Right to Livelihoods in Haiti
Focus on egg production and rural household livelihood strategies
Focus on egg production and rural household livelihood strategies
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16<br />
Constra<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>to</strong> Produc<strong>in</strong>g Eggs<br />
Feed<br />
The first and most important limitation on egg production on rural homesteads is the same as that<br />
encountered at the <strong>in</strong>dustrial level seen earlier, the cost of feed. As seen, not any feed will do. A lay<strong>in</strong>g<br />
chicken requires very carefully balanced feed that <strong>in</strong>cludes the right salts, calcium and vitam<strong>in</strong>s. One has<br />
<strong>to</strong> buy that feed, not easy <strong>to</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d <strong>in</strong> rural <strong>Haiti</strong> (see Constra<strong>in</strong>ts on Intensive Egg Production, p 5). If the<br />
farmer can get it from <strong>Haiti</strong> Broilers then he or she can produce an egg for USD $0.11 cents. And that is<br />
basically the only hope the farmer has because even if the farmer can concoct the appropriate feed<br />
ratios—a feat for the most sophisticated farmer -- currently retail corn prices (100 Htg for 1 mamit =<br />
approximately 5.5 lbs) mean that at a conversion ratio of 4.6 pounds of feed one 1 dozen egg, the feed<br />
for an egg would cost exactly what it is worth on the retail market (7 <strong>to</strong> 8 Htg). And that is assum<strong>in</strong>g that<br />
the farmer could get optimum <strong>in</strong>dustrial yield for the egg, someth<strong>in</strong>g he or she could not hope <strong>to</strong> come<br />
close <strong>to</strong>. But that is not the worst of it. Corn <strong>in</strong> rural <strong>Haiti</strong> can vary seasonally by fac<strong>to</strong>rs as great as 300%,<br />
so it at times it could cost 200% <strong>to</strong> 300% percent the given figure. If the farmers grows his or her own corn<br />
then, as seen earlier, it would make much more sense <strong>to</strong> forget about chickens and sell the corn. The only<br />
hope the farmer has, the only hope, is that when all is done he or she can sell the hens for slaughter and<br />
recuperate more than was lost. All of this makes feed<strong>in</strong>g chickens highly <strong>in</strong>auspicious undertak<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong><br />
the ‘low risk, low cost’ livelihood strategies that have enabled <strong>Haiti</strong>an peasants <strong>to</strong> survive for two<br />
centuries. With the price of gra<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, it is easy <strong>to</strong> understand why poultry production <strong>in</strong> rural <strong>Haiti</strong> is<br />
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typically based on scaveng<strong>in</strong>g strategy, which leads <strong>to</strong> a whole series of additional constra<strong>in</strong>ts<br />
Constra<strong>in</strong>s that Derive from the Scaveng<strong>in</strong>g Strategy<br />
Because free rang<strong>in</strong>g chickens will heartily scarf up any seeds they f<strong>in</strong>d means that they must be conf<strong>in</strong>ed<br />
dur<strong>in</strong>g plant<strong>in</strong>g and harvest seasons. If they are not conf<strong>in</strong>ed and they <strong>in</strong>vade a newly planted garden or<br />
help themselves <strong>to</strong> the neighbors dry<strong>in</strong>g corn, the neighbors have a right and often do kill them, often<br />
bait<strong>in</strong>g them with rat poison. Because an effective chicken coup costs money--and as seen rural <strong>Haiti</strong>ans<br />
employ low risk and low <strong>in</strong>vestment strategies--the vast majority do not have coups. Rather they tether<br />
the chickens, which means tend<strong>in</strong>g them, mov<strong>in</strong>g them, water<strong>in</strong>g them, all of which puts a limitation<br />
dur<strong>in</strong>g plant<strong>in</strong>g and harvest seasons on the number that can be reasonably be looked after before they<br />
start dy<strong>in</strong>g from neglect. Indeed, the more chickens one has the more all the prior problems mentioned,<br />
the greater the costs, the risks, and the losses, all directly anathema <strong>to</strong> the major logical tenet underly<strong>in</strong>g<br />
rural <strong>Haiti</strong>an subsistence strategies: lost <strong>in</strong>vestment and low risk.<br />
Disease and Supplements<br />
To adequately care for a chick they should be given vacc<strong>in</strong>es aga<strong>in</strong>st Newcastle disease, and cocsidosis.<br />
They should be wormed and given vitam<strong>in</strong> supplements and preventative antibiotic, all of which is difficult<br />
<strong>to</strong> purchase for few birds and so much be bought <strong>in</strong> bulk at the cost of USD$20 <strong>to</strong> 30, more than half of<br />
what most rural farmers earn annually on chickens. Meds and nutrition will not s<strong>to</strong>p preda<strong>to</strong>rs, which as<br />
seen annually take 30% of the flock. Moreover, it is not as simple as vacc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g a chicken for life. To<br />
effectively deal with epidemics and new chicks, FAO recommends farmers vacc<strong>in</strong>ate their entire flock of<br />
free-rang<strong>in</strong>g birds monthly, mak<strong>in</strong>g it a frequent cost and <strong>in</strong>convenient chore not acceptable <strong>to</strong> most<br />
farmers. On <strong>to</strong>p of all this, <strong>in</strong> most areas the vacc<strong>in</strong>es simply are not available. In the best cases, supplies<br />
from the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Agricultural (MARNDR) are sporadic. In the other cases, such as Les Cayes, there is a<br />
function<strong>in</strong>g and well s<strong>to</strong>cked s<strong>to</strong>re, but farmers must travel <strong>to</strong> get <strong>to</strong> it. xxviii