South Sudan Refugees Programme Training Report

Venue: Rhino Refugee Resettlement Camp, Arua, Northern Uganda

Date: 17th August 2018

Purpose of Visit 

To train refugee farmers in regard to local chicken farming as a business. The training taught the participants about: feeding and water quality, local housing techniques, current marketing and value addition, good disease and parasite management, and record keeping practices. It also encompassed doing poultry as a family business.

Outcome of Mission

• The local chicken farming training took place successfully. I (Thomas) trained over 30 participants. 15 farmers will benefit initially from the chicken distribution. 

• Emphasis was placed on farmers to fully meet their own costs of feeding and vaccination of the chickens given to them. 

• Construction of  modern chicken houses using locally available materials was demonstrated to the farmers, it should be raised above the ground. All refugee farmers who participated agreed that they will build and house their chickens.  

• Participants acknowledged the importance of record keeping as regards to farming as a business. They vowed to practice it.  

Recommendations

• Follow-up trainings will be done prior to the distribution of chickens to the selected farmers to avoid unexpected losses. Inspection and proper understanding of the farmer’s capability to care and nurture the intended birds will be reviewed at that time.

• Being a rocky place and with favouring conditions for rabbit projects, we should probably reconsider such a lucrative venture for farmers who are unable to look after chickens. (This is another possibility for consideration if there are reasonable outcomes from the chicken business.)

• There are an overwhelming number of refugee farmers interested in learning and practicing chicken farming and if it is successful there will be a need to increase it.

• Distribution of chickens will occur after inspection and identification of refugee farmer trainees who are prepared for them.