This study assessed the challenges faced by small-scale poultry farmers in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria, with a focus on their socioeconomic characteristics, perceived benefits of poultry farming, constraints encountered, and potential solutions. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select 50 respondents across 4 villages. The findings revealed that the average poultry farmer was 36 years old, predominantly (54.00%) female, the majority (58.00%) were married, and had a primary education. Most respondents had 11 years of experience in poultry farming. The majority (62.00%) belonged to cooperatives, and the majority (60.00%) had access to credit facilities. Poultry farming was largely (58.00%) commercial, with a mean household size of 7 persons. An average contact with an extension agent occurred 7 times per annum, and an average of 118 birds were stocked. An average monthly income of ₦147,848.00 was realized. A greater proportion (34.00%) of cockerels were the most commonly raised birds, and a greater proportion (30.00%) of free-range systems were used in the study area. Key benefits identified included improved diets, meat and egg production, livelihood support, manure generation, and income enhancement. However, serious constraints such as high feed and labour costs, fluctuating market prices, and pest and disease outbreaks were reported. Proposed solutions centred on stabilizing market prices and improving feed quality. The study concludes that poultry farming plays a vital role in rural livelihoods and food security. It recommends government intervention through feed subsidies, market regulation, and enhanced veterinary services to mitigate the impact of pests and diseases.
| Published in | International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 6) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11 |
| Page(s) | 202-216 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Challenges, Small-Scale, Poultry Farmers, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria
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APA Style
Okoye, P. C., Uchemba, V. U. (2025). Assessment of the Challenges Faced by Small-Scale Poultry Farmers in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences, 11(6), 202-216. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11
ACS Style
Okoye, P. C.; Uchemba, V. U. Assessment of the Challenges Faced by Small-Scale Poultry Farmers in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Int. J. Appl. Agric. Sci. 2025, 11(6), 202-216. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11,
author = {Paul Chidubem Okoye and Victor Uzochukwu Uchemba},
title = {Assessment of the Challenges Faced by Small-Scale Poultry Farmers in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria
},
journal = {International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences},
volume = {11},
number = {6},
pages = {202-216},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaas.20251106.11},
abstract = {This study assessed the challenges faced by small-scale poultry farmers in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria, with a focus on their socioeconomic characteristics, perceived benefits of poultry farming, constraints encountered, and potential solutions. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select 50 respondents across 4 villages. The findings revealed that the average poultry farmer was 36 years old, predominantly (54.00%) female, the majority (58.00%) were married, and had a primary education. Most respondents had 11 years of experience in poultry farming. The majority (62.00%) belonged to cooperatives, and the majority (60.00%) had access to credit facilities. Poultry farming was largely (58.00%) commercial, with a mean household size of 7 persons. An average contact with an extension agent occurred 7 times per annum, and an average of 118 birds were stocked. An average monthly income of ₦147,848.00 was realized. A greater proportion (34.00%) of cockerels were the most commonly raised birds, and a greater proportion (30.00%) of free-range systems were used in the study area. Key benefits identified included improved diets, meat and egg production, livelihood support, manure generation, and income enhancement. However, serious constraints such as high feed and labour costs, fluctuating market prices, and pest and disease outbreaks were reported. Proposed solutions centred on stabilizing market prices and improving feed quality. The study concludes that poultry farming plays a vital role in rural livelihoods and food security. It recommends government intervention through feed subsidies, market regulation, and enhanced veterinary services to mitigate the impact of pests and diseases.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Assessment of the Challenges Faced by Small-Scale Poultry Farmers in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria AU - Paul Chidubem Okoye AU - Victor Uzochukwu Uchemba Y1 - 2025/11/12 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11 T2 - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences JF - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences JO - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences SP - 202 EP - 216 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2469-7885 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251106.11 AB - This study assessed the challenges faced by small-scale poultry farmers in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria, with a focus on their socioeconomic characteristics, perceived benefits of poultry farming, constraints encountered, and potential solutions. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select 50 respondents across 4 villages. The findings revealed that the average poultry farmer was 36 years old, predominantly (54.00%) female, the majority (58.00%) were married, and had a primary education. Most respondents had 11 years of experience in poultry farming. The majority (62.00%) belonged to cooperatives, and the majority (60.00%) had access to credit facilities. Poultry farming was largely (58.00%) commercial, with a mean household size of 7 persons. An average contact with an extension agent occurred 7 times per annum, and an average of 118 birds were stocked. An average monthly income of ₦147,848.00 was realized. A greater proportion (34.00%) of cockerels were the most commonly raised birds, and a greater proportion (30.00%) of free-range systems were used in the study area. Key benefits identified included improved diets, meat and egg production, livelihood support, manure generation, and income enhancement. However, serious constraints such as high feed and labour costs, fluctuating market prices, and pest and disease outbreaks were reported. Proposed solutions centred on stabilizing market prices and improving feed quality. The study concludes that poultry farming plays a vital role in rural livelihoods and food security. It recommends government intervention through feed subsidies, market regulation, and enhanced veterinary services to mitigate the impact of pests and diseases. VL - 11 IS - 6 ER -
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Nigeria
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Nigeria
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