More About Chickens

It's a journey that started sometime last year.

When one sees a child staying home from school, because she couldn't buy a pen or a book to write on, the temptation to simply buy her the pen or the book is a natural one, but one that we are cautious about heeding.

More interestingly, it also raises the question: why are household incomes so low that even a pen, which costs 100 shillings (1/16th of a US dollar) can be difficult to purchase at times?

Since last year, we have been having numerous discussions around this topic. Jigga Alex, one of the core I Buhugu volunteers, has been working with farmers for a number of years and has a deep understanding of the dynamics affecting the economic situation of the households in Buhugu. His insight and experience is what gave birth to the poultry project.

Over the last few weeks, Alex has been busy identifying and organising the group of ten women who will conduct the pilot, which is to last six months. If the pilot is successful, as we hope it would be, then the idea can be implemented in a greater number of households (ideally 120).

Here are some of the characteristics of the poultry project, which is heavily customised to the conditions in Buhugu:

• Hybrid poultry (cross between indigenous hens and exotic cocks): to maintain a balance between productivity (number of eggs) and “hardiness” (dietary needs and resistance to diseases).

• Distributed management: each household is responsible for the management of the poultry in their care.

• Women owned

• Technical input from qualified personnel: such as a Field Extension Officer, a veterinarian and a business consultant.

• Close monitoring: regular visits to the households to monitor the progress and provide input.