CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 12/09/10

UGA receives grant to develop sustainable poultry production in Africa

By April Reese Sorrow

The University of Georgia has received more than $440,000 as part of a collaborative research, outreach and education program aimed at encouraging sustainable poultry production in the west African country of Mali.

This project is part of a research program at Colorado State University and funded by the United States Agency for International Development in Mali under a $5.25 million Poultry and Pastoralism Associate Award.

The three-year program will be led by faculty in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences departments of poultry science and agricultural and applied economics and the College of Veterinary Medicine pathology department. The program will be implemented in cooperation with the Mali Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, U.S. Agency for International Development Mission in Mali, the Malian Extension Service and faculty at Colorado State University.

“Research on improving poultry genetics, reproduction, nutrition, husbandry, disease prevention and marketing will especially impact women in rural areas who are the primary keepers of small flocks of chickens,” said Mike Lacy, head of the UGA poultry science department. “These women, along with their children, will directly benefit from increased income and improved nutrition.”

During the next three years, a small but expandable poultry hatchery will be built in Mali. Research on small-flock production will take place at this center, as will outreach, training and education on poultry husbandry and marketing. Additionally, the hatchery will serve the regional community by rearing and then supplying healthy baby chicks to farmers.

Ultimately, the center will be a model to help transfer poultry-rearing technology to producers, government agencies and development organizations while inspiring similar programs throughout the country and the region.

“UGA is recognized as having one of the premier poultry science and health programs in the world,” Lacy said. “The university has more than 30 [faculty members] with doctorates in various disciplines related to poultry science, health and production. UGA is actively engaged in research, education and extension related to poultry production in the U.S. as well as other countries.”

The Livestock-Climate Change CRSP was created in May 2010 through a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development awarded to Colorado State University’s Animal Population Health Institute and their Institute for Livestock and the Environment. The goal of the program is to pursue interdisciplinary research, education and outreach in semi-arid regions to better the lives and livelihoods of small-scale livestock producers by developing strategies to help them cope with the impacts of climate change. For more information, visit www.csucrsp.org.

April R. Sorrow is a science writer with the University of Georgia Public Affairs Office.

Authors:
April Reese Sorrow
Experts/Sources:
Michael P. Lacy
The focus of the research performed using the $440,000 UGA grant will be on improving poultry genetics, reproduction, nutrition, husbandry, disease prevention and marketing will especially impact women in rural areas, who are the primary keepers of small flocks of chickens according to Mike Lacy, head of the UGA poultry science department.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
The Research Awards Program is sponsored by the University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF). Awards are given annually to honor outstanding faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, and to recognize excellence in UGA research, scholarly creativity, technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. Award winners are selected by accomplished faculty peers who give their time and energy to help honor well-deserving researchers at UGA. CAES News
UGA to recognize groundbreaking achievements at 2024 Research Awards 04/02/24
As the spring semester starts winding down, the University of Georgia’s annual Honors Week marks a time to celebrate exceptional performance in the classroom, in the service arena and in research, as faculty and graduate students are recognized for their contributions to scientific discovery. Celebrating its 45th year, UGA’s Research Awards banquet and ceremony, set for April 4, will pay tribute to those who have made groundbreaking strides in their respective fields through research, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
The First Flock was established at the Georgia Governor's Mansion in July 2021. CAES News
Inaugural First Flock retires to 4-H center as 15 new hens move to Governor’s Mansion 03/18/24 Josie Smith, Lily Thomas
Georgia’s inaugural First Flock is retiring to Fortson 4-H Center almost three years after they came to roost at the Governor’s Mansion in 2021. Six members of the original flock traded places with 15 new hens during a ceremonial swap on Feb. 1 at the First Flock’s custom coop on the eastern side of the 18-acre mansion grounds in Atlanta. The idea for the project was hatched in 2020 when Georgia first lady Marty Kemp expressed her desire to include agricultural education via residential hens at the mansion.
Graduate student Moira Taber using a pipette to sample fluid in a laboratory biosafety cabinet. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
UGA continues R&D ascent with $571M in expenditures in FY23 02/20/24 David Mitchell
For the second consecutive year, the University of Georgia exceeded half a billion dollars in research and development expenditures. Its $570.9 million total in fiscal year 2023 represented another record high in R&D activity and marks the fifth consecutive year of growth for the university. Expenditures have increased, in fact, in all but one year since 2013. During that 10-year period, the university has seen an overall 63% increase in total R&D expenditures.
Exterior of the completed Poultry Science Building. CAES News
New UGA Poultry Science Building welcomes its first students 01/16/24 Jordan Powers
As students return to campus fresh from holiday break, one building is welcoming students for the very first time. Situated on University of Georgia’s South Campus, the 70,000-plus square-foot Poultry Science Building is the new home for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Poultry Science. The new building provides nearly double the space per student in each classroom, growing from roughly 17 square feet to 28 to 30 square feet per student.
Students walk from Conner Hall on Cedar Street in 1956. (Photo courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library/University of Georgia Libraries) CAES News
Putting the science in Ag Hill 01/02/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The face of Ag Hill is changing, with millions of dollars in capital improvements and new facilities in the works, and both the University of Georgia and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are committed to supporting the mission and the tradition the hill represents. Now known as Science and Ag Hill to recognize the location as a hub for a variety of related disciplines on South Campus — including agricultural, poultry and food sciences as well as chemistry, biology, physics, statistics, geography and geology — the area holds both academic and historic significance.
At Gwinnett County's Archer High School, juniors juniors Nick Spoto (left) and Jordan Leyva with one of the chickens, named Bentley by Leyva, they have helped raise as part of the AgSTEM program's chicken coop, which was built by students. CAES News
Bringing poultry science to public K-12 classrooms 12/21/23 Maria M. Lameiras
Poultry has grown to become the top commodity in Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agriculture. Acquainting school-aged students with potential career paths in avian science is critical to staffing the state's poultry sector. Building on the foundation set by Avian Academy, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences worked with the Georgia Department of Education to create middle- and high-school poultry science curricula.