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Impact of Avian Influenza on Village Poultry Production Globally

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Abstract

Village poultry and their owners were frequently implicated in disease transmission in the early days of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 pandemic. With improved understanding of the epidemiology of the disease, it was recognized that village poultry raised under extensive conditions pose less of a threat than intensively raised poultry of homogeneous genetic stock with poor biosecurity. This paper provides an overview of village poultry production and the multiple ways that the HPAI H5N1 pandemic has impacted on village poultry, their owners, and the traders whose livelihoods are intimately linked to these birds. It reviews impact in terms of gender and cultural issues; food security; village poultry value chains; approaches to biosecurity; marketing; poultry disease prevention and control; compensation; genetic diversity; poultry as part of livelihood strategies; and effective communication. It concludes on a positive note that there is growing awareness amongst animal health providers of the importance of facilitating culturally sensitive dialogue to develop HPAI prevention and control options.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the support given to village poultry research and development by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and the International Network for Family Poultry Development (INFPD). Furthermore, our gratitude is extended to the veterinarians, extension specialists, researchers, traders, and farmers in many parts of the world who have given freely of their time and expertise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, 425 Werombi Road, Camden, NSW, 2570, Australia

    Robyn Alders & Penny Farrell

  2. International Rural Poultry Centre, Kyeema Foundation, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Robyn Alders & Brigitte Bagnol

  3. International Rural Poultry Centre, Kyeema Foundation, C.P. 1168, Maputo, Mozambique

    Robyn Alders & Brigitte Bagnol

  4. Infectious Disease and Global Health Department, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Grafton, MA, USA

    Robyn Alders & Brigitte Bagnol

  5. Accra Veterinary Laboratory, Veterinary Services Directorate, Box M 161, Accra, Ghana

    Joseph Adongo Awuni

  6. Department of Anthropology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Brigitte Bagnol

  7. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy

    Nicolene de Haan

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  1. Robyn Alders
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  2. Joseph Adongo Awuni
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  4. Penny Farrell
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Correspondence to Robyn Alders.

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Alders, R., Awuni, J.A., Bagnol, B. et al. Impact of Avian Influenza on Village Poultry Production Globally. EcoHealth 11, 63–72 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-013-0867-x

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