Success Story on the Control of Newcastle Disease in Village Chickens

Small farmers generally practised mixed farming and most of them have been raising small stocks. Farmers spread their risks by producing a diversity of products and animals, and decreased the impact of lowered production in one of their endeavours. The majority of households in Phek lived in rural envirnments and raise poultry, usually chickens as these were reletively cheaper to buy and required very few inputs. These birds were most likely cared by women and children and in many cases, little or no supplementary feed was given. They just moved around and collected their food from vicinity and stayed in the owner's home as rarely separate dwellings were made for them. They required minimal external inputs, minimal human attention and caused minimal disruption to the environment.
There were approximately 3.55 lakh chickens in Phek district and most of them were being reared as backyard chickens. The flock size of rural poultry varied from 4 to 20 and about 75% of the total chicken population in Phek consists of nondescript breeds. Low production performance of the local germ-plasm coupled with traditional rearing practices and high incidence of endemic diseases made poultry rearing most vulnerable.

Newcastle Disease – A Major Constraint to Rural Poultry Farming

Rural poultry was always associated with freerange, backyard or at most semi-intensive systems of management and they were known to be susceptible to most diseases that affect commercial chickens. Due to the free-ranging and unconfined type of management, problem of disease outbreaks and parasitic infestation were very common. The exchange of birds as gifts or buying and selling of chickens from local markets was also a source of disease communication. Sometimes, other domestic birds as well as wild birds might also cause infection. Disease transmission from one flock to another has no limit, which being the main constraint to the production of free range and backyard poultry. The diseases found to be important for poultry under free range/backyard conditions as assessed during participatory rural appraisal (PRA) of three adopted village; Phosachoudu, Porba and Sakaraba were enlisted. Farmers have identified Newcastle disease as most devastating disease because it caused damage to the extent of 70-100% of the flock and major threat to poultry as the disease was prevalent in both epidemic and endemic forms in villages.

Losses caused by ND outbreaks in village chickens

Newcastle disease proved to be most deleterious disease of poultry and rural poultry suffered a lot due to it. Data collected during PRA of three adopted villages showed average death of 75.5% of the entire flock raised and the economic impact due to outbreak of Newcastle disease in village chickens were as follows:

Average chicken population per village (Data collected before demonstration of vaccination from 3 villages during 2006-08)	1600 birds
Egg production out of 1600 birds as 30% in lay	480 layer
Egg production from 480 birds @ 60 eggs/hen/year = 480X60	28,800 eggs
Losses due to Newcastle disease outbreaks in 480 layers in a village assuming 75.5% mortality= 480X75.5%	362 layers
Egg producti on from 362 birds @ 60 eggs/hen/year = 362X60	21,720 eggs
Cost of 21,720 eggs @ Rs. 4/egg	Rs. 86,880
Loss due to death of 362 layers @Rs.80/bird=362x80	Rs. 28,960
Losses due to Newcastle disease outbreaks in remaining (1600 480)=1120 birds in a village assuming 75.5% mortality= 1120X75.5%	864 birds
Loss due to death of 846 assuming average market rate of male, growers and chicks Rs. 50 per bird = 846X50	Rs. 42,300
Total loss due to outbreak=(86,880+28,960+42,300)	Rs. 1,58,140

Total losses due to out break of Newcastle disease is approximately Rs.1,58,140/Village/year

Control of Newcastle disease

The veterinarian from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra demonstrated vaccination against the devastating Newcastle disease by involving the women SHGs and rural youths. Six months after carrying out the demonstration, field days were organised in all three villages to find the impact of vaccination and collect feedback of the farmers.
It was found that before carrying out the vaccination programme average death recorded as 75.5% of the entire flock raised in target villages, but it has drastically reduced to 13.4% after the following the proper vaccination schedule. It clearly indicated the effectiveness of the vaccination programme. As per estimate average loss due to Newcastle disease before vaccination was approximately Rs. 1,58,140 / village / year assuming deaths as 7 5 . 5 % and loss reduced to Rs.28,086 / village / year as average death rate after vaccination came down to 13.4%. Thus adoption of vaccination against Newcastle disease has saved Rs.1,30,054 / village / year.
Farmers felt that vaccination has reduced the risk of Newcastle disease epidemic. Protection provided to their existing chickens through vaccination developed confidence in them to upscale the production. Previously it was difficult to arrange the vaccine for 5-10 birds from far away places to the remote villages by individual farmer. But now the trained youths collected the money from all the farmers, arranged the vaccine and regularly vaccinated their flocks. The protection against Newcastle disease has strengthened the economic status of women as rural poultry was primarily managed by them and it was also providing nutritional security to the house hold.

Mushroom Production at High Altitude Areas in Phek District of Nagaland: A Case Study

Phek district, with about 94% rural population, lies between 94035'18” to 94038'09” E, and 25037'37” to 25039'47” N in the south-east of Nagaland, at the altitude ranging from 520 to 2900m. Population of Phek was 148246 (2001 census) and it was sparsely populated with population density of 73 person/sq. km. The climate of Phek was temperate to sub-tropical with average rainfall of about 200 cm. The district was rich in natural flora and fauna.
Mushroom an eatable fungus grew wildly in temperate to sub tropical forests almost throughout the district on dead and decaying wooden materials. Traditionally they were well aware about its nutritional value and it is a popular food item of the tribal people. They collected it from the forests. Different varieties of wild mushrooms grew in forests during rainy season, but some of them were poisonous. Consumption of such poisonous varieties sometimes became hazardous due to toxicity. Even deaths were reported due to consumption of such varieties. The climate of the region suited well to Oyster mushrooms production as it grew well at moderate temperature ranging between 22 to 25°C with 55 to 70% humidity. It can be grown here successfully round the year except during extreme cold months at household level with minimum inputs. Marketing of the produce was also not a problem as mushrooms are the part of the food habit of the tribal people. Considering all afore mentioned facts, we have decided to promote Oyster mushroom cultivation in this region.
PRA in five villages namely; Porba, Sakraba, Gidemi, Pfutsero and Pfutseromi was conducted to assess the consumption behavior and scope of mushroom cultivation. Interested farmers and farm-women were selected from these villages and training was organized on Oyster mushroom cultivation. 70 beneficiaries were trained for a week during October 2007 –September 2008 in different batches on various aspects of mushroom production. The trained beneficiaries were given spawn free of cost for cultivation and production of their first batch. Performances were monitored regularly at all the villages. The data regarding consumption behaviour and overall production performance were recorded at all the villages. However the economics of production was recorded from a progressive farmer.
Out of the 70 trainees from five different villages, only 13 participants from four villages have started oyster mushroom production. The maximum adoption was found in Pfutsero village where six participants started the mushroom production followed by three, two, and two participants from Porba, Pfutseromi and Sakaraba villages, respectively. However, none from Gidemi village started theproduction. This might be due to the fact that Pfutsero village had maximum potential for marketing of the produce, being wellconnected with the market place. In contrast, no participants from Gidemi village, a remotely located from the market place, had started the production. The mushroom produced by the villagers other than Pfutsero and Pfutseromi village was primarily consumed by boiling with other vegetables and meat (70%) or frying (10%). In some cases they dried the mushroom and preserved (20%). However producers of Pfutsero and Pfutseromi villages could sell the surplus produce (about 70% of the produce). The adoptability for mushroom production was comparatively low in Porba, Sakraba and Gidemi basically due to lack of market facilities.

Different steps of mushroom cultivations (A: boiling of straw; B: spawn running; C: fruiting)