Smallholder Poultry Agribusiness Development (SPADE)

Youth and women in rural Homa Bay are engaged in poultry farming majorly at subsistence level and lack knowledge in poultry management and entrepreneurship mind set of turning it into viable business venture. They also face challenges such as weak producer organizations, poor market linkages and lack of access to financing for expansion. This results in low production, low sales volume and low income for smallholder poultry farmers. They do not earn a consistent and reliable income from poultry. Here, it is common to see grandparents gifting their grandchildren hens or locals gifting or loaning hens to each other. 

Building on HEN GIFTING or LOANING practice, the SPADE project was initiated as a social enterprise to support vulnerable and marginalized youth and women in or willing to start and run poultry smallholding business. The SPADE project mobilizes youth and women into poultry farmer groups of 10-15 members. We train the beneficiaries on poultry management, entrepreneurship, financial management and cage construction. 

After these trainings, each beneficiary is given one indigenous hen from KARLO. The indigenous breed from KARLO lays more eggs per year than the ordinary indigenous hen that the communities currently breed. From One hen the beneficiaries expand their brood prompting one to sale surplus and by-products i.e. eggs and manure then use the income gained to access food, shelter, clothing and further acquire other assets like goats, cows and venturing to other businesses i.e. village cottage industries of feed making, agrovets, cage making and formation of a cooperative society for all beneficiaries that does joint marketing for their poultry products and offers them micro-credits based on their savings to expand their enterprises. In addition,  Individuals from local communities are selected to be trained as effective para-vets. These individuals provide services at a low cost to beneficiaries and other community members. Score CBO will organize a seasonal showcase of beneficiaries’ products, engaging existing and potential buyers/markets, input institutions, and other key stakeholders. They also facilitate the formation of producer-marketing associations, which can promote greater production, quality control and marketing.