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Thando Tenza1*, Lindokuhle Christopher Mhlongo2, Cypril Ndumiso Ncobela3 and Zikhona Rani1

1 Animal and Poultry Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of
KwaZulu-Natal, P Bag X01 Scottsville 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
2 Department of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
3 Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mangosuthu University of Technology, P. O.
Box 12363, Jacobs 4026, South Africa

KEYWORDS:

Contribution;

Income;

Livelihoods:

Sustainability;

Training;

Vending

ABSTRACT

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.

INTRODUCTION

In 2050, the world population is expected to
increase by at least 2.5 billion (Galimova et al.,
2022) and the demand for animal protein will
also increase drastically. This suggests creating

traditional markets using untapped animal
resources such as village chickens for protein
alternatives. Using underutilized animal
resources through informal village chicken
vending may prevent insufficient conventional
protein sources in developing countries that may
come with population increase. There has been a

East African Journal of Biophysical and Computational Sciences

Journal homepage : https://journals.hu.edu.et/hu-journals/index.php/eajbcs
Hawassa University

College of Natural & Computational Sciences

Year 2021

Volume xx No xx

Contribution of the Informal Market of Village Chickens to Sustainable Livelihoods in 

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

*Corresponding author:
Email: tenzathando7@gmail.com +27844727930 https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/eajbcs.v5i1.2S

 
Research article



East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2024), Vol. 5, No. 1, 13-24

14

growing interest in investigating informal
market village chicken in response to the agenda
of Sustainable Development Goals. Informal
village chicken vending refers to producing and
selling legal goods and services in urban public
spaces in temporal structures (Recchi, 2021).
There is a great potential for informally vending
village chicken, especially for vulnerable groups
in resource-poor settings. Since the informal
sectors are mostly ignored or unsupported by
the government, individuals are discouraged to
participate in this sector (Brown, 2006). The
informal market of village chicken has the
potential to contribute immensely to achieving
specific Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), such as No Poverty (SDG1) and Zero
Hunger (SDG2), particularly for the vulnerable
group if the correct measures are taken (Wilson
et al., 2021). Achieving SDG2 in Sub-Saharan
Africa is challenging as the population is rapidly
growing, which demands a large amount of
animal proteins.

Village chicken (Gallus domesticus) production
in Africa is practiced in rural communities
(Boudali et al., 2022). In South Africa,
individuals mostly own village chickens based
in resource-poor settings commonly known as
rural areas. Their major role in these areas is to
provide animal protein through eggs and meat
which are crucial for income generation through
sales (Elsiddik, 2022). Village chickens are also
crucial for traditions and rituals of different
ethnicities. However, the production of village
chickens is hampered by various challenges,
including a high mortality rate, disease
prevalence, poor technical support, predation,

theft, and poverty. They are reared under an
extensive production system with a flock size of
less than 100 that depends on scavenging for
feed resources (Chowdhury, 2013). This system
is characterized by low input and low output as
there are no or minimal inputs such as housing,
feeding, and health control, resulting in a high
mortality rate that reduces the flock size. Village
chickens are primarily bred and reared for meat,
eggs, cultural practices and income to contribute
to family consumption (Mujyambere et al.,
2022). Considering the poor socio-economic
status and food and nutrition insecurity in
resource-poor settings of KwaZulu-Natal, South
Africa, solutions and recommendations are
needed by communities. Village chicken
vendors are selling village chickens in the
Central Business District for income and they
are very scarce. Understanding the dynamics of
the village chicken informal market is important
to identify gaps and challenges to provide
appropriate interventions. This study aimed to
assess how the informal market of village
chickens contributes to sustainable livelihoods
in KwaZulu-Natal. It was hypothesized that
village chickens do not contribute to the
informal market for sustainable livelihoods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study area

The study was conducted in Pietermaritzburg as
shown in Figure 1, which is the capital city of
uMsunduzi Municipality within the Province of
KwaZulu-Natal. It is located on the tropical
eastern coast of South Africa (Nicolson, 2010).



