SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE DUCK FARMING SYSTEM TOWARDS ITS SUSTAINABILITY IN THE KUTTANAD REGION OF ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT
Loading...
Date
2016-12-30
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES MANNUTHY, THRISSUR
Abstract
The present study titled ‘SWOT analysis of duck farming system towards
its sustainability in Kuttanad region of Alappuzha district’ was undertaken among
a sample duck farmers of Kuttanad region of Alappuzha district. The objectives
were to study the profile of duck farmers, strengths, weaknesses opportunities and
threats of duck farming vis-à-vis solutions for sustainability.
The profile of the duck farmers of Kuttanad revealed that a majority of
them were of old age with more than 10 years of experience in duck farming.
Most of them had school level education and were literates. It was seen that both
men and women were involved in duck farming chores apart from engaging hired
labourers. Regarding employment generation it was seen that various rearing
systems in vogue viz. back yard, nursery and semi-intensive rearing, the duration
of employment was 23, 82 and 77 days/ annum respectively. Nomadic system
provided full time employment for farmers and labourers throughout the foraging
season. Average annual income generated under the various systems of rearing
viz. backyard, nursery, semi-intensive and nomadic systems were Rs; 5,036.55,
Rs. 93,077.65, Rs.2,30,119.00 and Rs. 3,50,750 .00 respectively. The
communication behaviour of the farmers was obviously low as revealed from
their extension agency contact, mass media exposure and training exposure. Even
as the knowledge of scientific duck farming was medium, the attitude towards the
same was favourable. Regression analysis indicated that six per cent variation in
attitude was explained by family income and extension agency contact. But,
family income was negatively and significantly correlated with attitude even when
mass media utilization was positively and significantly correlated. With respect to
knowledge, flock size, land holding, hired labour utilization and extension agency
contact were significant in explaining 22.1 per cent variation in the duck farmers’
knowledge of scientific duck farming. Moreover, knowledge was positively and
significantly correlated with flock size, land holding, income from duck farming,
family income, hired labour utilization, extension agency contact and mass media
utilization.
The SWOT analysis of duck farming system revealed that the most
important strengths of duck farming system were social features, followed by
product feature, production system features and the bird features in that order
while the weaknesses were bird features, social features and production system
features in that order. Among the various categories of external factors of duck
farming system, market for current products and market possibilities were the
important opportunities. Major threats were social features, policy features and
input supply chain features. Strategies formulated from SWOT matrix to attain
sustainability of duck farming system in Kuttanad were those focusing on
maximizing strengths vis-a-vis exploiting the opportunities. So also maximizing
the advantages of the opportunities to overcome the weaknesses.
Delphi analysis brought out the constraints as well as their solutions in the
process of arriving at strategies for ensuring sustainability of duck farming in
Kuttanad. SWOT analysis and Consensus Delphi method were in fact employed
to work in tandem and as research method triangulation towards arriving at the
strategies for attaining sustainability in duck production. Health care management,
general management, social, economic, marketing, policies and environmental
constraints were found to be major areas of constraints. The solutions for these
constraints gave an insight into the strategies to be adopted for attaining
sustainability. These strategies were discussed from three important perspectives
of sustainability analysis viz. practices to be stopped, practices that can continue
and new practices to be taken up. The practices to be stopped were the practices
of keeping unvaccinated birds, taking them out for foraging, introducing
unvaccinated new birds into the flock indiscriminate use of antibiotics, farmer vaccinators, large scale conversion of paddy fields, extensive burning of the
stubble, the excessive dependency on indigenous knowledge, over-dependency on
hired labour, availing credit from private money lenders, unhygienic waste
disposal and indiscriminate use of chemicals in agriculture. The practices that can
continue were the training initiatives in duck farming, promotional programmes
on organic farming and integrated farming, supplying vaccines and essential
medicines through the local veterinary institutions, maintaining duck farmer
registry and strengthening the government hatcheries. The new practices to be
taken up were mandatory vaccination , strict surveillance and monitoring,
awareness creating campaigns, forming a labour pool participating those persons
willing to be labourers, including duck farming under MNREGA,
entrepreneurship development programmes for youths, promotional programmes
on nomadic duck farming, forming APCOS model co-operatives, setting up feed
mixing units, quality control labs at regional level for testing feed, subsidized
duck feed to farmers, implementing insurance schemes appropriate to different
systems of duck rearing, initiatives for adequately subsidized loans with
minimum interest and sufficient repayment period, organized market outlets,
marketing of value added products, branding of native products, safe and
scientific waste disposal practices, converting farm and slaughter waste into bio fertilizer, licensing of farms, slaughter houses and the connected selling outlets
and establishing a full-fledged disaster management cell.
Description
Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education.