Contribution of the informal market of village chickens to sustainable livelihoods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The study aimed to determine the contribution of the informal market of village chickens to sustainable livelihoods. The study was conducted in two purposively selected cities namely Durban and Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Central Business District (CBD). A questionnaire was administered to village chicken vendors in the CBD. A total of 50 village chicken vendors which were limited in the CBD, were found and interviewed. In both Durban (100%) and Pietermaritzburg (77%), the majority of village chicken vendors were women (P<0.05). Village chicken vendors depended on selling chickens and vending other commodities in both cities (P>0.05) to generate income (100%). None (0 %) of the village chicken vendors were exposed to chicken farming training on village chickens in Durban and 11% in Pietermaritzburg have been exposed to training (P<0.05). Over 85% were interested in attending chicken farming training in both areas. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between the main source of income and the uses of chickens. The use of village chickens influenced the main source of income, which was not limited to income generation or leisure. It was concluded that the informal market for village chickens contributes to sustaining livelihoods through income, consumption and culturally driven. It is recommended that access to training and resources can grow the informal market.