"Chicken dumping": Motivations and perceptions in shifting poultry production practices.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Development
• Veterinary Public Health
• Food Security

Background:

• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) utilize intensive small-scale animal agriculture for overseas development aid to combat food insecurity.
• Industrial breeds, antibiotics, and high-density farming in intensive systems contrast with traditional methods, posing risks.
• Operations lacking infrastructure, training, and finances may accelerate antimicrobial resistance and infectious disease spread.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effectiveness of small-scale broiler chicken farming in northern Ecuador using a mixed-methods approach.
• To evaluate the impact of intensive farming practices on household food security and disease transmission.
• To identify factors influencing the success and sustainability of NGO-led poultry development projects.

Main Methods:

• Observational surveys conducted from May 2016 to May 2017 to track poultry farming cycles and environmental stressors.
• Cohort study of households in a poultry development project, monitoring chicken survivorship across survey periods.
• Semi-structured questionnaires to assess household motivations and self-reported data on poultry demographics.

Main Results:

• Intensive small-scale poultry farming exhibits a vulnerable boom-and-bust cycle influenced by environmental factors.
• Observed chicken survivorship declined significantly (70% to 58%) across survey periods.
• Household self-reported survivorship was consistently higher than observed data, indicating potential reporting bias.

Conclusions:

• Intensive small-scale poultry farming is unreliable and can enhance disease transmission.
• Inaccurate self-reporting by households may create a feedback loop, preventing NGOs from obtaining accurate outcome metrics.
• Development aid interventions require robust monitoring and accurate data to ensure effectiveness and avoid unintended consequences.