Concept
Pre-Proposal
Investment Development
Management & Close
Grant Proposal Narrative
We appreciate your interest in submitting a proposal to the foundation and we thank you for working with us throughout the proposal
process. Your designated foundation contact will continue to work collaboratively with you as you prepare your proposal to help you
understand the connection between the foundation's relevant program strategy and the proposed project, as well as to respond to any
questions you might have over the course of this process. You are encouraged to communicate with your program officer to make sure
that your efforts are aligned with the proposal requirements and that you are not expending unnecessary time or energy in this process.
Answer all of the questions in this Proposal Narrative template and submit it to your foundation program officer for review and
collaborative discussion. Due to tax, legal, and reporting requirements, all proposals must be submitted in English. The proposal must
be submitted in Word, as PDFs will not be accepted.
This is a proposal shaping document and not a commitment by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund the work.
General Information
Proposal Title
African Chicken Genetic Gains Program: A program for accessing, testing, adapting, and catalyzing publicprivate partnerships for multiplying and making available well-adapted low-input chickens for productivity growth in
sub-Saharan Africa
Investment Duration (Months)
60
Requested Amount (U.S.$)
$10,999,996
Total Project Cost (U.S.$)
$14,385,902
Opportunity ID
OPP1112198
Prospective Grantee/Vendor Information
Organization Name
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Mailing Address
Street Address 1
Old Naivasha Rd
Primary Contact Name
Tadelle Dessie
Street Address 2
GPO Box 30709
Primary Contact Title
Senior Scientist, ILRI
Primary Contact Email
t.dessie@cgiar.org
Primary Contact Phone
+251 912670368
Feedback Contact1
Tadelle Dessie
Street Address 3
City
Nairobi
State / Province
1
Zip / Postal Code
00100
Feedback Email1
t.dessie@cgiar.org
Country
Kenya
Authorized Signer Name
Dr. Jimmy Smith
Authorized Signer Title
Director General
Authorized Signer Email
j.smith@cgiar.org
Feedback Contact/Email: The full name and email of the contact whom foundation staff queries for various surveys.
Tax Status (If applicable)
Refer to Tax Status Definitions
Select one...
Organization’s Total Revenue
for Most Recent Audited
Financial Year (U.S.$)
[##-#########]
Organization’s Fiscal Year
Date Submitted
August-03, 2014
Submitted by Contact Email
t.dessie@cgiar.org
Submitted by Contact Name
Tadelle Dessie
Submitted by Contact Phone
+251 912670368
Submitted by Contact Title
Senior Scientist, ILRI
U.S Employer Identification
Number (EIN) (If applicable)
$ 73, 000, 000
Submission Information
Page 1 of 21
© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
Proposal Details
The Foundation is prohibited from conducting or funding any lobbying or political campaign activities, as these terms are specifically
defined under U.S. tax law. Unlike many of our grantees/vendors who may engage in limited lobbying, the Foundation cannot lobby or
fund any lobbying activities carried out by its grantees/vendors. We request that you please review the information at the following link,
Foundation Funds and Advocacy, to assess whether any of your proposed activities may constitute lobbying as defined by the IRS. If so,
you should revise your proposal accordingly prior to submission.
1. Executive Summary
Provide a brief summary of the investment.
The vision of this program is to catalyze public-private partnerships for increasing smallholder chicken production and productivity growth as a pathway out of
poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. We believe that the availability and scaled affordable distribution of brooded and pre-vaccinated chicks that are adapted to typical
low-input systems in poor rural communities would greatly increase production and productivity and reduce poverty, especially for poor women. We also believe
that the increased production will lead to more access to meat and eggs in rural communities, which will result in increased household animal protein consumption.
We want to achieve this by empowering smallholder farmers, especially women, to access their preferred, but more productive chicken breeds that they can
optimally manage in their specific agro-ecology and production systems. Typically, very low-producing chicken genotypes dominate smallholder production systems
in sub-Saharan Africa, largely due to the lack of effective long-term genetic improvement, multiplication, and delivery systems. This proposal details research-fordevelopment partnership between the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) in Ethiopia, Tanzania,
and Nigeria aimed at developing public-private partnerships that will contribute to this overall vision of change in the chicken sector through increased farmer access
to preferred, highly productive birds.
There is a long history of attempts to invest in smallholder chicken production in sub-Saharan Africa, and most of these investments have failed to deliver impact.
Historically, similar projects attempted to use high-producing genotypes created for intensive temperate feeding systems, and all of them failed to transform the
systems in a sustainable manner due to significant risk to farmers from lack of adequate feed as well as significant mortality constraints. We believe that the technical
landscape has changed significantly in terms of our ability to leverage high-producing but low-feed-input birds and the ability to pre-vaccinate birds, especially
through the use of now-accessible thermostable Newcastle disease vaccines from GALVmed. The convergence of these technologies provide a timely opportunity
for women farmers to turn on the engines of the chicken value chain in an innovative manner, with the potential for significant production and productivity gains
and impact in the form of income and increased household consumption with very limited risk. Therefore, we aim to leverage the existing history of work while
implementing an innovative approach to the chicken value chain.
The immediate goal of this African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG) program is to increase access of poor smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to high-producing
but agro-ecologically appropriate chicken genetics products. We will test multiple improved breeds of chickens from India and Africa to demonstrate high-production
potential under low-input systems. We will then develop the necessary public-private partnerships required to make available farmer-preferred genotypes to
increase smallholder chicken productivity as a pathway out of poverty. Specifically, the ACGG program will select and empower more than 7,500 smallholder farmers
(at least 70% of whom will be women carefully chosen from multiple agro-ecological zones), to conduct on-farm and on-station chicken germplasm testing to measure
and demonstrate productivity, preference, income growth, and household consumption increase. On-farm testing work will be coupled with Community-level Farmer
Innovation Platforms to engage women to co-create solutions to their challenges and in deciding what genotypes and service delivery models work best for them.
Country-level innovation platform meetings will target and facilitate the development of local public and private sector partnerships for the hatching, pre-vaccination,
brooding, and sale of preferred chicks to farmers. In addition to facilitating access to the parent birds for multiplication and delivery, a component of the long-term
sustainability plan of the ACGG program will be for ILRI to provide ongoing support to the public and private sector partners in terms of quality assurance, regulatory
approvals, and policy support. In the long-term an objective of the ACGG program is to generate and mobilize new knowledge and local capacity in poultry science,
genomics, and genetics to catalyze the design of genetic improvement programs aimed at continuously improving and delivering increased chicken productivity in
small-scale, intensifying systems beyond the selected implementation countries. This long-term genetic gains program and improved germplasm multiplication and
delivery systems are expected to be scaled-up and out of the project countries to benefit neighboring countries through cross-learning and peer-to-peer evaluation
and adaptation of the methods.
The proposed program is therefore structured around the following results and outcomes that will serve as the foundation of a strategy to build sustainable systems
for the development, multiplication, and delivery of more productive, tropically-adapted chicken genotypes.
1.
Stakeholders (governments, private sector, other development partners) have data-driven and culturally-relevant insights on the types of chickens (e.g.,
specific performance and phenotypic traits) that poor farmers, especially women, prefer across multiple agro-ecological and cultural systems of the
project countries
2.
Through functioning public private partnerships (targeting at least two operating partnerships per country), smallholders have access to their preferred
breeds that produce at least 200% more than existing local breeds, with significantly reduced mortality risks due to proper brooding and pre-vaccination
3.
Demonstrated and well-publicized data showing that the adoption of the proven chicken genotypes indeed leads to significantly increased production,
productivity, income, and household consumption among smallholder communities that adopt the technology
4.
Increased empowerment of women smallholder farmers in the chicken value chain to be seen across rural communities
5.
A functioning multi-country network of public-private partnerships for long-term chicken genetic improvement that has both the strategy and capacity to
use modern tools to drive accelerated genetic gains and to deliver more productive, farmer-preferred breeds
These results and outcomes are expected to have significant positive impacts smallholder chicken production and productivity in the target countries and beyond.
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
We believe that these outcomes are crucial to the successful realization of the strategic chicken production and productivity goals of each of the chosen countries.
Culturally intelligent determination of farmer-preferred germplasm will result in greater impact through higher adoption of the breeds. The community-level farmer
innovation platforms will focus on the farmers as customers, with women empowerment at the center, instead of the breeding centers. We are putting women at
the center of this work because women are at the core of both the chicken value chain and the household. Women own and manage more than 70% of chicken
flocks in sub-Saharan Africa, and therefore, we believe that we should be responsive to the unique feedback and needs of our principle stakeholder, women. Finally,
we aim to utilize the network of sub-national, national, and regional innovation platforms to bring local social and private sector entrepreneurs and actors together
into the chicken value chain to target innovative means of increasing productivity in smallholder chicken production in sub-Saharan Africa. The innovation platforms
will play a critical role in private sector engagement in order to create more sustainable and larger scale impact, and that the private sector will be the best means
of maintaining and utilizing the breeds.
Recent results from Uganda, where the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation facilitated more productive and tropically-adapted Kuroiler chickens from India to be
introduced for low-input smallholder production clearly show that this is a high leverage opportunity that can deliver significant productivity and impact on incomes
for poor farmers. The Uganda program used a modest level of investment within a relatively short period of time to ensure that healthy and high-producing Kuroilers
were sold to poor rural farmers, thereby significantly increasing their productivity and incomes (see Text box 2) in partnership with the government of Uganda. We
believe that there is a significant opportunity for productivity increase that can be realized by leveraging the learnings from the introduction of the Kuroiler in Uganda.
As we build upon the ongoing work in Uganda for other countries, we wish to be more deliberate about using innovation platform approaches to ensure that the
private sector is engaged from the start in order to achieve sustainability, that farmer genotype preferences are clearly identified from the start, that the program
creates avenues for finding solutions to challenges in the chicken value chain, and that approaches for enhancing access by women smallholders to the high producing
germplasm are appropriate for their local contexts. Most importantly, we want to make gender equity and women’s empowerment a core objective of the program.
Describe the charitable purpose of this work. (1-2 sentences)
Note: This will inform the description of the investment, if approved, in any agreement and if posted on gatesfoundation.org.
This investment will catalyze a farmer-centric, public-private partnership model for chicken genetic improvement and testing, multiplication, and delivery as a
sustainable pathway to productivity growth, poverty reduction, increased household animal protein intake, and empowerment of women farmers in rural
communities. In addition to the target countries, the germplasm, data, and knowledge generated from this investment have potential spillover impact that could
affect millions of poor rural and peri-urban households in several sub-Saharan African countries whose livelihood are impacted by backyard chicken production.
2. Problem Statement
Describe the problem, why it is a problem, and who is impacted by the problem. What specific elements of the problem is this investment
trying to address?
1.0 Problem Description
In sub-Saharan Africa, smallholder chicken production is an integral component of the livelihoods of nearly all poor rural households, and this is likely to continue for
a foreseeable future (FAO, 2008a). In addition to various socio-cultural uses, the main outputs from family chicken production are meat or eggs as a regular source
of high value nutrition for home consumption (ideal for the vulnerable members of the household, such as pregnant women, children, and the sick) and the income
from the sale of birds and eggs. With nearly 40% of global chicken exports going to Africa and the Middle East (Rabobank, 2013), there is a tremendous opportunity
for income growth and increased food security by increasing productivity and production of chicken systems in sub-Saharan Africa. However, historically, commercial,
intensive chicken production using exotic genetics has not been competitive in Africa due to high feed, veterinary, and energy costs (Sonaiya and Swan, 2004). While
many countries in Africa have access to exotic germplasm with the potential to grow fast, achieving more than 2.5kg market weight and producing more than 300
eggs per year, such high-producing exotic chicken lines were created for high-input intensive systems in temperate regions, and therefore the birds generally poorly
adapted to the low-input chicken management systems that dominate rural Africa. Most African countries are unable to produce the excess feed grains needed to
support intensive chicken production, and the need to import grain for commercial chicken feeds often makes imported chicken meat cheaper than locally-produced
meat. For instance, a USDA study in Ghana showed that the price on the domestic market of local intensively produced chicken is nearly 40% higher than imports
from the US that sell for $22 per 10kg (Ashitey, 2013).
Typically, the village chicken production system is based on scavenging or low-input, meaning that birds rely on what they are able to pick from the yards with
inconsistent supplementation of kitchen waste and limited amounts of grains. Birds are maintained with limited management, resulting in exposure to extreme heat,
pests, predators, and endemic diseases. Not surprisingly, productivity is often low for the unimproved local germplasm in these systems. For instance, most (80-97%)
of the nearly 54, 60, and 200 million chickens in Ethiopia (CSA, 2012), Tanzania, and Nigeria (FAOSTAT, 2010), respectively, are indigenous types that are raised in
small flocks (4 to 10 hens) and produce at most 40 eggs /hen /year and take more than six months to achieve a market live-weight of less than 1.5kg. Despite the
low productivity, these systems remain viable because the birds scavenge on local feed resources, which are otherwise wasted, and require minimal attention from
the farmer. Therefore, a critical step in enabling smallholders to realize their optimum chicken productivity and increase the availability of affordable chicken products
is the development of smallholder access to high-producing breeds that are adapted to the low-input (low-input) systems characterized by poor, inconsistent feed
supply and limited management.
Having co-evolved under local stressful environments, tropical indigenous chickens provide an important resource from which improved lines can be developed.
Evidence from well-designed, selective breeding programs show that even under scavenging conditions, significant productivity improvement can be rapidly
achieved, while maintaining acceptable levels of adaptation. Indeed, there is an increasing body of evidence that some of the African chicken populations and
“breeds” carry genes that are responsible for tolerance to various forms of stress such as disease, parasite, heat and humidly (Horst 1988; Cahaner et al., 1993).
There is also increasing evidence that certain tropically-adapted imported or improved local lines and line combinations are able to produce between 150 to 200
eggs/hen/year and grow fast (reach more than 2.0kg live-weight at 10-12 weeks of age) under low-input production using locally available feed resources (see text
box 1 and text box 2 below). However, these germplasm resources are generally under-exploited and under-leveraged due to the lack of effective capacity for local
testing, multiplication, and delivery to farmers, followed by continuous genetic improvement.
The proposed program aims to contribute to enhanced productivity and overall livelihoods of rural and peri-urban farming communities in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and
Nigeria, with significant spillover potential across the continent, through a transformational, farmer-centered approach to the improvement of village chicken
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
production systems by enabling smallholder access to improved local and tropically-adapted exotic lines. Partners, including NARS, in all three of the project countries
are putting in place plans, policies, and programs that align with the project goals of 1) accessing promising chicken germplasm suitable for local contexts, 2)
comprehensively testing these birds alongside local candidates 3) developing a robust private sector-driven multiplication and delivery system, which the country
could build on into the future, 4) identifying alternative pathways for engaging the private sector (in and out of the country) in ways they have not done in the past,
and 5) building the human and institutional capacity in the public and private sector for chicken genetic improvement, multiplication, and delivery. The project is
being designed in very close collaboration with partners from the National Agricultural Research System and has received unsecured commitments by respective
governments to leverage resources through existing initiatives and to catalyze new commitments. This program will provide the evidence to inform investments in
rural chicken value chains and catalyze the formation of the necessary public-private partnerships that are needed to transform the respective chicken value chains.
Text box 1: Improved Horro chicken in Ethiopia following six generations of on-station genetic gains.
In the Table below, a summary of results of the ILRI-EIAR joint Horro chicken breeding program in Ethiopia in generations 5 and 6, as compared to the
base generation is presented. Survival has improved from less than 50% in the base generation to 98% in generation 6. Body weight at 16 weeks has
increased substantially from 550g to 883g. Egg production has tripled from 24 in the base to 72 in generation 6.
Trait
Survival (to 26 wks)
Age at first egg (d)
Body weight 16 wk (g)
Egg production ≤ 45 wks
Base
<50%
223
550
24
Generation 5
97%
150
788
65
Generation 6
>98%
150
883
72
Text box 2: Summary of the progress on the introduction of the Indian Kuroiler scavenging chicken into Uganda.
In Uganda, a novel strategy, previously untested in Africa, was used to substantially increase returns from family chicken flocks. A high-performing hybrid
