Initiating Organized Broiler Farming: The Significance of Collective Action

Providing employment to more than three million people in the country, poultry rearing as a livelihood option brings hope of financial and food security for the rural poor and the small-holder, reducing distress migration, enhancing confidence and paving the way for possibilities of education for the next generation

Introduction

S onamuni Devi, Biti Soren and Sadori Devi’s smiles, body language and confident way of speaking were enough for Manager, Parasnath Jha, to notice them among the men and women assembled in Vananchal Gramin Bank (VGB), to conduct their routine banking transactions. These rural women were a part of the Godda Gramin Poultry Self-Supporting Co-operative Society Limited (GGPSSCS Ltd.). In a short span of three years, the co-operative society has made an enduring impact on the lives of the landless and marginal poor women, who earlier had few earning options. It provided them with opportunities to earn an adequate living within the village, giving them an identity and indomitable strength.

The journey to self-sufficiency, however, was not smooth. Working with rural women, through a co-operative society, in one of the remotest districts of Jharkhand, with no past tradition or exposure to the poultry business, was no mean task. Convincing the families and neighbours of the viability of the enterprise required intensive and patient engagement with the community. They were not only skeptical but at times openly obstructive. It was only after five or six batches of birds were successfully reared and sold that the inhibitions gradually faded away. This article discusses some of the salient aspects of the venture.

Background

Some SHG members owned no land or had very small pieces of low productive land and had no alternative employable skill sets. They were invariably compelled to undertake seasonal distress migration. After the PRADAN team’s success in Godda in tasar and the agricultural sector, the organization was on the lookout for more opportunities to augment income through off-farm activities. The additional income from new activities would directly benefit those at the bottom of the pyramid as well as provide additional incremental income to existing beneficiaries. SHG members agreed to take up poultry rearing as an additional income generation activity. The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and the rural development department (RDD), Government of Jharkhand (GoJ)-supported Special SGSY project has substantial provisions for asset, capital and capacity support to start-ups.