Advancing Sustainable Chicken Production in the Dominican Republic

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Banelino is an organic banana association located in the province of Montecristi in the Dominican Republic, very close to the border with Haiti. It was founded in 1996 and is made up of more than 335 smallholder farmers who own an average of three hectares. They recently developed a sustainable chicken production inside of their banana fields to promote biodiversity and diversify farmer incomes. In August 2020 they requested a F2F volunteer to help them design a logistical plan to transport the live birds from the farms to be slaughtered and processed, and for the chicken meat to be delivered to consumers. 

The chosen remote volunteer for this assignment was Dr. Jacqueline Jacob. She has a BSc in Poultry Management, an MSc in the sudden death syndrome in male broiler chickens and a PhD in poultry diets. She has widespread experience in poultry extension in the broiler and egg industries, youth, small flock, and alternative poultry production enterprises (including organic production). She is currently an Extension Project Manager in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences of the University of Kentucky. 


Between August and November, Dr. Jacob met virtually with staff from Banelino approximately 12 times. She trained them in the different processing steps, helped them to evaluate their product development, and assisted them when designing their entire supply chain. Dr. Jacob trained Banelino on how to properly kill the chickens, taking into account innocuity and quality controls. The volunteer and the host organization also exchanged information through email, relevant websites, and YouTube videos. 

At the end of the assignment, Dr. Jacob had created a comprehensive logistics plan for Banelino’s chicken production and presented a recommended design for the chicken slaughterhouse facilities. She also provided them with a list of the necessary equipment they needed to purchase for the processing facility, with their comparative prices. Thanks to Dr. Jacob’s hard work, Banelino is now better prepared to transport, process, and sell their poultry. This will give Banelino farmers a treasured opportunity to diversify their incomes while protecting the biodiversity of their banana farms.

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