The role of poultry in Kenyan livelihoods and the ex ante impact assessment of HPAI on livelihood outcomes

Ndirangu, Lydia; Birol, Ekin; Roy, Devesh; Yakhshilikov, Yorbol. 2009. The role of poultry in Kenyan livelihoods and the ex ante impact assessment of HPAI on livelihood outcomes. Controlling avian flu and protecting people’s livelihoods in Africa and Indonesia; HPAI Research Brief 11. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/162007

As in other African countries, poultry production in Kenya is an important livelihoods activity. Eighty percent of the national poultry population is managed in small-scale, non- or semi-commercial, village, or backyard poultry systems (MOLFD 2007). These systems are characterized as low-input and low-output, mainly involving rural or peri-urban households that generally keep indigenous breeds. The few studies on the role of poultry in Kenyan livelihoods suggest that poultry plays an important role in the livelihoods of small-scale poultry producers, contributing to their incomes, wealth, insurance against shocks, diet quality, culture, religion, and tradition (Njenga 2005; Kimani et al. 2006).