Constraints Faced by Commercial Poultry Farmers in Waste Management Practices in Kogi and Kwara States, Nigeria

This study assessed the constraints faced by commercial poultry farmers in waste management practices in Kogi and Kwara States, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from randomly selected 138 and 125 registered commercial poultry farmers from both states, giving a total sample size of 263 for the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data for the study. Results of analysis showed that mean age was 46.7 years, farm size was 991 birds and poultry farming experience was 11 years. Also, majority were male (82.0 %), married (88.8 %), had tertiary education (94.0 %). Mean age of farm was 9 years. Poultry dropping was the most (mean = 2.36) generated waste in the study area. The most prevalent waste management methods used by poultry farmers were open dumping around the farm (mean = 2.23), giving wastes free to the public as farmyard manure (mean = 2.16), poultry wastes are dumped in a nearby bush (mean = 2.09), dead birds are buried in a pit near the farm (mean = 2.08), dead birds are thrown into a nearby bush (mean = 2.01) and dead birds are burnt inside a pit or in a heap near the farm (mean = 2.01). The major constraints faced by farmers in waste management practices were lack of awareness on how to use the wastes productively (mean = 4.06), no agricultural land nearby where wastes can be used (mean = 3.69), excessive odour from waste (mean = 3.66), high cost of chemical treatment (mean = 3.56), high transportation cost (mean = 3.24) and high cost of private waste management agencies (mean = 3.01). Results of Multiple Regression Analysis show that poultry wastes used as farm yard manure, burnt and buried in a pit, sun-dried and burnt and given freely to interested farm workers had inverse significant relationship to constraints while dumping of poultry wastes around the farm, nearby bush and to animals such as dogs had positive significant relationship to constraints faced by respondents in waste management. The study concluded that the level of constraints faced by commercial poultry farmers in waste management practices was high (mean = 3.39) in the study area. The study recommends among others the needs for existing poultry farmers association to include programmes that will enlighten members on poultry waste management practices that will not have negative effect upon their birds and the environments.