
respondents agreed that local poultry experience is a problem. This is because 16 respondents
strongly disagreed that they have a problem of lack of skilled personnel which means more
farmers are qualified or have the skills to run a poultry business. Only 6 respondents strongly
agreed and 5 agreed that it is a problem they face which means that they do not yet have the
skills or experience for poultry farming

17. LACK OF COLD STORAGE

Table 2.17 Lack of cold storage

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 26 86.7 86.7 86.7
Agree 4 13.3 13.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

According to the results there is no cold storage at Serowe that farmers can use to store their
slaughtered chickens. This is a problem for poultry farmers because the storage is needed so
that they can store chicken products without them getting spoiled. All the farmers agreed that
lack of cold storage is a problem that they encounter with 26 respondents strongly agreeing
and 4 agreeing that indeed it is a problem.

18. DELAYED ALLOCATION OF LAND FOR POULTRY BUSINESSES BY LAND

BOARDS

36
 Table 2.18 Delayed allocation of land
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly Agree 13 43.3 43.3 43.3
Agree 14 46.7 46.7 90.0

Disagree 3 10.0 10.0 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Farmers were asked if delayed allocation of land for poultry businesses is a problem in
poultry farming at Serowe. It is evident that most farmers find it a problem to expand their
businesses because they are not able to get land well in time to grow their businesses. From
the above results, 43.3% of the respondents strongly agreed while 46.7% agreed. Only 10%
of the respondents did not find land as a problem. Despite this, most farmers need the land to
expand their businesses so that they can make more profit.

4.3 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

The farmers were asked in the questionnaires of what possible solutions could fix help with
their sheep production in their area and they were asked in a Likert scale. The possible
solutions were laid out and farmers agreed 0r disagreed with it.

1. VISITING FARMERS PROJECTS BY EXTENSION OFFICERS TO SEE HOW

THEY OPERATE

Table 3.1 Visiting farmers projects by extension officers

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Strongly agree 25 83.3 83.3 83.3
Agree 5 16.7 16.7 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

All farmers agreed that for poultry production to grow and improve in Serowe, experts in the
agricultural industry, extension officers or ministry of agriculture should visit farmers and see
how they operate. The visits are meant to teach famers on how to run the poultry production

37
business and to empower the farmers. A total of 25 farmers strongly agreed and only 5 agreed
that visiting farmers project is a possible solution to these challenges.

2. CONDUCTING TRAINING COURSES FOR POULTRY FARMERS

Table 3.2 Conducting training courses for poultry farmers

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Strongly agree 28 93.3 93.3 93.3
Agree 2 6.7 6.7 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

All farmers agreed that conducting training courses either by the government, private
organization or veterans in the industry will help them get more knowledge about how to run
the poultry business. This is portrayed by the results above as 28 respondents strongly agreed
and two agreed that they should be training courses conducted for poultry farmers. This
would help them gain more knowledge and be able to learn new skills associated with poultry
farming. Generally, poultry meat is produced under unsatisfactory hygienic conditions. This
indicates that there is need for extension service to intensify farmer training on meat
processing.

3. BUILDING SLAUGHTERING FACILITIES FOR POULTRY FARMERS

Table 3,3 Building slaughtering facilities

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 17 56.7 56.7 56.7
Agree 13 43.3 43.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

It is evident that Slaughtering facilities should be built for poultry farmers so that they can be
able to slaughter their chickens in a safe and hygienic environment. This is shown by the
above result as all the respondents agreed that this would be a solution since 17 respondents
strongly agreed and 13 agreed while no respondent disagreed. This would help farmers to
slaughter their chickens in a short period of time and in a hygienic environment unlike when
they are slaughtering them at home.

38
 4. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES SHOULD FOCUS ON TRAINING FARMERS TO
IMPROVE PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

Table 3.4 Farmers Training

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 29 96.7 96.7 96.7
Agree 1 3.3 3.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The results above shows that all farmers agreed that conducting training courses either by the
government, private organization, or veterans in the industry through extension services will
help them improve production management. This is confirmed by 96.7% of the respondents
strongly agreeing and only 3.3% agreeing to the possible solution.

