By Vincent Gunde
A local non-profit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)-Rural Poultry Centre in Malawi (RPC) says it is seeking to expand its work in Dowa district with the aim of improving food security and livelihoods through improved production of village poultry.
RPC, whose mission is to sustainably improve rural livelihoods through interventions encompassing poultry, started implementing its activities in Dowa East from January, 2022 to June, 2024 with the aim of raising chicken production.
The organization trained over 200 Community based vaccinators who work with farmers in their communities to vaccinate chickens to prevent Newcastle disease (chitopa) and to implement practical methods to protect young chicks from predation and accident since 2015 in Ntchisi, 2019 in Mchinji, and 2022 in Dowa East.
Briefing the District executive committee in Dowa, RPC’s Director Pat Boland, said the purpose of the project presentation was to review the organization’s activities in Dowa East and seek endorsement for continuation of their work in Dowa West.
Boland said that in Dowa East, the project had reached out to over 4,000 families each year and had undertaken over 120,000 poultry vaccinations per year saying the impact included reduced losses of chickens to Newcastle (chitopa) and higher numbers of chickens produced per household.
He said RPC is now seeking to implement similar interventions in Dowa West with a purpose of improving food security and livelihoods targeting 3,400 rural families building up to 6,000 after the first year and will train at least 75 Community Based Vaccinators and reach some 90,000 chicken vaccinations.
The Director said the schedule of activities of the project include consultations and familiarization, baseline survey, selection pf candidates, organizing a 3-days learning and practical, coordinating vaccination campaigns, and ultimately expansion to cover all areas of Dowa West.
“Newcastle disease is the single greatest threat to local chickens, the 12 vaccine is available and is very effective in controlling this devastating disease, farmers who vaccinate their chickens do significantly better than farmers who do not vaccinate,” said Boland.
He said the project in Dowa West is expected to register similar outcomes as in Dowa East where over time, more households took part in the vaccinations, losses in village chickens were reduced, chicken production increased and use of chicken manure especially in dimba areas increased.
The Rural Poultry Centre in Malawi (RPC) will implement the work with support from Australian government through the Australian NGO Cooperation (ANCP), the overall management and control will be via the Brisbane based Kyeema Foundation with a budget estimate amounting to 41,000 US Dollars in year one, 40,000 US Dollars for year two and 30,000 US Dollars for year three.
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