East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2024), Vol. 5, No. 1, 13-24

15

Figure 1:Geographical map of KwaZulu-Natal the study sites in Durban and Pietermaritzburg
cities

Pietermaritzburg (29°37′S 30°23′E) experiences
summer rainfall and a warm and temperate
climate. The average annual rainfall is 865.3
mm, with average maximum temperatures

ranging from 22.6°C to 24.5°C and minimum
temperatures ranging from 9.9°C to 16°C. The
current population is estimated to be over
600,000 residents in Pietermaritzburg.

Figure 2: Village chicken vendors with cages (a and b) in Pietermaritzburg Central Business
District. Interviewing village chicken vendors (c) chicken cages in Durban Central Business
District (d)

Durban is a major coastal city on the eastern
coast under eThekwini Metropolitan
Municipality in South Africa. The city also
known as a tourist venue (Koopman, 2012). The

central business district is located adjacent to
the harbor which is the most important
contributing factor to the city's economy (Timm,
2011). Durban (29°53′S 31°03′E) has an annual

a b c d



East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2024), Vol. 5, No. 1, 13-24

16

rainfall of 1,009 millimeters and the average
temperature in summer is around 24 °C, while
in winter the average temperature is 17 °C. The

Durban suburbs and neighboring towns have a
population of about 3.44 million.

Table 1.The description of the data source of village chicken vendors

Variable Description Reason for the information request
Demographic data Owners of the chickens, Gender of

the owners and age distribution
Identifying participants in the traditional market
of village chickens

Income sources Village chicken keepers Evidence on the level of dependency on village
chickens

Reason for selling
village chickens

Options such as income and food Indicate the objectives of village chicken
vendors which influence the willingness to
participate in this system.

The duration of selling
village chickens

Years in the Central Business
District

The number of years to indicate the time in
years spent participating in the market

Targeted population
group

Race that should buy the chickens The type of population group targeted for this
informal market

The population group
that frequently buy

The race that buys the most The population group that responds to the
informal market of village chickens

Type of feed for village
chickens

Feed type To understand what they are feeding chickens in
cages

The duration of village
chickens in the cage

How many hours do village
chickens spend in cages

To understand and identify the animal welfare
of village chickens in the informal market

The type of knowledge The type of knowledge systems
used

The type of knowledge used is important to
understand the rearing system

The uses of different
breeds

Type of breeds and functions The function of different types of breeds

Statistical analysis

All data were analyzed using SAS (2011). All
demographic characteristics in Durban and
Pietermaritzburg were analyzed. The association
was measured using Chi-square tests between
demographic parameters. The PROC FREQ
/CHISQ test was used.

= . ∗
Cramer's V was used to measure and examine
the strength of the association between two
variables using the following model:

V= X2 = is the chi-square value df*=min (r-1, c-
1) and r= the number of rows and c=the number
of columns in the contingency table and n=the
total sample size.

RESULTS

Description of village chicken vendor's
demographics

The participants (i.e. village chicken vendors in
both Pietermaritzburg and Durban) interviewed
were women and men over 18 years of age. The
gender of village chicken vendors had a
significant difference (P<0.05) in both cities as



East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2024), Vol. 5, No. 1, 13-24

17

more females were participating in vending
village chickens compared to men. In Durban,
all (100%) village chicken vendors were female,
and 77% of vendors in Pietermaritzburg were
female. The age of village chicken vendors
ranged from 40 to 50 years (62%) and 50 to 60

years (26%) were common (P>0.05). In Durban,
32% of village chicken vendors have
participated in the informal market for over 30
years (P<0.05) in Pietermaritzburg. Their source
of income included vending of chickens,
vegetables and pension, as shown in (Table 2).

