Exploitation of Indigenous Chicken from Tharaka-Nithi County for Global Markets.

Abstract

Indigenous chicken are found in virtually every rural household in the world as important source of livelihood. They are staple food for many communities, ceremonial species and key economic activity. However, production has remained at the household level and nearest market centres, leaving many consumers craving for this delicacy. Tharaka-Nithi County’s Agriculture Sector Development Support Program is developing a poultry value chain, identified by stakeholders using the value chain prioritization tool matrix. This study investigated the socio-economic hurdles that the enterprise has to overcome to penetrate global markets. The challenges were poor attitude to the enterprise, labelled as local in contrast to exotic, belittling the enterprise as being only “meaningful” to the resource-poor and enterprise ownership by women. The economic “hurdles to jump” include low production levels due to poor management of the flocks, low investment into the enterprise, lack of a well-developed value chain, exploitation by the middlemen and global market standards. Addressing the challenges may require establishment of resource ownership rights, strengthening market structures, management and providing production incentives so as to avail them to the global dining table.