Empowering Women Farmers through Backyard Poultry: Socio-Economic and Nutritional Impacts in Bihar

Backyard poultry production is a low-input, high-impact intervention for assuring livelihood security, nutrition, and women’s empowerment in rural areas. The present study, conducted under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) in Bhojpur district of Bihar, evaluated the socio-economic, nutritional, and management aspects of backyard poultry among farm women using improved dual-purpose breeds under semi-scavenging conditions. The findings indicated that improved breeds, particularly Vanaraja, showed superior growth performance under village conditions. Backyard poultry required minimal time investment, making it compatible with the existing workload of rural women. The enterprise contributed to enhanced household income and improved nutritional status, including better dietary intake and health indicators among beneficiary women. From a gender perspective, women play a central role in management, contributing to household nutrition and income with minimal time investment. Importantly, the study demonstrated a significant positive impact on nutritional security. Women engaged in backyard poultry showed higher consumption of eggs and meat, improved protein and micronutrient intake, better haemoglobin levels, and enhanced dietary diversity compared to non-beneficiaries. These improvements indicate a direct contribution of backyard poultry towards reducing malnutrition and anemia among rural women. Overall, the study establishes backyard poultry as a sustainable, economically viable and nutritionally impactful intervention with strong potential for promoting women’s empowerment and inclusive rural development.