2. Methodology
Bangladesh Poultry Model (BPM)
The Bangladesh Poultry Model (BPM) started as a livelihood strategy with the
premise that village poultry is a common enterprise of the poor households and so it is
possible to reach them easily with any technological intervention through this
enterprise (Darudec 2003, Policy and Planning Support Unit, 2003, Dolberg 2003).
Reaching the poor with technology is essential to move them out of the vicious circle
of poverty.
In 1978 Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and Department for
Livestock Services (DLS) started a pilot poultry project in Manikganj district, an area
with a high proportion of landless people, located immediately west of Dhaka,
Bangladesh (Dolberg, Mallorie and Brett 2002). BPM was initiated from this pilot test
between 1981 and 1985 by BRAC and DLS. The model was scaled up and modified
gradually through large donor funded projects with support from WFP, Danida,
IFAD, ADB and the World Bank for a period of more than two decades involving
several NGOs such as BRAC, Proshika, Swanirvar Bangladesh and other NGOs
registered with the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF)1. Three large donor
funded projects that involved improving, expanding and adapting the model were
‘Smallholder Livestock Development Project’ (SLDP-1, 1993-98), ‘Participatory
Livestock Development Project’ (PLDP, 1997-2002) and SLDP-2 (2001-2006). The
2006-2011 ‘Agriculture Sector Programme Support’ (Phase 2) financed by DANIDA
is supporting towards the gradual privatisation of veterinary services, including
vaccine production and to Avian Flu prevention and control (Bangladesh 2006).
The model initially comprises a supply chain of 7 enterprises, later simplified to 6
enterprises as in figure 12. SLDP-2 recommended only 2 cadres such as poultry
workers and key rearers to be sustainable (Riise et al. 2005). The main idea on the
production side was to establish a large number of small household based production
units (smallholder poultry farmers) known as the key rearers (KRs) in the model,
constituting 95% of the beneficiaries. The remaining 5% were service deliverers who
were linked to the KRs in order to ensure input supplies such as vaccination, parent
stocks, feed as well as market outlet of the eggs produced3. These input suppliers are
model breeders (MBs), mini hatcheries, chick rearers, poultry workers, feed sellers
and egg sellers. NGOs are contracted to implement the village based activities in
collaboration with DLS. MBs producing fertile eggs from crossing Fayoumi hens and
Rhode Island Red cocks sell to the small low cost hatcheries producing day old chicks
called Sonali4. Chick rearers buying Sonali chicks rear up to the age of 2 months to
1 It was applied in Income Generation for Vulnerable Groups Development (IGVGD) programme,
which was a tripartite collaborative venture between Directorate of Relief & Rehabilitation (DRR),
Department of Livestock Services (DLS) and BRAC in 1986-1992 (Sarker et. al 2005).
2 The 7 cadres are key rearers (KRs), model breeders (MBs) , mini hatcheries, chick rearers, poultry
workers, feed sellers and egg sellers.
3 The model started with 4092 beneficiaries comprising 3900 KRs, 26 model breeders, 6 mini
hatcheries, 40 chick rearers, 100 poultry workers, 10 feed sellers and 10 egg collectors (Riise et al.
2005).
4 Sonali is a cross breed of Egyptian Fayoumi hens and American Rhode Island Red cocks. This cross
breed has been widely used in smallholder poultry initiatives in Bangladesh, as it is high yielding and
copes well in the local environment. Other improved breeds were also experimented.