5. EFFECTIVE EXTENSION AND VETERINARY SERVICES

Table 3.5 Effective extension and veterinary services

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 14 46.7 46.7 46.7
Agree 16 53.3 53.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

Out of all the 30 respondents, 14 strongly agreed that effective extension and veterinary
services are a possible solution to some problems in poultry production, 16 respondents
agreed with a percentage of 53.3%. This means that all the respondents agreed that there
should be effective extension and veterinary services offered to them.

39
 6. PROVISION OF APPROPRIATE MARKETING INFORMATION TO LOCAL
CHICKEN PRODUCERS.

Table 3.6 Provision of appropriate marketing information

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 19 63.3 63.3 63.3
Agree 12 36.7 36.7 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

All the respondents agreed that they should be provided with marketing information as a
solution to be able to access markets for their chicken products. This is depicted by the above
results which shows that 63.3% of the respondents strongly agreed while 36.7% agreed.

7. POULTRY FARMERS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO FORM COOPERATIVE

SOCIETIES OR JOIN EXISTING ONE TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS LOANS FOR
THEIR BUSINESS

Table 3.7 Formation of cooperative societies

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 21 70.0 70.0 70.0
Agree 9 30.0 30.0 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

According to the above results, 21 farmers strongly agreed that to be able to access loans for
their poultry businesses they should be encouraged to form cooperative societies or join
existing ones as this will curb the problem of not having enough capital. Also, 9 respondents
agreed to the solution which means all the farmers agree to it as no respondent disagreed with
it.

40
 8. ESTABLISHMENT OF PULLET REARING FACILITIES

Table 3.8 Establishment of pullet rearing facilities

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 12 40.0 40.0 40.0
Agree 18 60.0 60.0 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The above results shows that all farmers agree to the establishment of pullet rearing facilities
at Serowe. Properly raising chicks and pullets can result in efficient egg production and it is
essential for the success and profits of the future laying flock. The overall aim
of pullet development is to reach a target body weight with high uniformity. Out of 30
respondents, 12 strongly agreed while 18 respondents agreed.

9. EXPANDING BROILER BREEDING FACILITIES WITH A VIEW TO MEETING

THE COUNTRY’S HATCHING EGG REQUIREMENTS

Table 3.9 Expanding broiler breeding facilities

Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Strongly agree 16 53.3 53.3 53.3
Agree 14 46.7 46.7 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0

The table above shows that 53.3% of the respondents strongly agreed and 46.7% agreed that
broiler breeding facilities at Serowe should be expanded to meet the country’s egg hatching
requirements. None of the farmers disagreed or strongly disagreed which means this would
go a long way in helping famers have adequate access to day-old chicks

4.4 DISCUSSION

41
Various sources have discovered several factors influencing productivity in poultry
production, especially in developing countries. Al -Hassan (2008) points out that, inefficiency
in production can result from socio-economic, demographic, or environmental factors.
However, some of the environmental factors such as weather, government policies among
others are outside the scope or the control of the farmers, and hence their impacts cannot be
considered as the causes of the farmers incompetence. In view of this, Ali & Byerlee (1991)
noted that farm specific efficiency can be influenced by farmers characteristics
(socioeconomic factors) which impact on the managerial skills of the farmer. Such
socioeconomic characteristics include: the age of the farmer, his/her level of education,
number of years of farming experience, access to credit and extension services, contacts and
networks, farm size, gender, and engagement in other income generating activities other than
farming activities. The famers in Serowe have their own socioeconomic factors that affect
them in many ways like gender, age, level of education, the person who influenced them to
go for poultry farming, number of years in the poultry industry, reason for being in the
poultry industry, profitability, and number of workers in the farm.

The discoveries of this study have revealed that the age range of poultry farmers is between
16-55 years which indicates that majority of the respondents were within the economically
active age category. This result corresponds with (Osuji, 2019), who discovered that majority
of the farmers are in their prime years of life and therefore can handle the strenuous activities
involved in poultry production. Also 30% of the respondents were male while only 70% were
female implying that poultry production enterprise in the area is dominated by females.
This has been due to fact that the activities involved in poultry production are not strenuous
which does not hinder female involvement in the enterprise hence they can handle it. Even
though poultry farming is not difficult to do men in the region are reluctant to practice it as a
way of creating employment and eradicating poverty.