Table 2.The demographic of the informal market village chicken vendors in Durban and
Pietermaritzburg Central Business District
Demographic characteristics Durban% Pietermaritzburg% P Value
Gender of the trader
Female 100 77 *
Male 0 23
Age of the trader (years)
20 to 30 16 0 NS
30 to 40 21 15
40 to 50 21 62
50 to 60 26 15
60 to 70 16 8
Duration of trading (years)
Less than 5 21 13 *
More than 5 5 41
More than 10 21 28
More than 20 21 15
More than 30 32 3
The major source of income
Vending other commodities 47 54 NS
Pensioner 0 0
Vegetables 0 8
Chickens 53 38
Purpose of selling
Income 100 100 NS
Barter exchange 0 0
Leisure 0 0
Training of village chicken vendors
Training attended
Not attended training

0
100

11
89 *

Interest to attend
No interest in attending

85
15

95
5 *

Access to extension officer 8 5
No access to extension officer 92 95 *
NS = Not significant (P > 0.05), *significant(P < 0.05)



East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2024), Vol. 5, No. 1, 13-24

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In Pietermaritzburg, more than half of the
participants (54%) depended on vending other
commodities; in Durban, 53% relied on vending
village chickens. A total of 100% of village
chicken vendors relied on vending village
chickens for income generation in both areas
while none was selling for barter exchange and
leisure.

The importance of knowledge to village
chickens

Figure 4below indicates different types of
knowledge used in rearing village chickens for

income generation. Village chicken vendors
depended greatly on indigenous knowledge
(89%), followed by the combination of
indigenous and scientific knowledge (10%) and
lastly, scientific knowledge (1%). The results
(Table 2) indicated that only 11% of village
chicken vendors received training with 95%
willingness to attend in Pietermaritzburg. Less
than 10% of extension officers were available
for village chicken vendors to provide
knowledge in Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

Figure 4: The knowledge used by village chicken vendors in the village chicken markets

Consumers of village chickens by population

group

Figure 5 below indicates the population group
that purchases village chickens largely. All
population groups were targeted to buy village

chickens.  Results suggest that Africans (82%),
followed by Asians (2%),were the predominant
consumers of village chickens. Village chicken
vendors showed a significant difference
(P<0.05) in the preferred chickens to sell in both
Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Live chickens
(98%) were preferred over cooked meat (2%).

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

Indigenous Knowledge Scientific Knowledge Indigenous Knowledge &
Scientific KnowledgeN

um
be

r 
of

 v
ill

ag
e 

ch
ic

ke
n 

ve
nd

or
s

(%
)

Type of knowledge use by village chicken vendors



East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2024), Vol. 5, No. 1, 13-24

19

Figure 5.The consumers of village chickens in both Durban and Pietermaritzburg

Type of village chicken breeds for cultural
practices.

Figure 6 below indicates the type of village
chicken breeds sold by village chicken vendors
and breeds in demand in the market.
Potchefstroom Koekoek (Impangela) is the most
sold breed (97%), followed by Boschveld
(Ezibomvu) (94%), Black Australorp
(Ezimunyama) (75%) and Broilers

(Ezimhlophezesingisi) (72%). Results in figure 6
showed that there were breeds demanded in the
market such as Potchefstroom Koekoek
(Impangela) (69%) and Boschveld (Ezibovu)
(69%). Durban and Pietermaritzburg village
chicken breeds have various purposes in the
informal market regarding cultural practices.
Each breed has its specific function in
communicating with ancestors in these areas.

Figure 6. Breeds sold and in demand in the village chicken market

0%

Potchefstroom Koekoek/(Impangela)

Boschveld /(Ezibovu)

Black Australorp /(Ezimnyama)

White Leghorn chickens/(Ezimhlophe)

Ovambo chickens/(Umbala oxubile)

Venda chicken breed/(Ezigreyi)

Broilers/ (Ezimhlophe zesingisi)

Type of breeds sold and breeds in demand

Type of breeds in demand

East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2024), Vol. 5, No. 1, 13-24

19

Figure 5.The consumers of village chickens in both Durban and Pietermaritzburg

Type of village chicken breeds for cultural
practices.