chicken called Kuroiler (a low-maintenance, highly productive semi-scavenger that has been thriving in Indian villages for over 15 years) was introduced in
rural family flocks in Uganda. Although similar in appearance to indigenous African chickens, Kuroiler chickens produced nearly five times the number of
eggs per year (150-200 versus 40) and nearly twice the body weight (3.0 kg versus 1.5 kg) in less than half the time of indigenous backyard chickens. In
addition to superior performance, all Kuroilers were pre-vaccinated to significantly reduce disease-related mortality common among indigenous birds.
Prior to the initiation of Phase 1, a pilot trial was conducted with select poor households in Uganda to compare the performance of Kuroiler and indigenous
chickens raised under identical scavenging conditions. The results confirmed that Kuroilers thrived in the Ugandan rural environment, had low mortality
and coexisted peacefully with local chickens while outperforming them by a wide margin in both egg and meat production. As of March 31, 2014, more
than Kuroiler chicks have been sold to rural farmers in 42 districts of Uganda. Currently 22 privately-owned brooding systems (called Mother-Units, MU)
are serving the 42 districts. The number of MUs is likely to increase as Kuroiler distribution expands to additional districts. We expect that by the end of
Phase II in August, 2014, approximately 500,000 Kuroilers will be distributed in Uganda. To date, the Kuroiler sales data indicate that 50.7% of individual
orders were placed for 50 DOCs or less, 22.7% for 51-200 DOCs and 26.8% for over 200 DOC. Data being analyzed show that farmers are reaping productivity
benefits that are significantly higher than they previously achieved from the unimproved local chickens.
1.1 Historical background and the state of chicken production industries in the target countries
Many development projects in smallholder family chicken production in the last few decades (1970-2013) have focused on control of diseases, reduction in predation
and mortality through vaccination campaigns, control of internal and external parasites, and improvements in housing, feeding, management of the laying process
and natural incubation and chick management (Wethli, 2003; Sonaiya, 2012, 2013). The World Bank spent many years looking for high-leverage opportunities to
help national governments to invest in smallholder poultry systems using highly productive exotic genotypes, but the decision to not invest always came down to
the inability of poor farmers to access the feed grains and health products required for these enterprises (Dr. Jimmy Smith, Personal Communication). Genetic
improvements have also been attempted by initiatives of government and development agencies, mostly in the form of crossbreeding programs that involved
introduction of exotic commercial cocks for with indigenous hens. However most of these have neither been systematic nor long-term enough to have impact.
Nevertheless, more recently, there have been a small number of examples where selection programs have targeted genetically improving, multiplying, and
distributing improved indigenous chickens in a limited number of African countries. Most of the improved and tropically-adapted germplasm such as the Shika Brown
at the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) of Nigeria, or the improved local germplasm from such as in the Federal University of Agriculture in
Abeokuta, Nigeria are managed by public institutions, with limited opportunities for poor farmers to access the various improved birds. Thus, even the successful
systems have failed to spur the anticipated growth and development of the smallholder production sectors in the respective countries.
While much of the work discussed above has resulted in a limited amount of impact, we believe that the improved germplasm from these programs have potential
to contribute to significant productivity gains, impact to smallholder, and opportunity for women in the various countries. Therefore, we aim to leverage the existing
history of work while implementing innovative approaches to the development and supply of genetics to the various national chicken value chains. This innovative
approach will have the following four unique pillars:
1. High-producing genetics that is well-adapted to low-input production systems: While the chicken value chain has received heavy investment, little of this
has been targeted at improving genetics for smallholders. Therefore, this work will build off of and support the improvement of existing animal health and
management infrastructure to target genetics because we believe that genetics is key to increased productivity and can be utilized as a “pull factor,”
positively influencing investment and entrepreneurship in the other aspects of the value chain such as improved health and feeding interventions.
2. Farmer preferred breeds of chickens: The principle driver of product development will be smallholder and local consumer preferences. This platform will
inform the innovation of genetic technologies with farmer preferences and responses generated through rigorous on-farm and field testing.
3. Innovation platforms for developing solutions across the value chain: An innovation platform will be formed and platform meetings facilitated, drawing
membership from the key actors in country chicken value chain. The platform will be informed by the results of need driven applied research, the focus of
which will be to generate and mobilize new knowledge in chicken science, genomics and genetics, to deliver increased productivity in small scale, intensifying
chicken systems in sub Saharan Africa.
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
4.
5.
Public-private partnership for improvement, multiplication, and delivery: This chicken platform is and will be strategically designed and implemented to
foster public-private partnership. Public-private partnership will be critical to the success of the program. For example, the testing and innovation of the
germplasm lines will be done in a manner that will enable the business case to be made for the farmer-preferred lines (see specific example above in the
“Making the Business Case” section). We view the uptake of the lines by the private sector to be critical for the adoption, maintenance, multiplication, and
delivery of the genetic technologies, and therefore, the development and maintenance of ongoing relationships with the private sector which is critical to
ensuring the quality, sustainability, and impact of this research platform, through the respective national and regional innovation platform activities.
Women at the center to ensure success: Because women are key actors in smallholder chicken value chains (i.e. own, manage flocks and trade in the chicken
and chicken products), the program will place women at the center of its activities-right form the identification of the constraints, definition of breeding
objectives, testing of the improved lines for suitability as well as participation in the innovation platform meetings. During the data collections to monitor
relative performances of various chicken test-lines, and at least 50% of the enumerators will be women. The platform will be designed to test and respond
to the unique concerns and preferences of women as farmers and consumers. To effectively do this significant time of both gender specialists and socioeconomists’ time is planned and budgeted for in this program, with a primary aim assessing the gender-segregated potentials, roles gender-segregated
benefits and impacts of the introduction and adoption of the improved chicken lines at household levels and beyond.
Typically, commercial chicken production systems are concentrated near the peri-urban centres and main cities, where the infrastructure is good and markets are
guaranteed. In Nigeria, the commercial chicken industry is vertically integrated, with farms dedicated to the production of multiplication birds in the form of
grandparent stocks (GPS) and parents stocks (PS), and with well-managed feed mills and extension and marketing systems. Similarly in Tanzania and Ethiopia, the
commercial system is vertically integrated, with breeder farms that rely on the importation of GPD and PS. In Ethiopia, importation of exotic breeds is mainly
undertaken by the government-run chicken multiplication and distribution centres (PMDC). Some PMDCs in different regions of the country have their own parent
stock and hatcheries from which they multiply and distribute breeding and production birds to urban and rural areas. The PMDCs also import and produce exotic
day-old-chicks (DOC). Also in Ethiopia, there are a handful of other medium-scale and large-scale commercial germplasm importers. In addition to the PMDCs, related
input services are provided by the private and public sectors. The public sector importers include the agricultural research institutes such as Debre Zeit Agricultural
Research Centre, while the private sector chicken farms generally are few, the largest being the Elfora Agro-Industries, Alema and Genesis.
Currently, indigenous chicken, under scavenging conditions produce on average 40 eggs per hen per year, while the tropically-adapted exotic or selected/improved
indigenous lines and line combinations are able to produce more nearly 200 eggs/bird /year and grow fast (reach 2.0-3.0 Kg liveweight at 8 to 10 weeks of age) with
a feed conversion ratio of 2:1 to 3:1 using locally available feed resources. Despite being larger than the commercial system by far, and having greater potential for
productivity improvement, the indigenous chicken production system in the three countries currently receives little support from the public system. For example, in
the 3 countries, indigenous chicken producers mainly generate breeding stocks from their own flocks and from the few birds that survive to productive age. There
are very few (1 to 2 ) sources of “improved” indigenous germplasm in each country, most of which are managed by government or public institutions, hence are not
operating at sufficient scale and level of efficiency to continuously meet farmers’ seed-stock needs.
In Ethiopia, the Growth and Transformation Plan of the government has put ambitious targets to double the chicken meat proportion of the total meat consumption
by 2030 as part of a broader and integrated livestock productivity improvement program. Nigeria is the largest producer of broiler chickens in Sub-Saharan Africa,
and the government is embarking on a new Poultry Transformation Program for the smallholder chicken production and marketing system to meet demand. The
Nigerian government is making huge investments in the poultry value chain by establishing state-run feed mills and hatcheries to enable a timely and reliable local
supply of affordable day-old chicks for smallholders. In Tanzania, past livestock policies did not focus on chicken. However, this has changed now, and the chicken
sector is increasingly attracting public and private investments, with the Central Corridor of the country having been identified as a potential area for local chicken
production. Some regional governments in Tanzania and several authorities are planning to buy incubators for hatching chicks. The private sector is also being
encouraged through enabling policies to invest in the chicken industry. In addition, several bilateral development projects are also investing heavily in the chicken
sub-sectors in the 3 target countries. For example, DFID is investing in poultry development in Tanzania. The ongoing ILRI-led and CIDA-funded LIVES project is making
investments in chicken value chain improvement in Ethiopia. Other investments include the BMGF-supported ATA/ADA support programs in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and
Nigeria that are evaluating opportunities for smallholder poultry improvement. The key opinion leaders and other stakeholders of these projects will be invited to
the innovation platform meetings to share their experiences, offer evaluate solution options and suggest how improvements could be made in our program design
and implementation plans.
1.2 Business case for low-input smallholder chicken production
The current scavenging chicken production system is a low-input, low output system. This system has been dominant in many geographies of Africa for centuries
due to the lack of availability of inputs for more intensive systems. Most farmers have been reluctant to invest significantly in these systems in the past because of
the low productivity and the very high disease and mortality risks. However, as demand and the price of chicken and chicken products grow in Africa and the Middle
East, opportunities abound for smallholders to increase the outputs of their chicken production systems. In addition to increasing output, resource-constrained
smallholders could optimize their limited inputs, which is mostly in the form of land with local scavenging feed resources. The availability of scavenging feed resources
gives great potential to the genetic resources in sub-Saharan Africa, and could allow the transitioning of smallholders from a low-input, low output system, to
alternative systems with still relatively low-inputs but significantly higher outputs. We believe that technological breakthrough in tropical poultry breeding in India
and certain African countries and access to animal health products such as the thermostable Newcastle Disease vaccines from GALVmed significantly changes the
productivity and mortality risk to smallholder chicken farmers. We now have the opportunity to help farmers to engage in alternative smallholder chicken production
models through access to high-producing but low-feed-input breeds. In addition, local entrepreneurs can properly hatch, pre-vaccinate against prevalent diseases
such as Newcastle disease, and brood chicks to a more resilient age before they are sold to poor farmers.
A recent analysis conducted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Table 1) based on actual market data from East Africa shows that the potential income from
raising these low-input but high-producing chickens under low-input conditions offers a sure way out of poverty for many poor farmers. The analysis in Table 1
performance of chickens achievable by smallholders across five different interventions types, namely pure scavenging production using unimproved indigenous birds
with no vaccination; low-input production using vaccinated unimproved indigenous genotypes; low-input production using non-vaccinated improved local or
imported tropically-adapted genotypes; low-input production using improved local or imported tropically adapted genotypes that are pre-vaccinated and brooded
to 21 days old (this is the model being recommended in this proposal); and lastly typical small-scale intensive chicken production system using exotic birds that are
fed indoors with imported feed grains and properly vaccinated and cared for. The analysis shows the annual net income potential as a poor farming household
transitions from a basic indigenous system to a fully intensive system based on specific assumptions of observed bird weight, laying performance, and expected
mortality rates. Supported by this data, we hypothesize that rural chicken production may be optimized using tropically-adapted, pre-vaccinated, and pre-brooded
(intensively as chicks) birds, which then are raised under low-input backyard systems after 14 to 21 days for select geographies in sub-Saharan Africa.
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
Although we have restricted the number of birds under the intensive system to 50 to enable comparison, under normal circumstances, most of these systems require
at least 500 birds that lay at least 80 eggs per year for it to be profitable for the farmer. However, the volatile and limited feed markets in many African countries
will currently not support the scaling-up of most smallholders to the intensive production system intensive systems. Also, if farmers had access to feed supplies, it is
unclear how many would have the resources to buy the feed required as new entrants into the system. Also, rural poor families have the know-how about low-input
production, but may not have the poultry husbandry knowledge about intensive production systems. Thus, past efforts to abruptly transition a large number of poor
smallholder farmers to the intensive system often result in high risks to the farmers, low realized production, and productivity, and often high losses, which has
historically served as a barrier for entry for most of them. If a farmer transitions from indigenous scavenging to brooded, low-input birds, that farmer has the potential
to increase his/her net value of chicken production to more than $850 per year by just purchasing and managing 50 dual-purpose birds under low-input, without
significant risk exposure.
Table 1: Income potential for smallholders from different chicken production systems with or without improved health and genetics inputs; prices are based on
Ugandan data (spent hens = $7.50; roosters = $8.75, and eggs = $0.15 - Kayondo, 2013.
Parameter
Typical traditional
scavenging system
with limited health or
genetics inputs
Improved health of
local birds but no
change in flock size
or genetics
Improved genetics
and flock size but
no change in health
intervention
Proposed system using
improved genetics, prevaccinated and brooded
21 day-old chicks
Intensive system using
highly productive exotic
genetics, proper vaccines
and imported feed grains
Flock size
10
10
50
50
50
Egg production potential /hen/Yr
40
40
180
180
280
Mortality/losses rate, Per Farm
50%
10%
50%
5%
2%
Cost of chicks, $
$0
$0
$1
$2
$2
Cost of supplemental feed - for roosters, $
$0
$0
$10
$10
$102
Cost of supplemental feed - for hens, $
$0
$0
$59
$59
$588
Value of production for roosters, $
$22
$39
$109
$208
$214
Value of production for eggs, $
$15
$27
$338
$641
$1,029
Value of spent hens, if sold, $
$19
$34
$94
$178
$184
Total value of production, $
$56
$100
$541
$1,027
$1,427
Net Value of production /Farmer/Yr
$56
$100
$422
$858
$637
The data in Table 1 clearly demonstrates the significant opportunity available to a large number of smallholder farmers who have land with scavenging feed resources
to enter into this space. The only limiting factor, as was the case in Uganda, is access to brooded, pre-vaccinated appropriate genetic technologies for the optimization
of low-input systems. While the source of other inputs remains relatively constant across scavenging and low-input systems, farmers need improved scavengingtype birds to optimize the gains of the transition from indigenous scavenging to a low-input system. Indigenous birds in intensive systems do not generate sufficient
production to justify the costs of more intensive production, and exotic lines are unable to optimize production in the harsh conditions of smallholder systems.
3. Scope and Approach
Describe the scope and approach of the proposed work. This should be a narrative description of the principal results the investment will
achieve and how those results relate to the problem described above (rather than a list of outcomes and outputs.) Note: You will provide a
list of outcomes and outputs in the Results Framework
The proposed program aims to test and make available high-producing, farmer-preferred genotypes to increase smallholder chicken productivity as a pathway out
of poverty. The scope of the proposed work is oriented around the following nine project objectives:
Objective 1: Conduct a baseline survey to define and characterize current smallholder chicken production systems, chicken ecotypes, current realized productivity,
husbandry practices, and the socio-economic status of poor smallholder farmers in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ethiopia
Objective 2: Identify highly productive local African chicken germplasm from the various countries for characterization, multiplication into stable flocks, and testing
on-station and on-farm.
Objective 3: Negotiate access to foreign tropically-adapted chicken germplasm (from India and elsewhere), characterize and test them under on-station and on-farm
conditions under low-input production to determine productivity in different agro-ecologies
Objective 4: Use the information obtained from the survey and the on-station and on-farm testing to define the chicken breeds, phenotypes, and genotypes preferred
by smallholder farmers in terms of bird color, body conformation and temperament, egg and meat productivity, overall tropical adaptability under low-input
production systems, and carcass and meat quality.
Objective 5: Develop stable multiplication lines (great grandparents, grandparents, and parent stock) of the farmer-preferred germplasm, and develop IP models to
facilitate access to the germplasm by a number of private and public sector multipliers to get the improved chicks into smallholder farmers’ hands.
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Objective 6: Collect data and samples to evaluate and document the impact of the introduction of the imported germplasm on the diversity of indigenous chicken
