Perceived Prospects of Small-Scale Commercial Broiler Farming and Their Determinants in Gazipur, Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Farmer Survey

Abstract

Small scale commercial broiler (SSCB) farming is playing a significant role in the generation of household income, employment and provide low-cost supply of animal protein in Bangladesh. In addition to biological productivity and profitability, small-scale commercial broiler farms rely on the confidence of farmers in their production, markets, environmental management and disease control to sustain their future. This study evaluated farmers' perceived prospects of small-scale commercial broiler farming and identified the farm and farmers’ characteristics related to that. The study was based on cross sectional survey method and the study's population consisted of small-scale commercial broiler farmers of Kapasia and Sreepur upazillas. For perceived prospects items were used on a Likert scale for production, marketing, environment and health and disease. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression were used. Results: Overall, farmers' perceived prospects were moderate with most farmers reporting a medium prospect level. Environmental prospects were perceived as the highest followed by marketing, production and health and diseases. The regression was statistically significant and accounted for a significant amount of variance in the scores of the prospects. The prospect score was positively correlated with the education, training, contact with extension, market access and knowledge of farming. The factors positively correlated with the prospect score were education, training, contact with extension, market access and knowledge of farming, the latter with a borderline significance. Neither experience nor size of the farm was considered significant by itself. Summary: Farmers viewed positive yet non-omnipresent opportunities. The link between confidence and human capital, biosecurity, extension and market access was stronger than the link with production scale. Policies should thus include integrated competency building, easily available veterinary extension resources on the ground biosecurity assistance, market information and collective marketing mechanisms.

J Bangladesh Agril Univ 24(3): 355–365, 2026