Poultry Welfare in Smallholder Systems: Global South Challenges and Opportunities

Billions of chickens in smallholder systems in Asia, Africa, and Latin America live very different lives from industrial birds, with distinct welfare challenges and advantages.

Key Facts

Smallholder poultry production involves an estimated 5-7 billion backyard chickens providing nutrition and income for rural households
Village chickens in smallholder systems can forage freely but face predation, disease, and seasonal food insecurity
Newcastle disease and other highly contagious poultry diseases cause enormous mortality and suffering in unvaccinated smallholder flocks
The poultry welfare literature is heavily biased toward industrial systems in high-income countries with little research on smallholder welfare
Welfare improvements in smallholder systems often focus on productivity through disease prevention rather than welfare as a primary goal
Participatory approaches involving smallholder farmers in welfare assessment have shown promise in several research programs

Welfare Considerations

Smallholder poultry welfare presents a different challenge profile from industrial welfare. While smallholder birds may express more natural behaviours, they face serious welfare risks from endemic disease, predation, nutritional deficiency, and lack of veterinary access. Mortality rates in unvaccinated village flocks can exceed 50% annually, largely from preventable infectious diseases. Welfare improvement in these contexts requires culturally appropriate interventions that integrate welfare and livelihood goals, recognising that farmer livelihoods and bird welfare are not in conflict. Supporting smallholder access to vaccines, basic veterinary training, and predator-resistant housing provides simultaneous welfare and economic benefits.

What You Can Do

Support international agricultural development programs that include animal welfare components in smallholder chicken production
Advocate for global poultry welfare research funding that includes smallholder systems rather than focusing exclusively on industrial production
Donate to organizations providing affordable Newcastle disease vaccines to smallholder farmers in low-income countries
Learn about the global diversity of poultry production systems and the distinct welfare challenges each presents