populations and provide strategic recommendations to inform the global efforts for conservation of indigenous germplasm resources.
Objective 7: Develop and nurture National Innovation Platforms to facilitate private sector access to the germplasm, develop business models for massmultiplication, brooding, vaccination, and delivery to farmers, and develop value chain input delivery systems.
Objective 8: Develop and nurture community and sub-national Innovation Platforms focused on empowering poor smallholder farmers, especially women, to access
preferred chicken germplasm and optimize the productivity of the birds under low-input production environments
Objective 9: Develop a roadmap for using the data and samples collected from the on-station and on-farm germplasm testing to set up longer-term crossbreeding
and chicken genetic gains programs in each country, including application of omics-based strategies for accelerating the rate of genetic gains under low-input tropical
conditions and the development of synthetic crossbred chicken lines.
2.1 Provisional target chicken breeds and potential testing regions in three project countries
This component of the proposed program is to engage smallholder farmers in
Table 2. Prioritized chicken lines and target of-farm testing sub-national zones.
the project countries in the identification of chicken genotypes that suit their
needs in terms of improved productivity under low-input conditions and
Countries
Proposed Lines
States, Regions, Zones
determine local agro-ecological adaptability. In alignment with objective 1,
the results from the baseline study will be used to develop a standard protocol
Horro (local)
Oromia
to characterize the production systems and a tool for determining the
Koekoek
Tigray
phenotypes preferred by smallholders will be established. This testing
Ethiopia
Kuroiler
Amhara
protocol will be used to engage existing smallholder chicken farmers,
Giriraja/Girirani
SNNP
especially women, to evaluate their preferences for general phenotypic traits
Hendrix
Addis Ababa
such as bird color, body conformation and temperament, egg and meat
Fulani (local)
Ogun
productivity, overall tropical adaptability, and capacity for self-propagation (in
Kuroiler
Osun
remotely located farms that cannot access a hatchery). With the completion
Nigeria
ShikaBrown
Kwara
of the survey tools, the selection of chicken breeds matched to specific
Giriraja/Girirani
Delta State
production systems for testing will be finalized (objective 2). While this list is
Funaab-Alpha
Akwa Ibom
potentially not exhaustive, Table 2 shows a number of the lines prioritized for
Southern
testing in each country based on the basis of their history and potential
Kuroiler
Southern Highlands
suitability to the African smallholder systems. While the selection of these
Australorp (local)
Tanzania
Central
lines needs to be confirmed through testing, the country teams have made
Horasi (local)
Central Corridor
preliminary selections based off of the proven high potential of these lines
Giriraja/Girirani
Eastern Lake zone
(Table 2). Each of the candidate breeds possess traits that the country teams
hypothesize will be farmer preferred. While these lines have been prioritized, country teams will also consider the inclusion or exclusion of lines based off of test
farmer preferences. Running in parallel with the baseline, ILRI will work with the country teams to negotiate access to their prioritized exotic lines (Objective 3).
Once the lines are accessed, local and exotic lines will be tested both on-farm and on-station. For on-farm testing, a preliminary list of five sub-national zones per
country (Table 2) have been selected in consultation with national key opinion leaders to reflect the initial key areas of major interest in smallholder chicken
production. Within these states/regions/zones the selected testing areas are comprised of 20 households per village within five villages per district, with five districts
per zone being selected. Thus, 2,500 project households per country will be selected for testing based on interest to participate in the project through prior informed
consent, willingness and ability to provide the basic husbandry and scavenging feed resources and willingness to participate in the data collection schemes. Once
selected, 25 or 50 (selected on the basis of farm size) pre-vaccinated, 21-day-old chicks will be distributed to the project households.
Table 3. Productivity levels of selected chicken lines from India.
Chicken line
Eggs/Year
(No.)
Egg
color
Body wt (Kg)
Developed
Purpose/
Type
Giriraja
150
Brown
4-5
3.5 (40 wks)
U of Bangalore
Meat (Dual)
Swarnadhara
190
Brown
Vanaraja
110
White
3.5
2.5 (40 wks)
U of Bangalore
Egg (Dual)
5.0
2.2 (20 wks)
ICAR, India
Meat (Dual)
Gramapriya
160 -180
Kuroiler
150
White
3.7
1.6 (20 wks)
ICAR, India
Egg (Dual)
Brown
3.5
2.5 (20 wks)
Keggfarms
Meat (dual)
Male (40 wks)
Female
Data relating to all aspects of phenotyping, including descriptors of production systems, farmer preferences, agro-ecologies, and productivity will be collected using
common integrated tablet systems running the open data kit (ODK, http://opendatakit.org/). Village-based enumerators (at least 50% of whom will be women), will
be recruited and trained to collect the data discussed above in each selected village under the supervision of regional program coordinators (at least 50% of whom
will be women), who will work closely with the farmers and will be reporting to national coordinators (at least 50% of whom will be women). A female project
coordinator has been identified who will manage the execution and field work in the program. The village enumerators will work very closely with farmers in collecting
data on-farm. The data will be analyzed and results shared with farmers and other key actors on a timely basis, through periodic feedback sessions for decision
making. All data to be collected regarding farmers’ needs, practices, preferences, perceptions, will be gender disaggregated to ensure interventions and packages
of technologies are responsive to the particular needs of not only women but also to the needs of women in male-headed households. Samples will be collected
from some individual birds with extreme phenotypic performance, using well established systems which seamlessly associate sample and bird identifications, based
on ODK and they ensure the connection of sample meta-data (including GPS place/time) with bird identity and thus with system, environment and productivity data.
A restricted vocabulary will be imposed on the data collected through the use of common protocols across countries. ODK-derived data will be submitted to servers
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when connectivity becomes available. Robust systems for this have already been established and tested by ILRI in several countries of East Africa as part of an
ongoing data collection program through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded Dairy Genetics East Africa Program. Data will ultimately be stored on ILRI
servers as MySQL databases and will be backed-up to multiple locations and mirrored at partner NARS sites to enhance accessibility.
2.2 Identification of smallholder preferred lines and multiplication into stable flocks
Following the testing on-farm, at least two lines will be identified per country and considered for the selective breeding, and line crossing evaluations in each of the
3 countries. Selection will focus on characterization across multiple agro-ecologies for egg production, meat production, and some aspects of survival and adaptation
(objective 4). As outlined in objective 5, ACGG envisions identifying and developing ready to roll-out lines/hybrids that are able to produce between 200% and 300%
better than existing indigenous flocks, for broader and at scale delivery in each country, by the private sector partners. Stable flocks of the selected breeds will be
set up in the form of great grandparents, grandparents, and parent stocks. Adequate numbers of birds from multiple great grandparents, and grandparent families
will be accessed to create a minimum of 1,000 parent birds from each promising line as a base/starting population.
The ratio of cocks to hens at each parental level will be 1 to 8, and the target of live weight will be 1.5 kg at 12 weeks of age and 200 eggs /year for meat and egg
lines, respectively. Birds will be individually identified and artificial insemination will be used for breeding. To further accelerate the genetic progress per generation,
hens will be selected at the age of 45 weeks (based on her part period egg production). This way, the first offspring will be produced when the parents are about 49
weeks of age, instead of 72 weeks of age. On-station, nests will be used to collect and monitor individual hen performance and own weights will be recorded. These
will then be used for individual bird evaluations using animal models.
Understanding the potential conflict between the need to make use of improved and more productive poultry types and the desire to maintain diversity, particularly
with respect to adapted indigenous types (such diversity is a potential source of adaptive genes for further improvement and for the ability to respond to changed
requirements) the ACGG program will work closely with regional and international organizations (e.g. FAO and AU-IBAR) to use the samples collected during the
course of the project to evaluate the potential effect to diversity represented by the expansion of improved genotypes into the specific villages (Objective 6). Based
on the findings of this, the ACGG program will be in a position to identify and provide strategic recommendations to inform the national, regional, and global efforts
for conservation of indigenous genetic resources. There are also indications that new technologies are becoming increasingly available (through the Roslin Institute)
for the cryo-preservation of chicken primordial germ cells, and ILRI will work with the necessary partners to ensure that critical germplasm from the targeted villages
are collected and conserved appropriately.
2.3 Stakeholder engagement in the chicken production value chain
As articulated in objective 7, an important institutional arrangement in this project will be the establishment and mentoring of a national innovation platform on
chicken production in each country. An innovation platform is a systematic process or mechanism, usually involving on-going, face-to-face and/or on-line/virtual
interactions, through which stakeholders engage to identify issues that affect their common interest and to co-create innovative solutions. These often include new
tools, approaches and arrangements that address critical priority challenges that, in this case, affect the chicken value chain. The purpose of these convenings will
be to create a collaborative environment that facilitates the identification of the key challenges and opportunities of the chicken value chain and to formulate and
facilitate implementation of actions that lead to a functioning smallholder chicken sector in which farmers, with a focus on women, have access to the genetic lines
and other input services (including feeds and animal health) to enable them to increase productivity and enhance profitably in the low-input, smallholder systems,
and to access reliable markets for their produce. Innovation platforms will be established at two levels:
Community-level and regional-level innovation platforms: The impact of the ACGG program will be measured by the number of women farmers who are effectively
and gainfully engaged in chicken production, facilitated by their access, on an on-going basis, to more productive genetics that work in their local contexts, the inputs
and services they need to support these genetics and access to markets for their produce. Due to the direct link between chicken interventions and women’s
empowerment – along with the associated improvements in terms of household animal protein consumption and other benefits for the entire family – the program
will be deliberate in its approach to ensure that interventions are gender-transformative through empowerment of smallholder women chicken producers.
Therefore, the innovation platforms will aim to support this vision of women empowerment by explicitly designing the community-level and regional-level platform
meetings to be led by women facilitators who understand and can adequately respond to the unique concerns and preferences of women. This commitment to
gender equity will be critical to the vision of developing a viable, sustainable low-input system that links the huge urban demand for “traditional” chicken products
with the remote, low-income, resource-poor women chicken producers in villages. Thus, an expected outcome of the innovation platforms is a functioning
mechanism developed for ensuring the empowerment of women smallholders to participate in the chicken value chains and to lead efforts to generate and share
knowledge with their neighbors on improved and profitable chicken production.
Facilitation of relevant farmer stakeholders and institutions to have quality conversations with each other, to share experiences on an on-going basis and to
progressively improve their businesses and practices is a critical instrument of this program to achieving this. The community-level innovation platform meetings will
be held in specific villages by the regional and district-level project teams throughout the year. These meetings will be open to the entire communities, including
farmers who may not presently involved in the testing as a means to stimulate broader interest in the program throughout the community. During these meetings,
regional project coordinators will bring women together and facilitate discussions among them to promote shared experiences and problem solving. In addition to
the community-level meetings, two regional farmer-based partnership platform meetings will be convened in each project ‘region’ of each country over the program
period, and will bring together outstanding farmers to represent specific communities. With five project ‘regions’ per country, this is equivalent to 10 ‘local platform
meetings’ per country (a total of 30 for the three countries) spread over four years of the program. As appropriate, cross-region (within-country) learning will be
achieved by inviting representatives from other regions to share experiences.
National Innovation Platforms: It is expected that the national innovation platform and stakeholder engagement meetings will lead to multiple public and private
entrepreneurs and companies in each country getting interested in, and committing resources to the maintenance, multiplication, and delivery of the tropicallyadapted, farmer preferred chicken genotypes, with significant focus on smallholder farmers. The platform convenings will be used as the space for engaging
stakeholders in identifying and addressing intellectual property issues as they emerge to ensure that these do not compromise the ability of private sector multipliers
to get improved chicks into the hands of smallholders. Two face-to-face national platform meetings will be convened per country per year. A total of 12 such platform
meetings will be convened over the project period. Through stakeholder interactions facilitated by the innovation platform, the program will catalyze the
development of new, and expansion of local chicken germplasm improvement, multiplication and delivery businesses and capacities, including supportive policies,
knowledge systems, and identification of financing mechanisms as well as other support systems required for scaling up.
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In addition to engaging the private sector to make the selected lines available, the ACGG program plans to attract other stakeholders, especially other private sector
organizations to invest across the chicken value chain. The platform will proactively seek to bring together key value chain actors – farmer/producer representatives,
relevant public and private sector institutions, and the civil society organizations-through sub-national and community level innovation platform meetings (objective
8). While the specific issues for each national or sub-national context will vary, the main ones will certainly revolve, inter alia, around: which chicken lines to use
where and what are the multiplication and delivery mechanisms; sources of inputs – e.g. feeds/supplements and health services and other advisory services; access
to markets. Platform discussions will not only seek to find solutions for systemic challenges that affect the entire value chain and which require collective action, but
will also facilitate identification of business opportunities (which address specific challenges) and trigger emergence of local businesses and partnerships, including
public-private partnerships. The program will, through the innovation platform, facilitate the development of promising business ideas by providing business
expertise support to strategically selected, promising cases. The cases will be selected based on broader (value chain) impact potential and scalability. The program
will also broker partnerships between emerging businesses with potential financing outlets (commercial banks, micro-finance enterprises, social investors, NGOS,
etc.) that provide start-up funding. The innovation platform meetings will also be used to raise awareness of results and test implications for widespread
dissemination of messages and implementation of interventions related to the selected lines.
2.4 A roadmap for long-term genetic gains and technical capacity in chicken genetics, genomics and breeding
One of the main objectives of the proposed ACGG program is to establish a multi-country “poultry genetic improvement network” for further developing, testing,
and adapting preferred poultry lines for further genetics gains in Africa, with the initial partnerships coordinated by ILRI and formed between the national poultry
breeding programs in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania. As outlined in objective 9, the ACGG program will help initiate a process for the long-term systematic on-farm
genetic gains in chicken using the lines and the data generated from the program. This data collection infrastructure will be used as a platform for context-relevant
on-farm training to livestock geneticists in the respective countries. The network will initially analyze the phenotypic information from the on-farm testing of the
promising breeds in each target country. The findings will be used to develop a roadmap for the selection of specific lines to be taken to respective national breeding
centers for further testing and selective crossbreeding, and the promising lines will then be further subjected to on-farm breed improvement. Eventually, genomic
information generated from the samples collected from the on-farm testing will be combined with the phenotypic information to determine their specific and general
combining abilities for accelerated genetic gains in traits such as improved adaptation, growth, and egg production.
The proposed network will be established as public-private partnerships amongst ILRI, NARS and livestock departments in the respective countries, and a number of
international centers of poultry genetics excellence such as Wageningen University. The national poultry programs will enable local buy-in, and local ownership, both
of which are important for the program’s local fit and suitability. However, a multi-country network of genetic improvement programs for continuously improving
farmer-preferred chicken germplasm in East and West Africa is essential to promote collaboration, peer-to-peer critique and cross-learning, but also to buffer the
program to survive political uncertainties in each single country. A common roadmap developed across the network with significant input and leadership from
Wageningen University and ILRI will be crucial for ensuring uniform approaches, quality assurance and inter-country exchange of breeding materials through agreed
material transfer agreements. The network, including their focal point at ILRI, will also provide excellent opportunities for continuous hosting of different types of
interns, graduate fellows, and postdoctoral fellows, who will become agents of change in their home countries. The network will also provide feed-back avenues to
the researchers and other key actors alike.
One of the main factors that have contributed to the lack of effective long-term livestock genetic improvement in sub-Saharan Africa is the low capacity to attract,
train, and appropriately compensate local experts to work on long-term genetic improvement programs. Many government and development agencies have sought
to catalyze genetic improvement programs, most of which have failed partly because of the lack of capacity but also because the programs sought to use concepts
developed for temperate livestock systems – usually the basis of the graduate training of the scientists involved. In addition to specific in-country goals to provide
