1. Introduction
Achieving intended outcomes of short courses offered at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) is an important and desirable milestone for both the University and short course participants. This article (which is also available in Kiswahili language by clicking an icon for English on ICE home page) highlights emerging feedback and observation from trainees of short courses on poultry which Sokoine University of Agriculture offered recently.
Trainees of poultry as agribusiness displaying their certificates of participation after completing a five day SUA training in Mid-January, 2021 at Bihawana Farmers Training Centre, Dodoma with generous support from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
A section of self-sponsored trainees of poultry posing for a group photo with resource persons at the Institute of Continuing Education, SUA towards the end of the year 2020
2. Short courses offered
Between October 2020 and February 2021 Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) through the Institute of Continuing Education in collaboration with Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences conducted four trainings on poultry which in total was attended by about 90 participants. Three poultry trainings, which was supported by FAO integrated entrepreneurship component, which was delivered in collaboration with School of Agricultural Economics and Business Studies (SAEBS).
The main objective of the training was to impart knowledge and skills to farmers and entrepreneurs leading to improving and establishing their poultry enterprises for self-employment
Topics covered include the following:
- Common poultry production systems
- Housing for small/medium scale project
- Getting started
- Hatching and raising chicks
- Commercial poultry feed and feeding business
- Raising broilers
- Management of Layers
- Managing/control of poultry diseases and parasites
- Biosecurity
- Record keeping
- Best practices in marketing chicken, meat, eggs and manure
- Costing and investment analysis in chicken enterprises
Poultry trainer, Prof. Said Mbaga (standing in front of the class) interacting with participants in one of class training session at Bihawana Dodoma
Layers chickens at Ten Youth Group enterprise as observed during study visit of participants in Dodoma
3. On-farm Emerging Outcomes of SUA Poultry Short Courses in Photos
Initiative of a farmer from Morogoro Municipality brooding 200 local chickens after attending a short course on poultry at SUA
Brooding 450 layers chicks raised by Best Women Group at Mlebe Village, Chamwino after two members had attended SUA short course on poultry in Dodoma
A hatching machine used by SUA poultry trainee who is raising 1000 local chickens in Rufiji. The trainee had purchased 700 Kuchi chicks from Mtwara at the price of 1500 each in addition to chicks hatched by the machine.
For more information about this article please write to Dr. Innocent H. Babili at ibabili@sua.ac.tz