Backyard Poultry Farming a Boon for Marginal Farmers of India

In the era when we are celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav and moving towards completing 100 years of independence a stratum of society that must be looked upon are the marginal farmers of India. In the present time when we are talking about doubling the farmer’s income through various strategies framed by the government of India. Livestock forms one of the 7 sources that are contributing to farmer’s income. Backyard poultry farming can be a possible and a sure-shot solution for the upliftment of the marginal farmers of India. Backyard poultry is a low-cost low-input option for these farmers that can give them great gains not only in form of nutritional benefits but in form of economic profits. The Indian poultry sector has improved immensely in the past years but there is a whole lot of scope for improvement in backyard poultry farming. Today the Indian poultry population stands at a total of 851.81 million of which 317.07 million are contributed by backyard poultry according to the 19th livestock census. As compared to the previous livestock census the commercial poultry population has increased by 4.50% whereas the backyard poultry population has increased by 45.79%. This shows that backyard poultry is attracting farmers to this enterprise, and they are opting for it with satisfaction and zeal