training that is context-relevant to MSc and PhD students per country, the ACGG program will seek to revitalize local expertise in chicken breeding and genetics,
firths through young MSc and PhD graduate students will be involved in the field design, implementation, data collection, and analyses efforts. Graduate students
will focus on different research themes and components of the project and in different agro-ecological zones. Second, and more important, the program will seek to
revitalize local capacity among existing scientists and key opinion leaders to develop and apply modern concepts in statistical and quantitative genetics and animal
breeding through planned summer schools (project data analysis and training workshops) to promote peer-to-peer cross-learning to expand the catalytic impact of
the work. To a limited extent, students enrolled in the program will have opportunities to visit the labs of participating international collaborators to learn about
modern methods of data analysis and interpretation. The expected outcome of this component will be a number of qualified animal scientists with the technical
capacity in poultry science, genetics, and breeding to sustainably support the genetic improvement and delivery systems.
3.0 Project Team:
3.1 The Project Manager: The project team will be led by designated Director/project manager (Dr. Tadelle Dessie) who is also the lead Principal Investigator (PI) of
this project. Tadelle has experience in chicken breeding/genetics and project management, and he will oversee the project team in Addis, the country project teams,
and the project implementation activities. He will be responsible for coordinating the design and implementation of project activities in collaboration with and among
partners and for project reporting. In consultation with partners, the PM will be responsible for researching and providing alternative approaches. In addition, Dr.
Tadelle Dessie will also be responsible for leading the sourcing of tropically adapted chicken lines and developing material transfer agreements between owners of
the chicken lines and ILRI. All the project team members will report to the PM.
3.2 Project Coordinator: The project coordinator is to be recruited. She/he will be responsible for general administrative duties and the monitoring of deliverables,
timelines, finances, and logistics through the use of project scheduling and control tools. This position will work with the project manager to develop a comprehensive
workflow process, write updates and annual reports, and develop project strategies. The project coordinator will perform the critical task of the communication of
relevant project information between the PM, country teams, funders, the private sector, and all critical partners. This critical support position will in-turn be
supported by an existing team of administrative and finance support.
3.3 Senior Geneticist: ILRI is in the process of recruiting two world-class quantitative geneticists to provide support to this and other projects. One of these positions
will be used to provide scientific leadership in the area of breeding system design and evaluation and in the use of molecular tools particularly contributing to
objectives 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9.
3.4 Senior Molecular Geneticist: A Senior Molecular Geneticist (Professor Steve Kemp) leads the overarching ILRI LiveGene program and will be responsible for
ensuring overall integration of the elements of the project and ensuring synergy with other activities. Kemp has a strong track record in both informatics systems
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and in probing genome function in relation to adaptation. He has significant experience in leading large and multi- disciplinary projects and was responsible for
establishing the bio-repository and associated data systems at ILRI, which include the field sample and meta-data collection systems, which will be used in this project
to ensure a coherent and integrated project. He will provide overall leadership in the area of data management and sharing, particularly in ensuring effective and
useful tools for data visualization and sharing are developed. He will directly contribute to all aspects of the project, but particularly to Objective 5.
3.5 ILRI Program Implementation Team: The Project will be managed by ILRI (the lead institution) in partnership with the three national partners from Ethiopia,
Nigeria and Tanzania and other international and national partners. As part of the initiation of the overarching LiveGene initiative, ILRI has made a strategic decision
to engage in fewer, larger projects and to align staff performance reviews with the outputs of these projects. Tadelle will be enabled, and required, to spend 75% of
his effort on this project. The same is true of the 50% FTE from the quantitative geneticist whose recruitment is currently underway. In this case, we may subsequently
seek the Foundation’s approval to re-distribute this effort among different individuals as recruitments proceed, but the commitments agreed upon will be reflected
in the individuals’ KRAs and they will be adhered to. Other project staff at ILRI will play their respective roles as stated above, and the ILRI team lead by the Project
Manager will be based in Addis Ababa and expected to include a senior geneticist, project coordinator, gender specialist, socio-economist, nutritionist, and senior
informatician. The exact composition and roles will be refined during the project implementation planning phase. The national project teams will have a national
project coordinator and lead the implementation of the project at country level and will be accountable to the project manager and work closely with the project
coordinator. The country project coordinators will support five “regional” teams per country, and the regional team will support the village project implementation
activities.
Understanding the complexity of the proposal work, which is highly dependent on partners and partner integration for delivery, ILRI will put in place management
and effective communication tools. The team will use a project website and knowledge management platform to communicate findings, shared frameworks, and
information to the country project team members. ILRI will engage with the general public, research community, and private sector through communication
platforms, a range of digital and print products, and by publishing resources online. In addition, the project team and the country project team members will have
quarterly calls to update and revisit plans. The project also will produce quarterly newsletter, flyers, posters, working papers, procedures. The project team, in
collaboration with the country project teams and other partners, is expected to develop a communications and management plan with appropriate messaging and
safeguards in the first 6 months of the project.
As needed, describe why you believe the approach will lead to the desired results. Reference related work, existing evidence from
evaluations or systematic reviews, and/or relevant experience, etc.
4.1 Highly-productive, low-input genetics technology could transform rural poultry in Africa:
Importing, testing and adapting tropically adapted lines is an innovative concept given that much of chicken improvements in Africa have focused on delivering
exotic, and more often inappropriate birds to smallholders in Africa. The concept of working from the genetic base that has already evolved for the harsh conditions
of smallholder systems is a unique approach, and the design of this work is made even more innovative due to the fact that trait selection is driven by farmer and
consumer preferences. Historically, selection has been driven by a number of variables, but this will be the first chicken testing platform of this scale and geographic
expanse to collect, aggregate, analyze, and make research responsive to on-farm testing of chicken lines. The most innovative aspect of this work is that the chicken
breeding platform will develop lines to function as an input into an Indian model or modified versions, of chicken multiplication and distribution for smallholder
systems. This research is designed and targeted to be part of a larger model. Good practices documented in the South‐Asian Programme for Pro‐Poor Livestock Policy
show that functional smallholder‐based supply chains can be established to supply improved chicks to small rural households even in remote areas, when a
public/private/NGO‐owned hatchery sells DOCs to ‘mother units’, which raise the birds for about three weeks; mother units sell the grown birds to small vendors,
who travel to rural areas to sell the birds to households (SA-PPLPP, 2010).
The success of this model in Uganda ( also in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan) provide evidence that targeted short-term investments in small scale chicken farming can
produce positive impact in both economics and policy, but tropically adapted genetic lines are required for the implementation of this model in Africa. This is the
model that has worked in India and is being implemented in Uganda under African environment (Fosta and Ngeno, 2011) and is based on optimal improvement to
allow production by masses, with overall output based on multiplier effect. This system itself has the following advantages and innovations: 1) Relieving the often
less skilled farmers of the burden and risk of raising the delicate DOCs; 2) letting the bird grow to an age that it can cope with the smallholder environments of low
quality feed; 3) letting the birds receive all preventive treatments and vaccines prior to distribution to manage for the often poor animal health systems in these
geographies; and 4) creating businesses among MUs and mobile vendors that sell the birds to smallholder farmers. As discussed previously, a technology package,
in which a coordinated multi-disciplinary intervention approach is adopted (FAO, 2011) is believed to be the best path to impact, and because we know improved
genetics is not enough; part of the package must include improved husbandry (i.e. vaccinations, improved housing, feeding) as well as improved market access
It has been suggested by Sonaiya (2012) that the more productive and sustainable smallholder chicken model could be the improved backyard production system.
An advantage of this system is that it is not as heavily reliant upon expensive and difficult to obtain inputs as the intensive system. Rather, the system relies upon
access to land and improved scavenging-type birds. Scavenging and low-input systems are prevalent and often profitable in Africa because land (a critical production
resource) - is not a limiting factor in production, and most poor rural households have significant scavenging feed resources, enabling women, children, and
disadvantaged groups in the community to directly benefit from such programs through increased access to food, income, and improved social status in their rural
community. However, the input of appropriate germplasm has historically been the limiting variable to production. Despite the existence of significant genetic
variation in the productivity of tropically-adapted chickens in Africa and globally, there has been limited systematic effort to leverage these resources specifically to
develop types targeting smallholder chicken production. Rather, exotic birds have been introduced into these systems, resulting in low production and productivity
due to the inability of exotic birds to express genetic potential under the poor feeding and management used in these systems and the resulting high mortality rates.
Due to this poor performance of exotic birds, there is a need to develop the appropriate technology with which to optimize these systems. Tropical indigenous
chicken populations are the key to this development because these birds have co-evolved with the local and changing environment conditions, such as extreme heat,
poor feed resources and exposure to endemic disease, so these populations provide an important adapted and genetically diverse resource from which improved
lines can be developed.
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Evidence from well-designed selective breeding programs show that even under scavenging conditions, significant productivity improvement can be rapidly achieved
while maintaining acceptable levels of adaptation. While tropical indigenous chicken have been generally under exploited due to the lack of effective improvement
programs, examples exist of germplasm in which improved productivity under low-input production has been demonstrated. These include the Kuroiler breed from
Keggfarms Ltd Chicken and various other lines developed by public research programs in India, the Horro breed of Ethiopia, and the Shika Brown synthetic breed
developed by the National Animal Production Research Institute in Nigeria. After only six generations of selection within the Horro chicken of Ethiopia, body weight
at 16 weeks increased to 60% and eggs/hen (in 45 week laying period) increased by 200%. A good example of the potential impact of this program in Africa has been
demonstrated by the Kuroiler chicken testing, multiplication, and delivery program in Uganda. Kuroiler chickens in the Uganda trial produced nearly five times the
number of eggs per year (150-200 versus 40) and attained almost twice the body weight (3.5 kg versus 2 kg) in less than half the time of indigenous backyard chickens.
We propose to take advantage of such promising tropically adapted imported lines such as the Kuroiler and local lines such as the Horro as starting points for testing
and development for use in both pure and crossbred forms in African smallholder systems.
4.2 In scavenging chicken systems, proper brooding has historically been a problem. The inabilities of smallholders to apply all the needed vaccines and poor animal
health systems have further compounded the problem leading to high mortality. Two major problems arise, for example regarding NCD vaccination on family
chicken: one, most vaccines on market require cold chain that may not be available in rural setup without refrigerators; and two, administration procedures (usually
oral) are compliant with confined birds and not scavenging chickens. These problems, and the fact that veterinary trainings are oriented more towards intensified
production, have led to many reported cases of birds in the low-input systems dying even when vaccinated against NCD. Therefore, the implementation of the Indian
model or modified versions, of multiplication and delivery discussed above is a critical ‘new way’ which should help mitigate disease and significantly reduce mortality
by ensuring early and affordable vaccination of the birds. Thermo-stable NDV is available and has been in use in Africa (e.g., Tanzania and Mozambique for a while,
and its potential use can be explored through the innovative platform deliberations, to which new Australian chicken project in Tanzania, which is addressing these
issues for village chicken production will be invited.
4. Risk Mitigation
As needed, describe any significant risks to the success of this project and how you plan to address them.
The main risks that are envisaged and challenges that will be faced and the mitigation plans are presented below:
Risks/Challenges
Mitigation plans
ILRI’s launching of deeper engagement in both chicken and genetics
ILRI has committed to internally developing capacity through 1) the hiring of
additional staff and 2) the integration of ILIR’s crosscutting expertise into both
the genetics and chicken work.
From the start ILRI and partners develop and implement strict bio-security
measures that prevent major disease outbreaks; the program proactively
promotes best practices through capacity strengthening in target countries.
Major disease outbreaks that prevent exchange and distribution of
developed materials in country and outside of the country.
Concerns over national ownership of, and rights over the country
based improved lines as well as over the lines to be imported from
outside Africa and the negotiations and agreements of on how these
will be maintained and exchanged between countries will be
challenging and could take long to resolves. These relate to biosecurity as well as intellectual property rights (IPR) concerns.
Well before the program starts the program leadership will actively engaging the
key players at country level especially policy makers and implementers as well as
relevant sector players/actors, in order to agree on the breeding material transfer
agreements and benefit sharing arrangements.
Failure to attract the interests of private sector companies – local and
international
Deliberately reaching out to and engaging the key relevant private sector actors,
right from the beginning, via innovation platforms, and direct engagement so as
to ensure that they are well informed of the related business opportunities in the
improved chicken value chains
Nothing can be done about this.
Joint planning and regular dialogue to ensure common vision and effective
conflict resolution frameworks in place to ensure timely interventions should
conflict arise.
Earlier (prior to the program onset) engagement in joint planning involving all
partners at country level to ensure a shared vision and commitment to realize
success.
Political and social instabilities in the target countries.
Partnership failure – sub-grantees (especially national partners) fall
out with ILRI
Being able to get a full buy-in of a shared program vision by the country
level project team to build strong national program components.
Expected development activities do not keep pace with the roll-outs
of the new strains and their effective promotion (e.g. development
partners not being able to competitively promote the new products).
Unsupportive policies that may unduly favor/support introduction and
distribution of commercial strains, or subsidize such systems.
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Embracing inclusive and participatory approach to the program planning,
implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks or systems.
The program team to proactively engage policy makers on the importance of the
improved indigenous chicken program and the need to put in place
supportive/enabling policy framework.
© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
5. How We’ll Work Together
If the foundation agrees to fund this work, please suggest how foundation staff might work with you as a partner to achieve the intended
outcomes. You may indicate minimal staff support, any specific issues that will likely need on-going discussion, regular communications,
or other information that will help establish mutual expectations and assist with implementing the proposed work.
As discussed above, ILRI will manage and coordinate the country teams, and therefore, ILRI will be responsible to BMGF for technical coordination, implementation,
reporting, and financial accountability. ILRI will provide updates of the progress in monthly calls with BMGF. The monthly calls will function as an opportunity to
discuss updates and imminent issues, bi-annual and annual reports submitted to BMGF will be utilized to both reflect on lessons learned and to discuss any
adjustments to activities and milestones in the coming year. These reports will also be utilized to inform and plan BMGF’s bi-annual visits to the project. ILRI will look
for this visit to both collaborate with BMGF, but most importantly, ILRI will look for this time to recalibrate and ensure alignment between BMGF and ILRI.
Additionally, the BMGF program officer will be the member of the project’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), which will be chaired by an independent
professional. This committee will be used to support the ACGG management teams to address strategic issues such as partnerships and leveraging and provide
overall guidance for the strategic implementation of the project and the preparation of the annual program of work and its budget.
6. Geographic Location of Work
List all countries and regions/states where this work will be performed and associated dollar amounts. If location of work includes
the United States, indicate city and state. Add more locations as needed.
Location
Foundation Funding (U.S.$)
ILRI (Nairobi)
$ 5,445,923
Ethiopia
$1,500,000
Nigeria
$1,434,166
Tanzania
$1,597,100
Netherlands
$276,000
PICO-East Africa (Nairobi)
$753,749
7. Geographic Areas to be Served
List all countries and regions/states that will benefit from this work and associated dollar amounts. If areas to be served include the
United States, indicate city and state. Add more locations as needed.
Location
Foundation Funding (U.S.$)
Nigeria
$ 3,200, 000
Ethiopia
$ 3,315, 000
Tanzania
$ 3,320, 000
8. Intellectual Property
PO/PC selects Option A if triggered by the Risk Profile. Otherwise, select Option B.
Delete the unnecessary option.
A.
We have identified intellectual property in this investment. Please complete the Intellectual Property (IP) Module.
B.
Will the investment result in the creation of new or improved:

Print/digital media/audio visual content intended for publication (e.g., written works, drawings, videos, photos, audio recordings)

Products (e.g., devices, compounds, biologics, formulations, diagnostics, therapeutics, prophylactics, seeds)

Services (e.g., treatments and delivery systems)

Processes (e.g., methods, manufacturing, formulae, algorithms)

Technologies (e.g., platforms, systems, mechanisms, tools, websites)

Materials (e.g., biological materials, chemicals)

Software (e.g., code, development kits, applications)
If yes, complete the Intellectual Property (IP) Module.
If no, please acknowledge by checking the box: 
Delete this text before Sending.
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
OPTIONAL: PO to select which optional questions below to include. At a minimum, include any questions identified by the Risk Profile, Investment
Development Plan, and GM/CM/Business Partner feedback. PC to remove questions that are not applicable before sending.
9. Activities
Describe in further detail what activities are necessary to produce the principal results. Please ensure that these activities align with the
results in the Results Framework.
Activity 1.1 Collection of Baseline Data
Problem: One of the main reasons for the low productivity and performance of chickens under smallholder conditions is that there is a paucity of baseline data on
the current chicken flock sizes, smallholder chicken production systems, germplasm ecotypes, current realized productivity levels, husbandry practices, as well as
the socio-economic status of poor smallholder chicken farmers in Africa. Researchers, companies, and the public sector all lack an understanding of smallholder
chicken producer’s germplasm preferences. This often prevents the proper targeting and matching of chicken breeds to smallholder’s production systems. Also, very
little is known about how current productivity levels affect the consumption of chicken and eggs in various smallholder farmer households. This information is needed
to inform the germplasm choices for the proposed program and implementation of the various models for on-farm testing.
Approach: ILRI will conduct a literature review on existing indigenous chicken production and marketing systems to inform the design of the survey, and ILRI
agriculture economist will utilize this review to design a baseline survey on factors dictating chicken germplasm choices, husbandry practices, current on-farm
performance, and socio-economic data (income, nutrition, gender empowerment, etc.).ILRI has an existing system for field data collection based on the Open Data
Kit (ODK) framework. The country teams will be responsible for the administration of this questionnaire in target farming communities through the ODK system
loaded on tablets, and these tablets will be wireless enabled for real time data uploading to a dedicated ILRI server. The results of this baseline survey will be critical
in informing the on-farm implementation plan, as well as the design of the inception community level and sub-national innovation platform meetings. Additionally,
the data will be used to measure the impact of the proposed work.
Activity 2.1 Local Chicken Germplasm
Problem: Each of the focus countries have indigenous breeds of chickens as well as local ecotypes that are “rumoured” to be highly productive. Many of these locally
improved lines have been optimized under intensive production conditions, but there is the possibility that they can obtain relatively high productivity under lowinput, smallholder systems. In addition, most of the lines are currently being held at universities or government research organization, making them inaccessible to
smallholder farmers, and in addition, many of these high producing, indigenous breeds are currently under threat from uncontrolled crossbreeding. Therefore, there
is untapped potential for increased productivity under low-input systems if these lines could be assembled into stable flocks for multiplication.
Approach: Using the information derived from the baseline survey, a focused phenotypic characterization of the existing promising chicken ecotypes in each country,
based on the information and results that already exist, will be conducted. ILRI will work with each country team to identify distinct ecotypes and describe their
relative genetic attributes related to egg and meat production and adaptability. The team will develop selection criteria for identifying promising breeds and ecotypes
in each country. We will work with the country teams to assemble hatchable eggs from each identified line. These eggs will be hatched, quarantined, screened for
diseases, and used to create specific lines or line combinations in sufficient numbers for on-station and on-farm testing. At least two lines will be identified and
considered for the selective breeding, and line crossing evaluations in each of the 3 countries. Selection will focus on egg production, meat production and some
aspects of adaptation. A minimum of 1000 chickens from each promising line will be used as a base population. The ratio of cocks to hens will be 1 to 8, and the
target of live weight will be 1.5 kg at 12 weeks of age and 200 eggs /year for meat and egg lines, respectively. Birds will be individually identified and artificial
insemination will be used. To further accelerate the genetic progress per generation, hens will be selected at the age of 45 weeks (based on the egg production).
This way, the 1st offspring will be produced when the parents are about 49 weeks of age, instead of 72 weeks of age. On-station, nests will be used to collect and
monitor individual hen performance and own weights will be obtained. These will then be used to genetically evaluate the birds using animal models.
Activity 3.1 Access Foreign Germplasm
Problem: The highest priority genetic need for smallholder chicken farmers is to gain affordable and sustainable access to high producing genotypes that are
appropriate for their production systems based on a good understanding of what breed resources are preferred by the farmers and demonstrated impact on women’s
incomes and empowerment, as well as family nutrition. The fastest and potentially most effective short term genetics strategy to increase smallholder productivity
could be based on importing unimproved, low-input germplasm for on-farm and on-station in specific agroecologies There are several dozen such scavenging chicken
lines in many countries around the world, especially from India and Latin America. However, individual countries have significant challenges in accessing these
germplasm.
Approach: The Foundation has previously piloted a proof of concept study in Uganda on the importation and testing of the Kuroiler germplasm from Keggfarms in
India to Uganda. In addition to the Kuroiler, the project team has identified several other lines in India, as well as in South Africa and other countries. With support
from the national partners, ILRI will identify and import these exotic lines from India and elsewhere (specific lines have been identified in South Africa and Brazil).
Once the lines are identified, ILRI’s business development team and the national partners will negotiated material transfer agreements regarding these lines. After
these lines have been obtained, parent birds will be multiplied to generate chicks that will be vaccinated and brooded to 21 days and then distributed to designated
agro-ecologies for testing in each country. Testing of these lines will be accomplished alongside the local improved lines. Pure lines from the preferred germplasm
will be imported and stable multiplication flocks will be created and readied for the on-station and on-farm testing. ILRI will work with the national teams to establish
bio-security protocols and quarantine facilities, and once these are established, sufficient numbers of fertilized eggs will be imported and multiplication systems will
be established to produce enough of these birds for testing in selected sites.
Activity 4.1 Testing Farmer Preferences
Problem: Different cultures and production systems require unique types of germplasm, and the knowledge of the requirements of these different systems is essential
before recommending the type of breeds for specific farming communities. In order to identify the right type of germplasm, it is essential to evaluate and understand
the local production systems, their limitations, and opportunities, the circumstances under which such systems came into existence and how they can be gradually
improved. Although, many of the imported tropically adapted birds have been demonstrated to be preferred by poor farmers, it is necessary to test these lines
across multiple agroecologies, systems, and farmer preferences in sub Saharan Africa for bird color, body conformation and temperament, egg and meat production,
overall adaptability, and carcass and meat quality. Since the primary concern of a scavenging chicken production system is to ensure the survival of the birds, any
genetics intervention will need to be integrated with systems that enhance the ability of farmers to increase the survivability of the birds.
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
Approach: The country partners, the project manager, his team and Wageningen University (as a sub-grantee) will define and develop a standard protocol for onfarm and on-station evaluation/testing protocols and programs, including development of supportive technical and bio-security systems to ensure successful testing.
This set of testing tools will engage women, work across geographies, and consider the following phenotypic traits: bird color, body conformation and
temperament, egg and meat productivity, overall tropical adaptability, feed conversion efficiency, and capacity for self-propagation. For on-farm testing, country
teams must procure infrastructure, hatch sufficient quantities of birds, brood birds, pre-vaccinate (will collaborate with GALVmed, integrated delivery, etc. to gain
access to health inputs), and deliver them to farmers. This requires a primary chick mortality risk to be mitigated through proper vaccination, proper nutrition and
management, proper brooding systems that incorporate access to vaccines, especially for proper Newcastle control, quality creep feeding for chicks (enhances
protein supplementation during the brooding phase) and proper chick housing. Once the chicks are brooded and vaccinated, 25 or 50 birds will be distributed to
2,500 households selected for testing per country. This process will likely be staggered and take a total of approximately 4 years. As with the baseline data, this
information will be sent in real time to ILRI’s database, and ILRI will be primarily responsible for the analysis of this data to generate the breeding objectives and the
economic weights of the objective traits.
5.1 Establish Stable Multiplication Lines
Problem: The absence of efficient mechanism for the multiplication and distribution of identified and proven genotypes to rural chicken producers at scale has been
document in many countries in sub Saharan Africa. The successful testing, adaptation, multiplication, and distribution of farmers’ preferred genotypes through the
sale of chicks is critical for accelerating realized productivity at scale. One of the major constraints in most sub Saharan African countries is the limited or unavailable
national systems, institutional arrangement for germplasm multiplication and affordable delivery to smallholder farmers. Transformation current productivity require
intervention that move beyond the development of lines and testing to mass multiplication and delivery to farmers. Reliable supply of chicks require an assured
source of parent and grandparent stock for the production of day old chicks and the market channel for selling the chicks to farms, especially in remote areas. Typical
vertically integrated models used in commercial chicken production in commercial chicken systems use a series of steps.
Approach: ILRI will work with the national partners to develop protected flocks of great grandparent stocks (so called pure lines or breeding lines) which will serve
as the intellectual property of the multiplication system. ILRI and the national programs will partner with the public and private sector organizations to multiply the
pure lines to create and maintain a stable supply of grandparent stocks. Through the innovation platform programs (see objective 7), the project team will facilitate
these public and private organizations to develop business models to access the multiplication lines and multiply them into fertile eggs for local hatching into parent
stocks, which in turn will produce the chicks that will be sold to farmers. ILRI will, upon request (subject to availability), provide biological resources in accordance
with the CBD and implementing legislations to both public and private sector under appropriate material transfer agreement terms.
Activity 6.1 Determination of impact of ACGG on preservation of indigenous germplasm
Problem: There is a potential conflict between the need to make use of improved and more productive poultry types and the desire to maintain diversity, particularly
with respect to adapted, indigenous chicken types. Such diversity is a potential source of adaptive genes for further improvement and for the ability to respond to
changed requirements.
Approach: The project will use the samples collected during the course of the project, which will cover both the introduced and pre-existing genotypes, to evaluate
the potential threat to diversity represented by the expansion of improved genotypes. We will then be in a position to identify introduced genotypes, which will
allow prioritizing of ex situ or in situ conservation if populations are judged to be at risk of losing diversity. This work will be done in close collaboration with regional
and international organizations (e.g. FAO and AU-IBAR etc).
Activity 7.1 Private Sector Engagement through Innovation Platforms
Problem: A significant challenge in the chicken value chain in most African countries – including Tanzania, Nigeria, and Ethiopia - is that ‘improved’ lines (where these
exist) which could be made available for use by smallholders are generally maintained by the public sector, mostly research organizations, with inadequate attention
to multiplication, and on-going improvement and delivery for use. It is well recognized – and has been demonstrated elsewhere - that involvement of the private
sector is critical for successful delivery of these functions in any livestock value chain.
Approach: A national innovation platform will be established with a primary goal of mobilizing private sector engagement in chicken value chains – germplasm
identification, sourcing, testing, multiplication, delivery of farmer preferred germplasm and provision of associated value chain support services - hatchery systems,
brooding, vaccination systems, feed, field logistic systems appropriate for delivery to smallholders. On an on-going basis, the platform convenings will facilitate
analysis of the chicken value chain in each country, identifying opportunities and catalyzing emergence of solutions, including business enterprises, to respond to
these opportunities. The procurement of multiplication companies will be a first priority, but it is recognized that the systems will only be viable if associated value
chain actors such as supplementary feed suppliers, and product aggregators are involved. Moreover, recognizing that large scale hatcheries and brooding enterprises
may not necessarily be interested or available to provide adequate coverage across all geographical regions of project countries, the program will – through platform
conversations – explore strategies for engaging small and medium enterprises to deliver these functions as may be necessary in specific situations.
As a first step in establishing the national platform, PICO-EA will work closely with country teams and ILRI to scope the institutional landscape (including facilities) in
each country to identify current and potential chicken value chain actors. Conscious effort will be made to ensure that the stakeholder mapping is inclusive, allowing
new players with potential to be involved. There will be two national platform convenings in each country every year.
The platform meetings will be designed to be highly participatory and will seek to help stakeholders transform chicken value chain challenges into business
opportunities. Stakeholder will be encouraged to take up these opportunities. In some strategically selected cases, businesses or partnerships will be mentored to
increase their probability of success – especially if it evident that the success has important implications for broader value chain, and that the impact potential is
high. The mentoring will include support in development of business plans and brokering linkage to financiers. Where policy bottlenecks are identified, the program
will facilitate engagement of the public sector (as part of the platform function) to influence the formulation of supportive policy and regulatory frameworks to
promote the evolution and growth of commercial small and medium-scale market oriented chicken production.
The lessons learnt from the diverse designs and protocols used in testing of chicken lines across countries will be invaluable. Working with country teams, ILRI will
facilitate the documentation of the lessons from the testing as a basis for the development of chicken testing and evaluation framework which can be adapted for
future wider use - in the same countries or elsewhere. In addition to design, the framework is envisaged to also include intellectual property and other legal issues,
facility requirements and operational dimensions of a chicken genetics testing and evaluation system.
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
Activity 8.1 Community Level Innovation Platforms for Women’s Empowerment
Problem: Many of the challenges facing smallholder chicken sector in Africa are practical, on-the-ground community and farm level issues that require good
understanding of local contexts through direct and informed engagement of those involved. Many agricultural R&D solutions in Africa are usually developed
elsewhere (in or out of the country) and presented as ready to use ‘packages’ with limited attention to local contexts. Moreover, many such ‘packages’ tend to be
generic in terms of gender; indeed most are often designed for men. Being principally driven by women, solutions aimed at improving village chicken value chains
