BY D SEBUNYA: Players in the poultry value chain are advocating for more environmentally friendly practices in this industry. The stakeholders believe green practices are possible from brooding to the market.
In preparation for the upcoming poultry value chain symposium on 8th July 2024, it was established that greening the value chain would make the industry more resilient to climate change and self-reliant. They believe this will increase the financial benefit obtained from the sector by enhancing productivity and contributing to the environmental protection agenda to combat climate change.
On behalf of the team, Prof. Gudula Nayiga Basazza, the Chief Executive Officer of the Gudie Incubation Center, notes that it is paramount for chicken value chain actors to have greening plans for their farms, giving an example of responsible handling of chicken litter. “When we look at the way we raise chickens, if as a country in 2021, we had 57 million chickens, each of these passes out waste of at least three kilos in its lifetime, and if this waste is not taken care of properly, it contributes to greenhouse emissions,” she stated.
Nayiga adds that for a farmer who adopts green practices, from the beginning they have interventions that will handle the waste at any stage of the chicken’s life. If it is the litter, how do I dispose of it, or how do I use it for something more useful?
According to Nayiga, even at the brooding level, the actors have to be conscious of what type of energy they are using in this process, where she posed a number of questions. “When you are at the stage of brooding, are you using charcoal? How many trees are being cut to brood all those chickens?” She asked, adding that there is a need to minimize the number of trees that are cut for this process, because it is undisputed that they are an important component of the environment, but at the same time, energy for warmth in the brooding process is also required. To address this, the team called for the use of alternatives like solar and electricity, and briquettes, which have minimal effects on the environment.
Water management mechanisms are another area of interest while rooting for a greener poultry industry. “We are looking at modern ways of conserving water used, and this goes along with food conservation, such that the environment is not excessively challenged to provide much of these resources, yet they go to waste due to lack of greener interventions to conserve them,” the meeting pointed out.
The meeting further stressed that greening this sector has to extend to the disposal of slaughter remains because these can be used for various purposes that improve poultry life and human life through recycling to avoid irresponsible disposal.
Additionally, the meeting wants the packaging of the chicken while in the market to also be environmentally friendly, as well as the value addition processes like roadside roasting. “If I go to the supermarket and pick that chicken, it comes in a polyethylene bag. Where do I throw that bag? We need to find a way of eliminating this. If you want to roast your chicken, what energy are you using? Are you conserving the environment?”
According to the meeting, they are looking forward to minimizing all aspects of the poultry value chain that would contaminate the environment, mainly through recycling to use less and get more. Farmers have to know the implications of their farming on the environment.