POULTRY LOSSES AND ONE HEALTH (POLOH): REDUCING LOSSES AND ZOONOTIC RISKS ALONG THE POULTRY VALUE CHAIN THROUGH A ONE HEALTH APPROACH

Project Goal and Objectives

The overarching goal of this project is to enhance household food security and safety and improve the livelihoods of poultry smallholder producers. It will accomplish this goal by reducing economic losses and zoonotic risks along the value chain, and by developing culturally and economically appropriate, gender-sensitive One Health interventions at the producer level, resulting in reduced flock mortality, pathogen occurrence, and human health risks. Specific objectives are:

• Assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices of smallholder poultry producers and other connected value chain actors
• Assessing the distribution and characterizing the key chicken associated zoonotic pathogens (Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp.) and assessing intervention effects and gendered impacts of farm and market-level practices on productivity, food safety, and animal welfare through modeling approaches, laboratory surveys, and field evaluation
• Developing and testing appropriate Integrated Educational and Training packages using a holistic approach
• Identifying and testing likely gender-sensitive business models for enhancing value linkages, including inputs, delivery of veterinary products (such as deworming, effective vaccination and training), and advisory services through public-private partnerships, and including community vaccinators
• Building the capacity of next-generation youth national researchers on poultry health and food safety research using a One Health approach and improving networking and collaboration among value chain stakeholders.

Background

Poultry keeping among rural households in low-income countries such as Burkina Faso represents an important component of livelihood as a source of income, nutrition, and as gifts to strengthen social ties. The landlocked status of the country coupled with increasing demand for poultry-source proteins implies an opportunity for the significant growth of low- to middle-income households that contribute to the smallholder production sector.

Research Approach

We will use a gendered mixed method to gain insights on food security and safety of smallholder households. We will assess the shedding of microbiological hazards such as Campylobacter and Salmonella within the farm environment and at live poultry markets. An integrated intervention package, targeting smallholder poultry producers and connected value chain actors, extension workers, and animal professionals to increase poultry production and reduce zoonotic microbial shedding, will be assessed through a randomized control trial. Data generated from the baseline and intervention surveys will be used to develop Bayesian Belief Network models to complement results from the intervention study on farm-level pathogen shedding.

Knowledge gained from pre-intervention surveys and Bayesian Belief Network models will be used to identify and develop sustainable approaches to improve knowledge and accessibility of poultry management, husbandry, and hygiene practices that build on existing community-based strategies with a strong One Health component.

Additional collaborators in Burkina Faso:

• Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles / Environmental and Agricultural Research Institute, INERA
• Direction Générale des Services Vétérinaires (DGSV), Ministère de l’Agriculture et des Aménagements Hydro-agricoles / General Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Hydro-Agricultural Development
• Direction Régionale de l’Agriculture, des Ressources Animales et Halieutiques du Centre Nord, Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries of the North Centre
• Centre de Promotion de l’Aviculture Villageoise (CPAVI) / Village Poultry Promotion Center
• Interprofession de la Filière Volaille Locale du Burkina Faso (IPFVL/BF) / Professions of the Local Poultry Sector of Burkina Faso