Poultry development

The Government of Somalia"s Ministry of Livestock, Forestry and Range (MLFR) will implement the SP, which includes TA, training, renovation of facilities, and establishment of a revolving fund for MLFR feed purchases. The chicks will be imported in several tranches over a 2-year period; 4,000 birds from the first tranche will be placed in a MLFR hatchery and used as breeders; the rest will be sold to farmers and cooperatives. A revolving fund will be established to permit the MLFR to use the income from chick sales to purchase the feed required to maintain the breeding flock and to brood 30,000 chicks yearly. The SP will: (1) renovate and upgrade the MLFR"s chicken breeding farm, purchase equipment for a retail shop in Mogadishu for the sale of excess eggs and spent hens, and construct two holding pens for the soon-to-be-sold chicks; (2) provide TA to assist the MLFR breeding farm manager in renovation of facilities and to assist the farm"s technical staff and the national extension agency in developing a simple technical package for use by recipients of the chicks; and (3) provide U.S. short-term training to the MLFR"s farm, hatchery, and feed mill managers and hold two in-country courses yearly for farm management and extension staff. Not only will recipient farmers benefit nutritionally and financially, but the SP"s backyard approach will relieve pressure on feed grains as the birds will rely on forage as their principal feed.