Women's Knowledge and Livelihood Outcomes from Backyard Poultry Rearing in Maudaha Block, Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh
Abstract: Backyard poultry can serve as a practical household livelihood option in rural areas because it can be operated at a relatively small scale and managed alongside routine domestic and agricultural work. This study examined whether training combined with practical support was associated with changes in women?s poultry-management knowledge, household poultry income and chick survival in eight villages of Maudaha block, Hamirpur district, Uttar Pradesh. Fifty women participated in the intervention. Their knowledge was assessed before the intervention and again after an approximately 120-day production cycle. The intervention combined technical training, 50 chicks for each participant, support for an improved poultry housing unit and technical guidance during rearing. Knowledge increased in all five areas assessed. Feeding knowledge rose from 34% to 82%, vaccination knowledge from 20% to 76%, disease-management knowledge from 24% to 74%, housing knowledge from 30% to 80%, and brooding knowledge from 22% to 78%. Average household poultry income increased from about ₹3,800 to ₹24,000 per cycle, while chick mortality fell from 58% to 10.6%. The results indicate that practical training supported by inputs and follow-up guidance was associated with better poultry-management practices and improved selected livelihood outcomes among the participating households. The findings are specific to the study group and intervention period; broader claims would require larger samples, longer follow-up and an appropriate comparison group.
Keywords: Backyard poultry; rural women; livelihood; poultry management; knowledge improvement; chick mortality; household income; Hamirpur; Bundelkhand
How to Cite?: Satyajeet Ranjan, Pooja, Abhishek Pandey, Surendra Verdia, "Women's Knowledge and Livelihood Outcomes from Backyard Poultry Rearing in Maudaha Block, Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 497-499, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261007125539, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261007125539