must of necessity consider women perspectives and preferences. Specifically, it is critical that innovations intended to transform the chicken value chain at
community level put women at the center.
Approach: Regional innovation platforms will be established in each ‘region’ in a country. Similar to the approach with the national platform, the first step will be to
scope out institutions involved – or which could potentially get involved - in chicken value chain in each region as a basis for identifying key stakeholders to be invited
to join the platform. The overarching goal of these sub-national platforms will be to facilitate the optimization of production and marketing of chicken by enterprises
run by or significantly involving women. In addition, and to facilitate identification of general value chain challenges at the regional level, these platform convenings
will look out for ways in which women-specific challenges can be better understood and addressed. These region-level partnership platforms will need to be
facilitated by individuals familiar with the local contexts. This will be one of the major roles of the regional coordinators. Consequently, a critical competency for
regional coordinators will be facilitation skills. Each region will have a dedicated facilitator, chosen on the basis of understanding of the local context. Following
recruitment, all regional coordinators will undergo facilitation training conducted by PICO-EA. In addition, they will be expected to participate in national platform
meetings (as shadow facilitators) as part of their on-going mentoring. The mentoring support will include help with development of facilitation materials and
approaches and meeting process design.
The vision is to establish and leave behind a cadre of innovation platform facilitators actively working as specialist business development service providers supporting,
and paid for by, functioning value chains they will have helped to create. This vision is linked to achieving full and gainful engagement of a significant number of
women in chicken value chains – not only as producers but also as suppliers of value chain services, and as aggregators, processors, etc. The platform facilitation will
pay deliberate attention to enabling women entrepreneurs to share their experiences and to progressively improve their respective practices in the value chain. In
addition to regional platform convenings, the regional coordinators will convene local (community) level meetings specifically to: create awareness about available
chicken lines based on test results and to help find solutions to localized challenges. It is envisaged that these sets of facilitated engagements at community levels
will be critical to the scaling of productive chicken lines together with system changes required to make them work in different settings.
Two platform meetings will be convened in each project ‘region/agro-ecological zone’ of each country over the project period: one as part of the program launch to
bring key stakeholders in a region together, explain the program approach and seek stakeholder perspectives on how they could best get involved; another, to share
first round of results relevant for each region and start the conversation around delivery and pertinent issues relevant for delivery and adoption. With five project
‘regions’ per country, this is equivalent to 10 platform meetings per country (a total of 30 for the three countries) spread over the five years of the project. As
appropriate, cross-geography learning will be achieved by inviting women’s representatives from other regions.
At least six national platform facilitators, most (if not all) being women, will be trained per country. The candidates will be selected in collaboration with the country
teams. PICO-EA will work closely with the national and regional coordinators, helping develop/refine design of the platform meetings and other relevant processes.
PICO-EA will also provide advisory support on institutional issues relevant for implementation, as may be needed, to the national Project Management Teams –
including in lessons-learning and adaptive implementation of the program.
At each of the sub-national convenings, sample women farmers and representatives of women farmer groups from constituent villages will be invited to the
convenings where they will share their experiences, including on the performance of their chickens, their major challenges, the opportunities they see, and how the
program is impacting them and their families. The platform meetings will also involve local service providers and input suppliers who will also share their experiences
and perspectives. Learnings from these convenings will be used to prepare knowledge products which will be shared broadly across the country and in other
countries.
Activity 9.1 Develop a roadmap for crossbreeding and to accelerate on-farm chicken genetic gains.
Problem: Strategies that aim to genetically improve indigenous chickens are important but require longer-term commitments. The rich genetic resource base of the
indigenous chickens in Africa could form the basis for genetic improvement and diversification to produce breed(s) adapted to the tropics. Genetic gains realized
through selection are gradual and require long-term investments and many past attempts to use selection to increase gains have generally proved to be unsustainable
and failed to deliver impact. On the other hand, crossbreeding could often result in fast chicken genetic gains, but very few studies have been done on crossbreeding
of indigenous breeds to various exotic blood levels to determine the optimum breed composition that is appropriate for different agro-ecologies. More evidence is
recently emerging on the technical feasibility of genetic improvement of indigenous chickens as well as crossbreeding and the introgression or systematic
introduction of major genes into improved hybrid chickens to accelerate their tropical adaptation without compromising on their productivity.
Approach: One of the outcomes of this project is for Wageningen University to lead the project team to develop a roadmap that will allow a select number of the
farmer-preferred local and imported breeds from each country to be appropriately combined through precision crossbreeding to ensure that the most preferred
trait combinations are maintained. Targeted collection of genotypic information will be used to determine the changes in breed composition following several rounds
of crossbreeding and will then permit further selection to eventually create synthetic breeds. In addition, the project hopes to generate significant phenotypic
information across multiple agro-ecologies, which will be combined with the genotypic information for the determination of the most productive breeds and crosses
for different production systems and ecologies. Analysis of samples and information collected in the project will also allow the development and application of omicsbased technologies to characterize the genetic variation in various economically relevant traits among the various lines generated from crossbreeding. This
information will be highly useful for characterizing the mechanisms and genetic variation in tropical adaptability with information applied to significantly accelerate
long-term gains from selection projects. Success depends on the development of capacity to ensure continuous improvement of the selected lines.
Activity 10.1 Women’s Empowerment
Problem: In sub Saharan Africa rural women contribute significantly to agricultural development. However, due to a mixture of economic constraints and cultural
norms, women are not fully able to realize their contributions to and benefits from the production of marketable commodities. Despite many initiatives at policy
and institutional levels, gender roles and relationships continue to play determining roles in the distribution of workloads, the use of resources and the sharing of
the benefits of production. The emphasis on market-oriented production of high-value commodities (e.g. egg and chicken meat) often disregards the gendered
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
consequences and many benefits bypass women. This has important implications for gender equality and the long-term sustainability of these productivity increase
and food security-led initiatives.
Approach: Due to the complexity of working on gender, we feel as though a two-pronged approach will create the most significant impact. First, we believe that
ensuring that gender equality and women's empowerment be inherent in all that we do. We plan to approach this by addressing issues related to the limited
experience, skill and awareness on gender of many partners and capacity building at all levels. ACGG will work in partnership with the respective Women’s Affair
Offices in three of the project countries to ensure that project participants have the appropriate tools and training to engage women in the project activities. These
efforts will address both gender imbalance in the project sites and the capacity of the host and partner institutions to contribute to women’s empowerment.
Secondly, we feel that gender inequalities must be directly targeted. These include: women having limited access to and control over important agricultural resources;
the cultural norms and traditions that put women at lower social position in community; the absence feedback loops for women’s preferences and needs. ACGG
partners have agreed that one of the first steps to empowerment is using the collected baseline data to target a goal for women’s participation in the project activities.
Using this goal as a target for women’s engagement, the on-farm testing component will focus on women in order to capture their preferences and their needs as
both consumers and producers in the chicken value chain. As discussed above, the information on women’s preferences in the chicken VC will be used to inform the
content of the sub-national and community innovation platform meetings, and in addition, we will aim for these platform meetings to be primarily facilitated and
attended by women.
Activity 10.2 Increased Consumption of Eggs and Chickens
Problem: Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meet their dietary needs
and food preferences for an active and healthy life (http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story028/en/), but up to 2 billion people globally experience food insecurity
due to low food quantity and quality. While animal-source foods have the potential to mitigate food insecurity and poor nutritional status through the availability of
energy, protein, and a wide range of essential micronutrients, poor people consume primarily starchy foods, resulting in inadequate diets because of a lack of access
to animal source protein due to the low productivity/production and high cost of these foodstuffs.
Approach: The immediate goal of the African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG) program is to test and make available high-producing, farmer-preferred genotypes to
increase smallholder chicken productivity, but as we look to the overall aim of developing a pathway out of poverty, nutrition is a critical consideration. We believe
that the successful completion of this work will enable smallholder access to lines that have the potential to increase chicken productivity at the farm level. Based
on ILRI's experience in the field and in the specific project countries, we believe that such increases in productivity have the potential to positively influence the food
system and nutrition at the household level, and that positively impacting nutritional status is a critical step in the pathway out of poverty. Thus, we plan to prioritize
analyzing the relationship between increased household chicken productivity and individual consumption behavior.
Therefore, we propose utilizing the extensive baseline and on-farm testing infrastructure to collect consumption data. Individual consumption data has been
prioritized due to both the time and financial cost of data on nutritional status. Food consumption surveys will first be conducted during the project baseline, and
consumption data will continue to be conducted as chicken performance data is collected for on-farm testing. This data will be uploaded and maintained on ILRI's
server and made publically available, and ILRI will conduct an analysis on the relationship between an increase in chicken productivity (meat and eggs) at the household
level and individual consumption. Additionally, the data will be analyzed for adequacy of diet, per capita consumption of animal source protein and chicken meat
and eggs, and variation in per capita consumption within the selected population.
Activity 10.3 Local Capacity Building
Problem: Modern research is highly international, networked and multi-disciplinary. Lack of exposure to this way of working and to networks of contacts is a major
limitation for developing world scientists.
Approach: Capacity development activities within this project will be able to address this challenge by making use of the range of geographic and skill diversity of its
partners. Early in the project, key individuals within partner organizations, preferably female candidates, will be identified who we believe will benefit from
enhancement of critical skills and from exposure to the modern research environment due to their demonstrated capacity and drive to enhance their skillset.
Targeted individuals will be identified by each partner organization, and we aim to prioritize engaging individuals who have established positions in their organization,
this may include those already undergoing higher degree courses, because such individuals will use their enhanced skills to develop and implement sustainable
breeding systems in their home organizations.
Selected individuals will travel to partner organizations so that they are exposed to different working environments. In particular we will encourage cross-disciplinary
visits. For example, computer scientists will be exposed to field sampling as well as to biological data, animal scientists and veterinarians will be exposed to statistical
analysis, and statisticians and breeders participate in joint training courses aimed at enhancing analysis and data visualization skills. There will be a mix of short
taught courses at ILRI and ‘on the job training’. All capacity development activities will be documented, the outcomes evaluated and details shared among all partners.
In addition to this skill enhancement using informal methods, 2-3 PhD and 10 MSc studentships per country will be funded. Here too, multi-disciplinary and networked
working methods will be central to their studies.
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10. Organizational Capacity
Describe any changes or improvements you plan to make to your organization's capacity to undertake or achieve the outcomes of the
proposed investment.
In response to a perceived need to bring additional coherence, visibility, direction and impact to its livestock genetics research and development efforts, ILRI has
recently established the LiveGene initiative, which explicitly brings-together activities covering targeting, genomics and breeding to benefit smallholder farmers.
The LiveGene scientific research, development and management team, together with its advisory committee, will take an active role in leading and supporting the
ACGG project. In addition to technical expertise, the LiveGene team will bring a substantial support team to reduce the administrative burden on the PI and to
ensure that ACGG can ‘connect’ with other programs and partners. We anticipate very significant gains in efficiency and connectivity with other partners, with no
additional overheads from this new structure. Recently, LiveGene has also made a strategic decision, supported by ILRI management, to appoint two leading and
globally-respected livestock genetics experts with complementary skills and research interests to boost its ‘quantitative and computational genetics’ capacity.
Recruitment for these positions is underway, with a shortlist of very highly qualified candidates, and hiring is expected to be completed prior to the start of this
project. These senior geneticists will work directly with the PI who has many years of experience working on chicken genetic improvement both on indigenous and
commercial chickens, within and outside Africa.
11. Organizational Fit
What experience does your organization have to implement the proposed work?
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has significant experience in Africa and beyond, with extensive networks of national and international
partnerships through which and with whom its research for development activities are implemented and results out-scaled. For example, ILRI was a knowledge
partner in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) and the Dairy Genetics East Africa (DGEA) Programs. ILRI has a solid
track record of managing multi-country research for development programs in which each partner had autonomy to effectively implement their respective
component, and ILRI providing the needed technical backstopping. With regards to genetics, ILRI pioneered the genetic characterization of African indigenous village
chickens through an extensive network of collaborators across Africa. The published and on-going work reveals the genetic richness of African indigenous chicken
resources with performance differences across population within countries and regions. ILRI’s research leadership and knowledge in this area has been recognized
through successful partnerships in multidisciplinary chicken research projects supported by the BBSRC – DFID on village chicken in Ethiopia; a GEF–UNEP Asia project
on the utilization and conservation of indigenous animal genetic resources in four countries in Asia, including the crossbreeding between wild and domestic strains.
ILRI in collaboration with the Ethiopian Agricultural Research (IEAR) and Wageningen University are developing (currently 7th generation) an improved indigenous
chicken line, Horro, in Ethiopia. Also in Ethiopia, the ongoing
ILRI-led and CIDA-funded LIVES project is making investments in chicken value chain improvement in partnership with the NARs. All these partnerships and
collaborations remained intact over time and continue to grow in strength.
The proposed program will be implemented through ILRI’s new Global Livestock Genetics Program, and will have the support of ILRI’s expanding expertise across
the areas of genetics targeting, gene discovery and genomics, breeding and delivery of improved genetics, including world class expertise in chicken genetics and