Formal education performs an important role in improving people’s perception in

understanding the essence of numerous agricultural inputs needed in poultry production.
Education also plays a part in assisting the poultry farmer to comprehend the atmosphere
where he/she operates and the factors influencing it. The varying level of education, that is,
the number of years of schooling completed by the poultry farmer, was used as a substitute
for management input. Improved poultry farming skill coupled with higher level of
educational accomplishment may, lead to higher technical productivity in poultry production,
including effective use of inputs. This is because education improves a poultry farmer’s

42
ability to pursue, interpret and make good use of information about production inputs. The
survey revealed that 86.6% of the farmers are educated which means that most people in the
poultry enterprise are literate and thus having positive impact on managerial capacity
and acquisition of modern agricultural business management skills and technological
innovation. Previous report (Adebayo & Adeola 2005) also confirmed that most poultry
farmers had one form of formal education.

The results indicated that majority of the farmers had been in the enterprise for quite a long
time since 53.3% of the respondents showed that they have about 4 to 6 years in the industry
while 46.7% have 2 to 4 years. This means that the level of experience of the respondents;
53.3% of the respondents had more than 4 years’ experience while 46.7% had less than 4
years of experience. Little years of experience could be the reason for low poultry production
among the poultry farmers in the study area. The knowledge on management, which is a key
to profitable poultry production, is gained through years of experience of the poultry farmer
(Fetuga 1992).

It was found out that 53.3% of the poultry farmers at Serowe sees poultry farming as
profitable meaning that they can sustain their livelihoods. This confirmed the past report by
(Moreki, 2011) that poultry farming is profitable, and people can get stable income from it
for the betterment of their lives.

According to Osuji. (2019), the major constraints militating against poultry production are
high feed cost, lack of funds to expand the business, outbreak of diseases, high transport cost,
and lack of start-up capital, poor market demand and stealing. In line with the results, the
major limitations that were found out to be faced by poultry farmers at Serowe include but
not limited to outbreak of diseases and parasites (10%), expensive poultry feeds and
veterinary drugs (70%) meaning that farmers depended on self-management and medication,
lack of investment and working capital (86.7%) and low output of marketable chicken
products due to predation and low productivity (100%). Sonaiya & Swan, (2004) pointed out
that if the cost of feed is high and small-scale poultry farmer could not afford it then it will
affect the number of birds they can keep. This implies that farmers are facing challenges that
limit poultry production in the area coupled with adverse effects of climate change due to
the ever-increasing average annual temperature and the current covid-19 pandemic.
Farmers lament that lack of slaughter facilities is a major constraint in their quest towards
making profit from poultry since slaughtering by hand is tedious and slow process.

43
The study also indicated that 90% of the respondents had lack of access to markets while
10% are lucky enough to have access to market for their poultry products. Regarding
slaughtering facilities, majority or all the respondents clearly indicated that they have no
slaughtering facilities available at Serowe. This result is consistent with Mosinyi (1999) who
argued that chicken meat is not inspected in Botswana since most of the small-scale farmers
slaughtered their chickens in the backyards without proper hygiene. The results also showed
that 23.3% of the respondents had access to extension services while 76.7% had no access to
extension services. Majority of the respondents (96.7%) had no access to utilities such as
water, electricity, and telephone while the remaining 3.3% had access to utilities. With
respect to the prices offered by retailers and wholesalers, 86.7% of the farmers had been
offered lower prices by wholesalers and retailers for their chicken products. An earlier report
confirms that, despite the potential benefits of small-scale poultry production and
Government support, the industry faces challenges including lack of market access, high cost
of feed and veterinary drugs, lack of utilities (electricity, water, and telephones), halaal, low
prices offered by wholesalers and retailers and lack of slaughtering facilities (Poultry Annual
Report 2001; Moreki, 2010).