Figure 6 below indicates the type of village
chicken breeds sold by village chicken vendors
and breeds in demand in the market.
Potchefstroom Koekoek (Impangela) is the most
sold breed (97%), followed by Boschveld
(Ezibomvu) (94%), Black Australorp
(Ezimunyama) (75%) and Broilers

(Ezimhlophezesingisi) (72%). Results in figure 6
showed that there were breeds demanded in the
market such as Potchefstroom Koekoek
(Impangela) (69%) and Boschveld (Ezibovu)
(69%). Durban and Pietermaritzburg village
chicken breeds have various purposes in the
informal market regarding cultural practices.
Each breed has its specific function in
communicating with ancestors in these areas.

Figure 6. Breeds sold and in demand in the village chicken market

Africans Asians

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Potchefstroom Koekoek/(Impangela)

Boschveld /(Ezibovu)

Black Australorp /(Ezimnyama)

White Leghorn chickens/(Ezimhlophe)

Ovambo chickens/(Umbala oxubile)

Venda chicken breed/(Ezigreyi)

Broilers/ (Ezimhlophe zesingisi)

Type of breeds sold and breeds in demand

Type of breeds in demand Type of breeds sold

East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2024), Vol. 5, No. 1, 13-24

19

Figure 5.The consumers of village chickens in both Durban and Pietermaritzburg

Type of village chicken breeds for cultural
practices.

Figure 6 below indicates the type of village
chicken breeds sold by village chicken vendors
and breeds in demand in the market.
Potchefstroom Koekoek (Impangela) is the most
sold breed (97%), followed by Boschveld
(Ezibomvu) (94%), Black Australorp
(Ezimunyama) (75%) and Broilers

(Ezimhlophezesingisi) (72%). Results in figure 6
showed that there were breeds demanded in the
market such as Potchefstroom Koekoek
(Impangela) (69%) and Boschveld (Ezibovu)
(69%). Durban and Pietermaritzburg village
chicken breeds have various purposes in the
informal market regarding cultural practices.
Each breed has its specific function in
communicating with ancestors in these areas.

Figure 6. Breeds sold and in demand in the village chicken market

80% 90% 100%



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Table 3 shows the level of association in two
variables of village chicken vendors in both
Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The results
indicated a strongest (0.64) insignificant
association between type of breed in demand
and the reason for breeds in demand.. In
addition, the association between gender and

age was the weakest (0.28). There was a
significant difference (P<0.05) between the
major source of income and the uses of
chickens. The lowest association compared to
the breed type in demand and reasons for breeds
in demand was insignificant (P>0.05).

Table 3. The strength of associations on village chicken vendors in Durban and Pietermaritzburg
Associations Cramer's V P value
Gender * Age 0.28 NS
Duration of selling * Major source income 0.30 NS
The major source of income * Uses of chickens 0.60 *
Type of chicken preference * Reasons for preference 0.33 NS
Type of breed in demand * Reasons breeds in demand 0.64 NS
Cramer's V is -1 ≤ V ≤1 where -1 is the weakest and 1 is the strongest association.

Important information, recommendations
and questions from village chicken vendors

Village chicken vendors rent for R250 to the
municipality monthly to sell village chickens in
the Central Business District. A total of 100% of
village chicken vendors feed yellow maize grain
to village chickens daily in cages with 70%
buying and 30% planting their maize. Village
chickens in cages were housed for 24 hours
daily until one is sold to the customer, with the
flock size ranging from 10 to 20 chickens per
cage. Village chicken vendors only sourced
chickens from village chicken producers if
funds were available. Results indicated that a
cock costs an average of R100 and a hen is R70
depending on the breed. Village chicken
vendors sell village chickens in conjunction
with crop seeds, sweet potatoes and herbal
plants. They were interested in receiving
training in poultry management. Concerns about
how the government can provide a market for
village chickens were observed. Questions on
who to consult regarding village chickens were

populated predominantly in Durban compared
to Pietermaritzburg.

