This paper describes poultry production in and around the city of Dar es Salaam. The emphasis throughout is on the relationship between small-scale producers and the large, integrated firms which supply them with essential inputs such as chicks and feed, and also produce poultry products on their own account. It is argued that while at one level the integrated firms and the small-scale producers are unequal competitors, complementarity is probably the more important aspect of their relationship. Based on the limited profitability of small-scale egg and broiler production it is concluded that this is not an appropriate arena for poverty-oriented development intervention.
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Personal contact and trust play extremely important roles in these situations, and are used by producers and consumers alike to try to reduce the uncertainty inherent in a largely unregulated environment. See Nyamrunda and Sumberg and Ellis and Sumberg for further discussion of this point relative to urban and peri-urban milk production in Tanzania.
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It would be easier to argue that this is a true win-win situation if the same firm that is providing its own extension service did not also effectively dominate both the day-old chick and compounded feed markets. Nevertheless, without the company, small-scale production would not be possible.
