The poultry industry plays a vital role in Uganda’s agriculture sector. It has developed into one of the major sources of income for many small-scale farmers. Poultry farming is quite a simple agri-business venture. Since it requires minimal capital and low input, it can be practiced by rural families. Furthermore, it helps the country to feed its population. Hence, developing food security with cheap and available meat and eggs for people. Despite many challenges, many people in Uganda are still into poultry farming to get high returns and profits. With the right support, including government policies and private investment, Uganda’s poultry industry holds great promise for the future.

Poultry farming is on the rise in Uganda. Also, there is a rising demand for poultry products in the market. There is the increasing population of the country, as well as its urbanization, has led to this demand. The population is becoming more urbanized. For this reason, the consumption of poultry products is higher in cities than in rural areas. The third factor that has led to increased focus on poultry farming is the change in dietary habits. People are now consuming more protein, especially chicken meat and eggs. But the industry is not without challenges. This is because farmers are facing challenges like disease attacks on animals/stock. This leads to either low production or death. Hence, increased feed expense reduces productivity and profits.

Several big challenges hamper the development of the poultry industry in Uganda. 

1. One of them is the diseases that are on and off in the poultry farms, such as Newcastle disease. This disease is highly contagious and has many fatalities among the affected chickens. Especially in the small-scale farm with no put in place of biosecurity measures.
2. Another emerging issue is expensive feed for poultry. This is due to the current feeder stance on feed prices. Maize and soybeans are most of the main ingredients used in feed, and most of them have to be imported or bought locally at high prices. This poses a challenge to farmers’ livelihoods. Especially those operating under small-scale farming businesses. Essential inputs, such as feed, remain a big challenge to farmers due to improved prices. 
3. Many farmers struggle to find affordable, high-quality feed. This directly affects the health and productivity of their birds.
4. Further factors include poor transport, communication structure, and restricted market access. Most of them lack the proper means of transporting their product to the urban centers where demand is high. 
5. Lack of storage and transportation makes the farmers suffer post-production loss, which affects their income. 

These challenges make it difficult for small-scale poultry farmers to compete with larger commercial producers. Despite these obstacles, there are ongoing efforts to address these issues and support the growth of the poultry industry in Uganda.

To solve the above-listed issues that affect the poultry industry in Uganda, several solutions have been introduced. The first of them is increasing emphasis on feed production in the local region. For this reason, the government encourages large-scale production of crops such as maize and soybeans. To cut expenses from the use of expensive imported feed. This has assisted in keeping feed prices cheap. Thus, growing poultry farming for small-scale farmers.

Apart from diverging feed production, many firms have realized the need to develop disease control. Both the government and international organizations have designed programs to provide vaccines and veterinary officers. These initiatives have been vital in preventing and managing outbreaks of diseases like Newcastle disease. Educating farmers on biosecurity practices is also playing a role in reducing disease transmission.

To support smallholder farmers further, the formation of cooperatives has been encouraged. These cooperatives allow farmers to pool their resources. This helps increase their bargaining power and improve access to markets. By working together, farmers can afford better infrastructure and transport their products. With the help of these cooperatives, reaching larger markets in urban areas will be easier. This has helped reduce post-harvest losses and increase profitability for small-scale producers.

These efforts have improved the poultry industry’s growth and development in many ways.

The adoption of these solutions is being taken by the government of Uganda. Also, the international community and private stakeholders are included. All these endeavors were meant to solve some of the problems that affected the poultry farming business. Like high feed prices and diseases. Below are some of how the solutions were implemented, along with examples of their impact

• Local Feed Production Initiatives:

For the feed crops, the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, has embarked on a sensitization program. And grow more feed crops, especially maize and soybeans, with the support of local farmers.

Example: Some of the feed mills have been established locally by the Ugachick Poultry Breeders, where farmers have been able to get cheap and quality feed. This has led to the reduction of feed imports, hence lowering the cost of production among farmers. Ugachick Poultry Breeders has a feed mill in Uganda that uses 99. 9% of input from Ugandan farms for Local value addition. Hence, making the feed prices affordable to the farmers.

• Disease Control and Vaccination Programs:

In collaboration with departments such as the FAO, the government has improved immunization and other related services for animals. Mobile clinics with veterinarians have been established in rural areas, where vaccinations are offered, as well as training on bio-security is conducted.

Example: The organization known as PoultryTechUganda has been involved in pulling up the poultry value chain in Uganda. They are helping the farmers with modern technology in poultry farming. For instance, in health standards and disease control. But specific details about the number of farmers trained may vary from year to year. 

• Formation of Cooperatives:

On the same note, the government has encouraged the establishment of farmer cooperatives. Small-holder farmers combine their efforts and funds in purchasing inputs for production as well as accessing the huge markets.

Example: The Kawempe Poultry Farmers SACCO is a registered poultry farming cooperative based in Ttula, Bombo Rd, Kawempe Division, Uganda. It functions as a savings and credit cooperative, providing support to local poultry farmers. Members of such cooperatives benefit from lower costs and improved market access.

• Infrastructure Development:

Specifically, investments in infrastructure as well as in cold storage are needed. Better transportation in rural areas has helped the supply chain for poultry products.

Example: The Agricultural Cluster Development Project (ACDP), was set by the Ugandan government and financed by the World Bank Group. However, the ACDP provides for upgrading rural feeder roads to improve the productivity of crops. It encompasses the major aim of improving infrastructure in Uganda. These steps help transport poultry from rural producers to urban consumers.

This has resulted in dramatic improvements in the poultry sector across the country. Feed locally has improved through production. This has cut on imported feed and so has helped bring down the cost of production to the farmers. For instance, currently, many firms are directly involved in the production of feeds. Such as Ugachick Poultry Breeders Limited produces 99% of its feed locally, where small-scale farmers get a chance to access quality feed at cheaper prices. This has, in one way or boosted the productivity and profitability of the sector.

Besides, control of diseases has remained successful over the years. This has led to a reduction in mortality rates caused by Newcastle disease. Farmers have access to the services of veterinary doctors as well as vaccinations. Through such partnerships with organizations such as the Ministry of Livestock, husbandry, the government, and PoultryTechUganda, farmer education on biosecurity has reduced disease outbreaks.

Infrastructure improvements under initiatives like the Agricultural Cluster Development Project (ACDP) have helped market access. Upgraded rural feeder roads have made it easier for farmers to transport poultry products to urban centers. That reduces post-harvest losses and improves income opportunities.

These combined efforts have made Uganda’s poultry industry affordable and profitable for smallholders.

The poultry industry in Uganda has made significant progress. They have improvements in local feed production, disease control, and market access. These efforts have boosted productivity. Also made poultry farming more profitable for small-scale farmers.

Yet, continued investment in infrastructure, technology, and farmer training is crucial to sustaining this growth. The future of the industry looks promising. There is a rising demand for poultry products both domestically and internationally. By maintaining momentum, the poultry industry in Uganda has the potential to boost the economy and food security.