DISCUSSION

In the current study, the majority of village
chicken vendors were women compared to men.
This is in line with (Chawala, 2022), who
reported that the value chain of village chickens
is mainly dominated by women and is regarded
as a women's value chain. Similar results of
Oguttu (2015) indicated that the majority of
vendors of chickens are females between the
age of 25-50. On the other hand, it is proven that
in South Africa, village chickens play a
significant role socially, traditionally and
economically but this niche is underutilized and
poorly managed. Simbizi et al. (2022) stated
that village chickens were of benefit in South
Africa but the sector is underdeveloped. It is
evident in the study areas that village chicken
vendors depend on indigenous knowledge when
rearing village chickens. Gunya et al. (2020)
indicated that there is less or no information
available on village chicken production and
their contribution to South Africa. The vending
of village chickens in the Central Business



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21

District of the two largest cities is an indication
that there is a market for village chickens that
the policymakers do not recognize in KwaZulu-
Natal. In contrast, in the Eastern Cape, South
Africa, Gunya et al. (2020) showed that farmers
are not selling village chickens because there is
no market for these types of chickens.
Meanwhile, Assefa (2019) suggested that the
domestic market of village chickens through
sales of both chickens and eggs creates the
opportunity to generate income in Ethiopia.

In South Africa, the country faces challenges
such as high unemployment rate and low-skilled
communities. As shown in the study, the major
source of income of these farmers is vending
various commodities in the cities. Street vendors
have the potential to build a livelihood and
contribute to the economy (Hlengwa, 2016).
The findings demonstrated that individuals in
resource-poor communities resort to the vending
of village chickens for more than 30 years of
their lives as the main source of income. As
indicated by Reinecke and White (2004), street
vending is growing rapidly in developing
countries as a response to poverty. This concurs
with the current study that the purpose of
vending village chickens was for income
generation which were used in the homestead
for needs such as school fees, groceries and
transport. Musa (2022) argued that religion and
cultural practices are the other reasons for
rearing village chickens. At the same time,
village chickens are regarded as the primary
source of investment for both women and
children (Mujyambere et al., 2022). Idamokoro
and Hosu (2022) suggested that sales are the
only way to generate income through village
chickens.

The present study stated that there were no
extension services from the government and
other institutions to assist with scientific
knowledge on how to rear village chickens
correctly. Lee et al. (2022) revealed that gender
inequalities concerning less access to extension

services for women have been corrected. The
finding that most village chicken vendors
depend largely on indigenous knowledge to rear
and grow village chickens was expected because
formal information or scientific knowledge is
not available and accessible. Indigenous
knowledge is referred to as philosophies created
by societies with long histories of interaction
with their natural surroundings (Rogelj et al.,
2018).

The findings of the current study revealed a
strong connection between gender and age of
village chicken vendors, as women were shown
to be the most populated group in this market. In
Sub-Saharan Africa, over 70% of village
chicken owners are female and assisted mainly
by children and other women (Guèye, 2000). On
the other hand, the duration of selling village
chickens and the major source of income were
less connected since there were different ways
of creating income rather than selling chickens
such as vending other commodities. In
developing countries, street food vending has
become one of the sources of income (Mwangi
et al., 2002). Hence, the current study suggests
selling village chickens can be more significant
as a major source of income if correct measures
such as management and training were provided
to village chicken vendors.

The study found that village chicken vendors
were interested in selling uncooked and cooked
meat, but most preferred selling live chickens.
However, Manickavasagam (2018) indicated
that various products such as fruits, vegetables,
shoes, newspapers and magazines were also
sold by vendors. But regarding the current
study, vending of village chickens had its
challenges as cages, slaughtering rooms, stoves
to cook, load shedding and low demand for
these products. However, village chicken
vendors were open to the idea that assistance
could be provided.



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In the study, village chickens were accessible to
every population group but Africans and
Pakistanis living in South Africa were the
frequent consumers of this product. Africans use
village chickens primarily for cultural practices
and Pakistanis use them for consumption.
Unathi et al. (2017) argued that the demand and
consumption of village chickens in South Africa
is unknown. Village chicken vendors suggested
that village chickens were sold according to
breed and breeds in demand for cultural
purposes beneficial to the business. For
instance, Potchefstroom Koekoek (Impangela)
is essential for ancestral ceremonies while Black
Australorp (Ezimunyama) is used for traditional
cleansing. Most village chicken vendors made
high profits from these breeds and there was a
strong connection between breeds sold and
breeds in demand.

