Community-based management as a driver of adoption of village poultry improvement technologies: empirical evidence from Benin

Abstract

In most developing countries, village poultry are raised in a scavenging system which gives the impression that all the birds in the village belong to the same flock. Therefore, actions targeting the entire community (Community-Based Management, CBM) could better contribute to improving the productivity of village poultry, notably through the adoption of technologies similar to those used in intensive poultry. The objective of this paper was to assess the effect of CBM, as well as the socioeconomic and institutional factors, on the adoption of village poultry improvement technologies. This was addressed using a logit model and data collected on 405 village poultry-keepers in Benin. Results indicate that the adoption of village poultry technologies depends on the availability of village poultry vaccinators (VPVs) and breeders’ experience (education level and participation in CBM). Farmers from experimental villages are also more willing to adopt various technologies. This indicates that when farmers have the information and technical support through an approach based on the community, i.e. CBM, they can change their behavior, overcome traditional ways of poultry farming. Furthermore, the adoption of the technologies is successful when the strategies used are based on the involvement of private veterinarians for the supply of VPVs.

Keywords:

• Benin
• community-based management
• village poultry vaccinator
• village poultry improvement technology
• adoption
• logit

Reviewing Editor:

• Pedro González-Redondo
• University of Seville
• Spain

SUBJECTS:

• Meat & Poultry; Decision Analysis; Regression Analysis and Multivariate Statistics; Test Development
• Validity & Scaling Methods; Motivation; Perception; Rural Development; Information / Knowledge Management; Management of Technology & Innovation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

The author conceptualizes the research, designs the methodology, hires enumerators with him for the field data collection and writes the report. The author read and approved the final manuscript.

Data availability statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Notes

1 The main breeds used were Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock.

Additional information

Funding

The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) funded this study through the second phase of Benin Agricultural Sector Development Support Program (PADSA2).

Notes on contributors

Epiphane Sodjinou

Epiphane Sodjinou is a citizen of Benin. He is an Associate Professor in Agricultural Economics at the University of Parakou (Benin). Before joining the University of Parakou, Epiphane worked as a junior agricultural economist researcher at Agricultural Policy Analysis Unit (PAPA) of the National Agricultural Research Institute of Benin (INRAB). He holds an Agricultural Economics Engineer in Faculty of Agricultural Sciences from the University of Abomey-Calavi, an M.Sc. in Applied Statistics from the Department of Agricultural Sciences of Gembloux, Belgium, and a Ph.D. in Development Economics from the University of Copenhagen. His research interests include production economics, impact assessment, and agricultural policy analysis.