Social Capital and Determinants of Commercialization of Indigenous Chicken Farmers in Manzini Region, the Kingdom of Eswatini

In Eswatini, indigenous chickens form part of the livestock subsector and are kept mainly by subsistence farmers in almost all homesteads across the country. Among other challenges, traditional beliefs and knowledge mean that these birds are mostly kept for home consumption or given as gifts rather than reared for commercial purposes, discouraging commercialisation. Although farmers’ limited participation in indigenous chicken commercialisation may be attributed to traditional beliefs, empirical literature from outside Eswatini indicates that socioeconomic factors influence commercialisation levels among households rearing these birds. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the existing literature by estimating the level of indigenous chicken commercialisation and its determinants among farmers in Eswatini. A census of all indigenous chicken farmers registered under the Eswatini Agricultural Development Enterprise–Small Market Led Project (ESWADE-SMLP) in the Manzini Region was conducted. The farmer list comprised 101 farmers, of whom only 92 active indigenous chicken farmers were interviewed owing to certain limitations. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to individual farmers. Descriptive statistics and a multinomial logistic regression model were used to analyse the data. The findings identified age, gender, marital status and group size as determinants of indigenous chicken commercialisation levels. The study concludes that younger female farmers who are married and belong to smaller groups are more likely to move from subsistence to commercial indigenous chicken production. To increase commercialisation among sampled farmers, stakeholders, including farmers, the government, the private sector, NGOs and CBOs, should formulate and implement policies to empower young people, particularly males, through small-group training in markets, production and changes in perceptions towards commercialisation. The researcher also recommends subsidising chicken feed prices and encouraging farmers to grow maize and other feed ingredients locally to reduce production costs and increase output for marketing.