Use of Community Extension Approach for Upgrading Poultry Production in West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) Adopted Communities of Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

In an effort to enhance protein availability within BUK-WAAPP Project Communities in Kano State, coupled with the demand from the members of the community particularly women and children for improved poultry species, it thus becomes inevitable to upgrade local chicken within the community using community extension approach. The main objective of the study was to use community extension approach for upgrading poultry production in rural communities of BUK-WAAPP Project. Twenty (20) households were purposively selected each from the four (4) adopted villages (Danbare Doka, Danja and Kwami). The basis for such selection was being the beneficiaries of the WAAPP programme. Pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the beneficiaries of the BUK-WAAPP intervention. The results show that the mean age of the households in Danbare and Danja were the same (49years each). There were marginal differences in the number of males and females in the two communities of Danbare and Doka. Thus, in Danbare, (51%) were males, with (49%) females. When the highest level of education was evaluated in relation to gender perspectives, it was realised that virtually all the adult females and aged males had non-formal education as their highest educational attainment. All the respondents in the four adopted villages emphasised that they benefitted more from upgrade of the local chicks and knowledge in raising the chicks. The year they enjoyed these benefits was mainly 2014. Since the WAAPP intervention in 2014, the life of the beneficiaries has positively changed through the transfer of various technologies. Level of poultry production in the adopted villages has generally increased by more than 50%.