This poultry project (to raise 2,000 chickens each year for meat) has both private and public management components and benefits. Successfully run in the past, this project was discontinued because new agricultural regulations require upgrades in disposal that community members were not trained in implementing, and they could not invest in the necessary new infrastructure and equipment. Now, however, a community member has completed a 3-month training in sustainable poultry-raising methods.
80% of rural Moroccan households live in poverty and face the challenge of having to transition away from traditional agricultural practices because barley and corn are grown on 70-80% of agricultural land, yet generate only 10-15% of agricultural revenue. These rural communities have viable economic development opportunities; however, they require investment, even as local people provide labor for projects in-kind. These projects also need to help improve the environment and be sustainable.
This poultry-raising project enables diversifying the Tifnoute Valley economy, by transferring vital skills and building the remaining needed infrastructure for the project to be environmentally responsible. The project will raise 2,000 chickens each year. Because the cost of the meat per kilo ($2.50) is one-third the cost of red meat ($7.50), this will diversify diets and create an example of local business development which contributes 10% of profits to the local Commune for development.
It is necessary for rural Moroccans to seize opportunities for local development while also enhancing the natural environment. Subsistence agriculture has created the highest concentrations of poverty. This project builds the skills of the 2 poultry house workers and invests in infrastructure for it to be managed responsibly. Because it furthers private and public goals, this project can set a vital example for rural families to build and diversify their economy, leading to future projects.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
