Poultry Farming and Sustainable Development for Youth

In West Africa, poultry farming is considered one of the most promising agrifood industries, fostering sustainable growth and contributing to poverty reduction. In Senegal, it is a growing, dynamic sector of the economy. 
In 2014 and 2015, a project carried out in the Thiès region provided theoretical and practical training to some one hundred young men and women on rearing broiler chickens.
The current project, which is also funded by the Ministère of International Relations and La Francophonie’s Québec International Development Program, is a continuation of the first phase and primarily targets the 100 young people who have already received training. The project will set up a support/consulting and mentoring program aimed at building young people’s skills so they can take their entrepreneurial development to the next level. The purpose of the program is to provide support to young entrepreneurs, half of whom are women, in starting, strengthening and managing their poultry businesses. The project also aims to facilitate access to financing to create more than 50 businesses and long-term jobs.

Compiling results

Based on a unique partnership model between NGOs, farmer organizations, public structures and private businesses, this project supports sustainable socio-economic insertion for young people in the poultry industry.

Results have just been compiled for the project’s first phase, which ended in November 2015. During the first phase, the project provided access to facilities for a business incubator specializing in poultry-related professions at agricultural school Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agriculture (ENSA) in Thiès. ENSA, in partnership with the Conseil National de Concertation et de Coopération des Ruraux (CNCR), provided theoretical and practical training to build the technical and managerial skills of some 100 young Senegalese women and men. Once trained, half of these young people started their own farms or business associations, while others became service providers (support/consulting) or found work on poultry farms.

The training included an internship component through which students gained hands-on experience managing poultry operations of 50 to 100 chickens and got a close look at the realities of running a small poultry business. Revenues generated during the internship (over CA$22,000 in poultry sales) were used as a local contribution toward the current phase of the project. The funds were put toward helping new entrepreneurs, including those who had not set up their business during the first phase, to purchase equipment and installation materials (poultry feed and chicks). 

Building entrepreneurship skills

The first phase of the project was also a chance to learn about the challenges that young entrepreneurs face, be it a lack of funding adapted to their situation, or a need to develop practical skills in poultry rearing and business management. This revealed a need for local support in setting up farm projects to empower young entrepreneurs to take decisive action in the first months of production and to strengthen existing businesses. In response to this need, a support and mentoring program was established with the CNCR. Senegalese partner organizations created and operated the program and Uniterra program volunteers provided consulting services. Through the program, technical advisors visited entrepreneurs on site to give tips on best practices in poultry rearing, as well as more specific advice for the region and climate. Program beneficiaries also received advice on creating a business plan or on seeking funding from donor agencies that operate in Senegal.

Support for poultry industry partners

The Uniterra program assigned several volunteers to the partner organization to support project implementation and monitoring. These volunteers play a major role in setting up and operating the program by providing activity support and coaching young agri-entrepreneurs. To ensure the program’s longevity, the volunteers are also working to build the capacities of partner structures (particularly in organizational management, gender equality and the environment) in order to support the development of the poultry industry as a whole. In response to the avian flu epidemic, Senegal introduced measures in 2005 banning the import of poultry and poultry products for 15 years. This has allowed the poultry farming industry to develop in a relatively protected market. By 2020, Senegal will need to be ready to face international competition within its own market. For this reason, it is important to support local poultry production in terms of quantity and quality if the country is to match the strong competition from Brazil and European countries. The current project is part of this effort for national production in support of domestic economic development.