breeding. The program fits within the overall ILRI strategy (www.ilri.org/ilrinews/index.php/archives/tag/ilri-strategy-2013-2022), whereby sustainable increases in
livestock productivity contribute to enhanced food security, poverty reduction, and better nutrition of poor people. The BecA-ILRI Hub also has world class expertise
and facilities in a wide range of biosciences, which will be available to this program (http://hub.africabiosciences.org) and will be leveraged for implementation as
well as capacity building.
Alignment with CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs)
The CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs) are platforms that aim to ensure that CGIAR centers’ R&D endeavors are focused on priority themes with increased ability to
develop practical solutions and enhanced integrity and partnerships among the centers. ILRI is leading the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish (L&F),
which focuses on selected livestock value chains and includes a cross-cutting genetics component. However, there is currently no chicken value chain within this
CRP. ILRI also has a significant role in Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), in this case the genetics activities focus on zoonotic and emerging diseases. Within
ILRI, this project will fall within the remit of the LiveGene initiative which coordinates genetics activities within the institute, including work on several species.
Ongoing research within LiveGene is funded by L&F, A4NH, other CRPs and a range of bilateral funders and this provides significantly enhanced critical mass in areas
such as bioinformatics, geo-spatial analysis, sample storage and management, quantitative and molecular genetics. The proposed project will be able to draw on this
expertise as needed and take advantage of well-established platforms. For many years, ILRI has been collaborating with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural
Research and Wageningen University (EIAR) on chicken breeding. Indeed, the current EIAR chicken breeding facility near Addis Ababa used to be an ILRI facility that
was transferred to EIAR, although it is widely (wrongly) held in the development community that ILRI does not work on chickens.
12. Beneficiaries
Who will benefit from this investment?
As discussed above, the vision of this program is to catalyze smallholder chicken productivity growth as a pathway out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore,
smallholder poultry producers in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ethiopia are the target beneficiaries. This work will directly target low-input chicken farmers living off of less
than $2.00 per day, with an emphasis on impacting farmers living on less than $1.25 per day. With a per capita income of $470 in Ethiopia and $695 in Tanzania
(World Bank), there is little risk of targeting beneficiaries that fall outside of the targeted income range. In addition to utilizing an income indicator, the country
teams will select farmers who are previously rearing approximately 10-20 chickens and express interest in scaling up to 25, 50, or 100 birds. 25 birds is most
appropriate for farmers that indicate a need for poultry to serve as a source of complimentary income, 50 birds is appropriate for households with 1-2 other sources
of income, and 100 birds will be the target flock size for households that want to focus principally on poultry production.
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Due to the fact that women own approximately 70% of the chickens in sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of the smallholders discussed above are women, and
therefore, this work will also aim to target the women as the immediate and direct beneficiaries. Village chickens are often taken care of by women and women
keep the money from the bartering or sale of eggs or the chicken. There is therefore a direct link between interventions that specifically aim at improving chicken
productivity with women’s welfare – along with the associated improvements in terms of nutrition and other benefits for the entire family. The chicken keeping
women will benefit through increases in flock sizes from the current range of 5 to 10 hens per households to an average of 30 hens per flock. In addition, as indicated
earlier the productivity of the improved hence to which the households will be accessible will increase by 200 to 300 %. Coupled with more efficient and affordable
input and market services the net cash and nutrition benefits will be much higher.
Women will also benefit directly from enhance knowledge and skills through project’s direct capacity development effort in the 3 project countries for MSc and PhD
training in various aspects of chicken science, given that 50% of such beneficiaries will be women. Besides, of those to be employed as village level enumerators;
regional and national project coordinators, plans as such 50% should be women. In addition, the anticipated transformation of the village chicken production into
commercial systems, the depth and density of actor participation in the transformed value chains will increase, with women being part of the increase numbers
actors along the value chains (i.e. brooders, egg and chicken traders, input sellers (i.e. makers and seller of related local chicken equipment etc.). The net effects of
the above are that more women will begin to begin the very initial climb out of poverty through improved chicken production and related businesses.
Other related businesses are the sale of inputs and fabrication and trade in of local chicken equipment, besides finding employment in a more expanded and
developed chicken value chain (in hatcheries, feed systems etc.). Local and international entrepreneurs, also stand to benefit. Doors will be opened for investment
opportunities of commercial multiplication and delivery (i.e. hatchery, breeding operations etc.), feed production, chicken meat marketing and processing operations,
thus further providing employment and improved livelihood opportunities for many people in in each project country and beyond.
Finally, the local and national government stand to benefit from a better nourished and food secure and by extension a healthier population. Grain growers, even if
in a small way, will benefits from expanded local feed demand to supply some little supplemental feeds to a more commercialized chicken production systems. In
the long term, buoyed by the improved skills and knowledge, the village producers can easily transform into commercial chicken producers. Since chicken production
easily lends itself towards scale production technologies, this program might simply serve as venture capital to formalize the industry. For example, It is estimate
that up to 72 million improved and locally adapted chicken be available through the envisaged public-private partnerships to benefit up to 2.4 million households/
year. This aggregates to an additional income of US$ 37.5 million/year from raising and selling of the eggs and birds, besides offering additional income opportunities
to other actors along the value chains. In addition to demonstrating the impact to farmers, the chicken platform will provide hard evidence (i.e. contribute to “making
the case”) for smallholder to the private sector and as the private sector becomes increasingly involved in the chicken value chain in African countries, this work has
the potential to provide the information and justification required to intensify and expedite such engagement.
The broader scientific community will benefit from the establishment of a uniquely well-described set of samples and matching data, which encompass the response
of chicken to selection for enhanced production under smallholder conditions. The project will prioritize the sharing of these resources in order to gain additional
understanding of genome function in relation to these traits.
13. Critical Relationships
Describe any critical relationships with other partners or projects that may influence this work (or that this work may influence).
The proposed APGG project will be implemented by a public-private partnership that will be the foundation of our strategy to catalyze a sustainable platform for the
development, multiplication, and delivery of more productive, farmer-preferred genotypes, which is expected to significantly grow smallholder productivity under
low-input production systems. Coordinated by the Global Livestock Genetics Program at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI -LiveGene), the platform
will involve the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Haramaya University (Ethiopia), the Tanzanian Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI), Sokoine
University of Agriculture (SUA, Tanzania), the Nigerian Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), and the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
A number of private germplasm development and multiplication companies including Keggfarms (India), Srinivasa Hatcheries Group (India), and Flow Equity/Mekelle
Farms (Ethiopia) who have demonstrated their keen interest in collaborating with the program team.
The core project management team will comprise the ILRI PI and the Project Manager, they will be based in Addis Ababa and provide technical backstopping,
coordination, communication and data exchange and scientific supervision to three national project implementation teams, one in each country. Dedicated
quantitative genetics support will come from a specialist senior chickens geneticist (based in Ethiopia, appointment underway) who will work closely with the PI. The
project as a whole will be supported by ILRI’s LiveGene initiative, which provides overarching synergy and coherence to ILRI’s genetics activities. In particular, the
senior LiveGene team will make available, Geo-spatial analysis, informatics, partnership, molecular, bio-banking and communications expertise. Day-to-day
management of the project will the responsibility of the PI who will report on progress at regular (monthly) LiveGene team meetings, although he will of course be
able to call on the wider expertise as and when he wishes. Administratively, the PI reports to the LiveGene leader (Kemp).
A Scientific and Industry Advisory Committee (SIAC) will be appointed among the peers of the researchers and value chain actors in this study to provide
independent peer-to-peer evaluation and guidance to the APGG program.
A National Project Implementation Committee (NPIC) will be established in each of the project countries, comprising ILRI (project management), national Project
focal person (staff) and a project staff member from countries, representative of partners, a membership of no more than five or six. The NPIC will oversee the
project’s operations, its adherence to milestones and communications outside the country. Where possible, international travel and meetings will be arranged to
maximize cross-fertilization between the SAC, LiveGene senior team and the NPICs.
Regional, National and international convening will be organized bringing together range of partners and stakeholders aimed at coordinating core project team
activities, facilitating community-level farmer (esp. women) engagement and maximize the opportunities for cross learning and peer based evaluation. This will be
the primary responsibility of PICO team.
This program also provides an opportunity to bring the chicken community together. The program will convene a chicken community meeting every one or two
years.
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Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
14. External Factors
Describe any external factors that may influence the success of this investment.
In addition to the risks listed under section 4 above, one major external factor that will influence the success of the proposed program relates to Avian Influenza
and its potential influence on the ability of countries to import germplasm from India in a timely manner. The program’s ability to import from countries such as
India depends on the existing and future regulatory policies on such diseases. Fortunately, the 3 countries have indicated a desire to include the Kuroiler, whose
parent stocks are currently available in Uganda, which is certified free of avian influenza. Also in both Nigeria and Ethiopia, we have the local improved lines such
as the Shika Brown and the improved Horro. Therefore, the worst case scenario is that the testing of local improved lines and the Kuroiler happens first, while the
country programs are gaining access to exotic lines. Some aspects of the testing program may be delayed for several months should there be Avian Influenza related
problems that impede or delay immediate importation of the improved and tropically adapted chicken from India, but with the staggering of testing local lines and
the Kuroiler first, we believe that we can minimize the impact of this potential external factor.
15. Sub-grantees, Sub-contractors, and Named Individuals
List any sub-grantees, sub-contractors, or named individuals (employees) involved in this investment.
Sub-grantees/Sub-contractors:
Name
Role
Getnet Assefa
Coordinate and Implement the program In Ethiopia in
collaboration with Ministry of agriculture (MoA), Haremaya
University, and Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA),
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and other national
and international partners (public and private).
Ezekiel Hamisi
Goromela
Coordinate and Implement the program in Tanzania in
collaboration with Ministry of Livestock and
Fisheries Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA,
Tanzania), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and
other national and international partners (public and private).
Tanzania Livestock
Research Institute
(TALIRI)
egoromela@yahoo.com
+255 713 451542 /685 497643
Funso Sonaiya
Obafemi Awolowo University in collaboration with the Nigerian
Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), will coordinate and
Implement the program in Nigeria; They will collaborate with
Ministry of Agriculture, Federal University of Agriculture in
Abeokuta, Nigeria, Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), ,
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and other national
and international partners (public and private).
Federal University of
Agriculture in
Abeokuta, Nigeria
(FUNAAB)
fsonaiya1@yahoo.com
+234 803 718 7378
Corporate Entity
Name (if applicable)
Ethiopian Institute of
Agricultural Research
(EIAR)
Mailing Address
getazb@yahoo.com
+251913380858
Named Individuals
Name
Role
Johan van
Arendonk
Capacity development in population and quantitative genetics and
design and implementation of genetic improvement in
collaboration with other consortium members of EGS-ABG :
European Graduate School in Animal Breeding and Genetics
(http://www.egsabg.eu/) and other partners
Ed Rege
To lead the formation of the National and Regional Innovation
Platforms and facilitating partners meetings and training programs
Mailing Address
Corporate Entity Name (if
applicable)
Animal
Breeding
and Johan.vanarendonk@wur.nl
Genomics
Centre,
Wageningen University, the +31 317 482335
Netherlands
PICO Eastern Africa
http://picoteam.org/team_or
ganisations/ea.html
ed.rege@picoteam.org
16. Sustainability
Describe the vision of the long-term sustainability of this project beyond the proposed time frame and funding with consideration to
economic/financial, organizational, or behavioral factors.
Whereas this phase of work focuses on enabling smallholder access to preferred lines that are highly productive under low-input conditions, the overall aim is to
develop this first five years of work into a vision of promoting smallholder chicken productivity growth as a pathway out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. System
sustainability will be achieved if: Chicken lines identified and multiplied are demanded by smallholders, especially women; evolving producer and consumer
preferences are being objectively assessed and feedback is reaching multipliers; multipliers are responding to the evolving demand preferences and this is being
reflected in demand for new lines over time – and they are making money by sharing the added value with producers and other value chain actors. The innovation
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Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14
platform approach will provide the mechanism through which the critical sharing and leaning will happen. In this sense it is a critical tool for ensuring sustainability
of the system.
The program will also aim to generate data, technical capacity, and an institutional mechanism needed to promote accelerated on-farm genetic gains, and this will
also be critical for sustainability of the system. It is anticipated that the network for genetic gains will be hosted and coordinated by ILRI for the first five years.
Starting in year three, ILRI will work with countries to facilitate the establishment of an institutional arrangement at national levels that will support the industry to
ensure on-going genetic gain and delivery of farmer preferred chickens. ILRI will however continue thereafter as a knowledge partner to countries as they develop
robust systems for germplasm testing, multiplication and delivery. During the project period, and the period immediately after, ILRI will work with private companies,
initially to share information on the lines being tested and to facilitate their adoption of promising lines for commercial multiplication. There will be continued
collaboration with the respective country teams to undertake additional tests in order to address additional research needs, so identified by the companies and
farmers. It is envisaged that the testing protocols – including sampling, sample sizes, data collection and analysis, and institutional arrangements - applied during the
program will be further refined and adapted for use by other countries – both private and public sectors. We believe that the design of this program will allow us to
play a catalytic role in expanding this effort into other countries.
17. Measurement and Evaluation
PO/PC selects Option A if triggered by the Risk Profile. Otherwise, select Option B.
Delete the unnecessary option.
A.
We have identified the need for additional narrative related to measurement and evaluation in this investment. Please complete the
Measurement and Evaluation (M&E) Planning Module.
B.
Will the investment