In the current study, village chicken vendors
were invested in selling village chickens and
interested in producing for themselves while
learning more about poultry. But queries and
worries such as seeking government assistance
were indicated. The biggest challenge was there
is no formal market and relevant stakeholders
are required in addressing issues and
interventions to formalise the existing market.
These challenges also include storage as village
chickens are stored and confined in cages. for
24 hours daily with a high stocking density.
This is a welfare issue as village chickens are
scavengers by nature they need to roam around
and look for feed resources. This indicates a
lack of relevant knowledge and a violation of
the five freedoms of animal husbandry but this
scientific knowledge is not available to
individuals in resource-poor communities. High
stocking density in a small cage for so many
hours results from a lack of knowledge.
Increasing stocking density can encroach on
chicken's freedom to express natural behaviour
(Tallentire et al., 2019). They must exercise
their natural behaviour like to roam around and
scavenge for feed. Village chickens obtain most

of their diet by scavenging for both food and
water (Gunya et al., 2020). Tenza et al. (2023)
suggested the development of programs
focusing on village chickens for livelihood
transformation and women empowerment in
resource-poor communities.

In the study, village chickens were provided
with maize once or twice per day depending on
the sales and profit because buying maize was a
challenge. The vendor complained about the
price and resorted to restricting feeding chickens
to avoid buying more frequently. Depending on
one nutrient source may affect the quality of the
meat as other nutrients were limited since
village chickens were caged for 24 hours.
Gondwe and Wollny (2007) showed that village
chickens scavenge naturally, and most farmers
used maize as a feed supplement.

The market price for chickens was discussed
among each other to avoid losing customers and
contradictions. Therefore, prices were uniform
but depended greatly on the size and type of
breed sold. However, no digital scale was
available to measure the size of the chicken, so
visual observations were used. This is in line
with Tilahun et al. (2022) who argued that the
price of village chickens was influenced by
body size and plumage. Similarly, village
chickens are considered a high-quality product
sold at a higher price (Selamat et al., 2022).
Other village chicken vendors sold both broilers
and village chickens, and the demand was the
same in the market. Broilers were significantly
added as substitutes if sales for village chickens
were low.

In the current study, the vendor's preference for
village chickens was due to low inputs such as
terms of feed, compared to broilers. This is
similar to Alam et al. (2020) who revealed that
village chickens are always preferred due to
their low production cost as they are reared
through scavenging of feed resources. Vending
chickens in conjunction with other indigenous



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23

herbal plants was significantly suggested for
income generation in case there were no chicken
sales. The study revealed the eagerness of
vendors to attend training on village chickens to
improve productivity and disease control,
improve knowledge, and expand the business.

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

The study concludes that village chicken
vendors use village chickens to sustain
livelihoods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Even though the market is populated by women
from youth, adults and old age. The market has
existed for over three decades and plays a role
for vulnerable groups in resource-poor settings.
Village chickens are mainly sold for cultural
practices as certain breeds are in demand
compared to others. The considerable challenge
is the lack of support from different
stakeholders to allow the informal market in the
main scream value chain as it benefits
individuals who lack skills, are unemployed and
suffer from hunger. It is recommended that
organizations are needed to offer training and
provide resources to grow the informal market
of village chickens that are located in big cities.
This has the potential for a more significant
impact and influence on policy. It is also
recommended to use underutilized products
such as village chickens in achieving the 2030
vision such as SDG 1 and 2, in resource-poor
communities as they lack skills and
opportunities.

Conflict of Interest

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

The study was conducted based on the standards
required by the Human Social Science Ethics
Committee of the University of KwaZulu-Natal
(HSSREC/00004846/2022).

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to acknowledge the
Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems
(SHEFS) program of the Welcome Trust's Our
Planet, Our Health program [Grant Number:
205200/Z/16/Z] and FoodBev SETA Bursary.

References

Alam M., Ullah M. O., Malik S. U. F. and Islam M. S.
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