The importance of scavenging chicken production in the national economy ofdeveloping nations of Africa and its role in improving the nutritional statusand income of many smallholder farmers has been recognised by several scholarsand policy makers the world around. Scavenging chicken production is aprofitable enterprise that contributes to poverty reduction especially among theresource challenged rural communities in most parts of the developing world. Itis particularly suitable to smallholder farmers and landless peasants due to lowcapital investment, high cost efficiency, flexible production systems and lowproduction risks. It has also a symbolic significance within the context ofsocio-cultural as well as religious functions and economically empowers therural youth and women. Chicken meat and eggs provide a readily available,high-quality source of proteins, vitamins and micronutrients which areparticularly essential for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.Moreover, meat and egg from scavenging chicken present one of the mostenvironmentally efficient animal protein production systems.
The major challenges of the scavenging chicken production in Africa include highchicken mortality due to predation and regular outbreaks of diseases notablyNewcastle disease; imbalanced nutrition due to poor quality and quantity of feedmaterials; lack of organised marketing system and low performance relatedgenetic potentials. The growing demand for scavenging chicken products in urbanareas, identification and promotion of ethno-veterinary medicines, developinglocally made and appropriate housing structures, selection among the scavengingchickens, organising farmers to increase bargaining power and shortening themarketing chain are considered as the major opportunities for the improvement ofscavenging chicken production in Africa. The significance of indigenous chickensfor farmers in African countries combined with many consumers’ preference fortheir eggs and meat suggests that these genetic resources are promising optionsfor food security in the rural communities.