Operate in multiple geographies or at multiple levels (e.g. national and sub-national), or with multiple organizations?

Be a proof of concept, test an unproven solution, or result in a new approach to behavioral change?

Be difficult to measure? (E.g. Policy change, complex systems change, effectiveness at scale, etc…)

Be an evaluation or be likely to include an evaluation?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, please complete the Measurement and Evaluation (M&E) Planning Module.
If no, please acknowledge by checking the box: 
18. Clinical Trials and Regulated Research
PO/PC selects Option A if triggered by the Risk Profile. Otherwise, select Option B.
Delete the unnecessary option.
A.
Please complete the Clinical Studies and Regulated Research Module.
B.
Will the investment involve any of the following?

Clinical trials

Human subjects research

Vertebrate Animals

Recombinant DNA

Biohazards

Genetically modified organisms or transgenic plants

Pathogens/toxins identified as select agents by U.S. Law
If yes, complete the Clinical Studies and Regulated Research Module.
If no, please acknowledge by checking the box: 
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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19. Data Access
Will the investment generate datasets*, and would the field benefit from making those datasets publicly available? *A dataset is an
electronically stored collection of data and associated files from research studies; clinical or community trials; surveillance systems or surveys;
datasets from evaluation studies; modeling/simulation studies; or qualitative studies.
If yes, complete the Data Access Module.
Reporting and Payment Schedule
Your program officer will draft reporting and payment schedule below after reviewing your proposal submission and will then
collaborate with you to finalize the schedule if we choose to move forward. Please note that if a grant is subject to IRS “expenditure
responsibility” requirements, the reporting periods and due dates will be based on your fiscal year.
This is a draft version. The Final Reporting and Payment Schedule will be in the Agreement.
Target, Milestone, or Reporting
Deliverable
Due By
Payment Date
Payment Amount
(U.S.$)
01/11/2014 to
31/10/2015
Annual report
31/10/2015
01/11/2014
$3,460,435
01/11/2015 to
31/10/2016
Annual report
31/10/2016
01/11/2015
$2,712,674
01/11/2016 to
31/10/2017
Annual report
31/10/2017
01/11/2017
$2,294,924
01/11/2017 to
31/10/2018
Annual report
31/10/2018
01/11/2018
$1,541,105
01/11/2018 to
31/10/2019
Annual report
31/10/2019
01/11/2019
$ 990,858
Investment Period
Total Grant Amount
10,999,996
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sites, in press releases, and in other marketing materials. Subject to the foundation’s Privacy Policy, the foundation may also share information you
provide to us (either orally or in writing) with third parties, including external reviewers, key partners and co-funders. This document is subject to the
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© 2014 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Proposal Narrative 1/6/14