Earlier reports, (Mosinyi, 1999) also cited high costs of feeds, veterinary requisites, and
poultry equipment, as well as lack of utilities (i.e., water, electricity, and telecommunications)
as some major constraints in Botswana’s poultry industry. Badubi et al. (2004) reported high
feed expense and low prices offered by chain stores to be some major constraints in small-
scale broiler production. Badubi et al. (2004) reported that poultry feed represents a serious
problem to the farmer and prevents chickens from achieving maximum growth. High chick
mortality (100%) reported in this study might be attributed to poor brooding practices, lack of
health management practices including inadequate biosecurity measures and feeding birds
with poor quality feeds.

Galeboem, Isaac & Mmattio (2009) notes that availability of markets and market information
encourages farmers to produce goods. According to the results, marketing information is not
availed to producers on how, where, and when to market their products since majority or all
the farmers (100%) agreed that it is indeed a problem. Access to market information, which is
a consistent expectation that if a poultry farmer has the knowledge of what is required in the
market, and then he can easily produce what, is demanded by the customers. This positively
influences poultry farming. A market that is deficient in information and exhibits

44
inconsistency is likely to be unattractive to the investors. Like any other business, poultry
farmers also prefer to invest in poultry farming where adequate information exists.

The results indicated that 90% of the respondents has a problem of delayed allocation of land
by the land boards while only 10% of them had no problem whatsoever. This is in line with
(Mwachukwa & Onyenwauku, 2009) who argued that “fragmentation of land holding had an
important bearing on technical efficiency on agricultural production, because land
fragmentation did not give rise to economy of large-scale production”. However, (Bravo-
Ureta, Boris & Pinheiro, 1997), and (Wadud & White, 2003) argued that there is no
relationship between land area and agricultural production and productivity. In view of the
contrasting results for and against land area and its relationship with productivity, the link
between technical efficiency and farm size has been the subject of much discussion.

There are several solutions to improving the poultry productivity across the whole world, it
differs from country to country as we are affected by different situations. The solutions in this
study include visiting farmers projects by extension officers to see how they operate,
conducting training courses for poultry farmers, building slaughtering facilities for poultry
farmers, extension activities should focus on training farmers to improve production
management, there should be effective extension and veterinary services, provision of
appropriate marketing information to local chicken producers, and poultry farmers should be
encouraged to form cooperative societies or join existing one to be able to access loans for
their business, there should be establishment of pullet rearing facilities in the country will go
a long way in saving the country the much needed foreign exchange and creating
employment for citizens, (Kelebemang 2008), and expanding broiler breeding facilities with
a view to meeting the country’s hatching egg requirements

CHAPTER 5

45
5.1 CONCLUSION

In this study, attempt has been made to identify some factors/constraints affecting the poultry
production in the study area. Age distribution of the respondents fell within the productive
age of 16-55 years. The literacy level is generally high, input, finance, access to veterinary
and extension services, lack markets and lack of slaughtering facilities just to mention a few
were constraints being faced by the poultry farmers in the study area. The poultry industry
plays a significant role in the economy of Botswana by way of creating employment
(especially to women) and in alleviating poverty in the rural areas. Based on the findings of
this research, it can be concluded that most farmers have common challenges and were able
to identify the possible solutions to those challenges. There is a lot to be done in the poultry
industry to help it grow as other industries such as beef production. From the findings most
farmers are affected by similar factors.

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on findings of this study, the following recommendations were advanced towards
alleviating the problems being encountered by poultry farmers and increasing their
productivity. It is recommended that,

 Poultry farmers should be encouraged to have access to financial institutions in

obtaining loan at low interest rates. Extension activities should focus on training of
the farmers on the improved production management to enable them to use the
available resources efficiently and increase productivity
 More research should be done in many areas around the country to gather more
information from other farmers about the challenges they face and the factors of
poultry production in their area
 Proper management practices need to be improved by farmers to help improve poultry
farming, for example slaughtering chickens in slaughterhouses instead of at home
where it is less hygienic.
 The industry should be developed in a sustainable way by establishing a breeder
operation to supply pullets locally, which are imported from the neighbouring
countries. This should save the country the much-needed foreign exchange and create
jobs for the locals.

46
  Expanding broiler breeding facilities with a view to meeting the country’s hatching
egg requirements. The consumer desire for high-quality poultry products will robustly
affect production practices. Hence, stockholders, veterinarians, farmers, and all other
partners engaged in the chain of poultry industry should share more tasks and increase
their cooperation

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