Poultry Rearing as an Income-generating Activity in Kesla: An Impact Assessment Study

An excerpt from an in-depth study of the success, the limitations and the challenges of KPS, an organization that promotes poultry rearing as an alternative livelihood, for the poorest of the poor, who have so far been migrating and working as labour for survival

K esla, one of the poorest blocks in Madhya Pradesh, has been one of the earliest intervention areas of PRADAN. Rain-fed agriculture and a limited assets base of the tribal population have made the area an endemic food-insecure zone. Limited opportunities for livelihoods generation and income generation have made migration the main income generating activity. PRADAN made interventions with various livelihood themes, to promote food security and the well-being of poor communities living in and around Kesla. Among all these initiatives, poultry rearing has emerged as the single most important activity in this area; this is now being managed independently by Kesla Poultry Samiti (KPS).

KPS has emerged as a model of a people-owned and people-centric organization, the likes of which civil society organizations in the country have continuously tried to promote and establish. At present, KPS has more than 600 owner producers, who have an assured source of stable income. This stable income has led to many positive changes in the life of the poor tribal women in these villages. Although many of these gains are in their early stages of consolidation, the changes in the hitherto-deprived households due to poultry are very visible.

This study primarily aims at neviewing the impact of poultry rearing as an income generating source on the lives of the members of KPS and tries to capture the changes in various areas of their life. Of 250 households, a sample of 30 households that are engaged in poultry rearing for last five years, were selected for the purpose of this study. This study also analyzes the present poultry outlook in the country, the organizational structure of KPS, the opportunities for and handicaps of the poor, to participate and reap gains from poultry.