From Coop to Market: Transforming Poultry Enterprise Skills into Sustainable Microenterprises through Capability Development in Urban Poor Communities

This study uses the resource-based view and human capital theory to examine the effects of the “Poultry Enterprise Skills: From Coop to Market” training on the livelihood and business performance of the marginalized sector of Barangay 176-C, Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. This study reconstructs the Poultry Enterprise Skills Training (PEST), Enterprise Capability Development (ECD), and Livelihood and Business Performance (LBP) constructs, focusing on the role of enterprise capability as a mediating factor. A quantitative, cross-sectional, explanatory-predictive research design using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analyzes the data collected from 300 selected respondents. Results indicated that participants with low incomes and less formal schooling were found to be entrepreneurial and highly appreciated the integrated, value-chain-embedded training. Results suggest that PEST has helped to improve ECD and LBP, that ECD has aided LBP, and that the training - performance relationship is partially mediated by ECD. The model has substantial explanatory power confirming that capability development leads to performance. This study expresses the value of integrated training encompassing the entire value chain of production, finance, product development, and marketing, transforming subsistence activities into sustainable microenterprises. The study enriches the existing literature by providing a framework for capability and performance and contributes to community development practices through the design of productive livelihood and extension programs. Finally, this study shows that the integration of training practice and economic empowerment is essential for promoting economic growth.