Marek’s Disease Economic Impact and Trade-off (i-MaDE-IT) decision tool for layer poultry production

Aboah, J. and Enahoro, D. 2025. Marek’s Disease Economic Impact and Trade-off (i-MaDE-IT) decision tool for layer poultry production. ILRI Manual 79. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.

Decision support systems (DSS) are essential planning tools that enable decision makers to make informed, evidence-based choices in agricultural production. For DSS to be effective, they must be customized to address challenges unique to specific production systems. The interface for Marek’s Disease Economic Impact and Tradeoff (i-MaDE-IT) was developed as a specialized DSS for conducting ex-ante impact assessments of Marek’s disease control strategies in layer poultry production systems. However, its baseline mode (without a Marek’s disease outbreak) can also serve as a tool for layer production planning and forecasting. i-MaDE-IT, a user-friendly web-based simulation interface, serves as the front end of a system dynamics model comprising three core modules. These modules, comprising production-epidemiological, management decisions, and financial modules, are designed to be easily navigable and comprehensible. The production-epidemiological module tracks the transition of poultry birds from day-old chicks to spent layers while simulating their progression through various health statuses based on disease spread dynamics. The management decisions module captures re-vaccination and biosecurity measures (specifically culling) as control measures, as well as the financial decisions that influence the profitability indicators – gross margin and benefit-cost ratio. The financial module consolidates all production costs and revenues from eggs, spent layers and manure. The interface was pre-tested and refined based on feedback from two training-of-trainers sessions conducted in 2024 in Ghana with poultry value chain actors and agricultural officers responsible for disseminating the tool to potential end-users in the poultry value chain. One such refinement involved transitioning the interface from a desktop version to a mobile-friendly platform to improve accessibility. To improve usability, features such as customizable production parameters and revenue variables were incorporated into the interface, enabling users to simulate various scenarios and evaluate different disease management strategies. Although currently designed for layer poultry systems, future developments may expand its application to broiler systems. Access to the simulation interface has been streamlined with the use of a quick response (QR) code. i-MaDE-IT, with its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface, has the potential to empower poultry producers by offering targeted insights on the economic impacts of Marek’s disease management interventions, thereby enhancing their decision-making capabilities.