Adoption of improved backyard poultry management practices among tribal farmers in Wayanad, Kerala

Alimudeen, S. and Senthilkumar, R. 2024. Adoption of improved backyard poultry management practices among tribal farmers in Wayanad, Kerala. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 199–203.

Tribal communities in India, officially recognized as “Scheduled Tribes,” often reside in rural areas and face socio-economic challenges. Livestock farming, including poultry rearing, plays a pivotal role in their livelihoods. This study investigates the adoption of improved backyard poultry management practices among tribal farmers in Wayanad, Kerala. An ex-post facto research was conducted, involving randomly selected 40 tribal farmers with permission from the Directorate of Scheduled Tribes Development Department, Government of Kerala. An adoption index developed by Patel et al. (2022) was used with suitable modifications to study the extent of adoption. The study reveals that over two-thirds of the respondents fell into the low adoption category of improved poultry production practices, with none in the high category. Notably, practices such as professional veterinary care and artificial incubation were not adopted by any of the respondents. In contrast, the provision of night shelter exhibited the highest adoption rate. This research underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to bridge the gap in adopting scientific backyard poultry farming practices among tribal communities. Such efforts can significantly contribute to the extent of adoption, nutritional security, economic empowerment and overall well-being of these communities.