Pakistan's Backyard Poultry Farming Initiative: Impact Analysis from a Public Health Perspective

Commercial poultry rearing in Pakistan dates back to the 1960s. Meanwhile, backyard poultry setups have been providing meat and eggs for human consumption and supplementing the livelihood of farmers in many rural setups for ages. Different poultry rearing practices have varied approaches to feed supplementation, administration, biosafety practices, and flock size. All are important factors affecting disease spread and vulnerability. Recently, the Pakistani government announced the prime minister's Backyard Poultry Initiative under the National Agricultural Emergency program to economically develop farmers, especially women. Widespread adoption of this scheme with little to no training of inexperienced farmers may lead to the emergence of zoonotic infections in the population. The focus of the current review is to examine the probable impact of the promotion of backyard poultry farming practices by the government on the spread of zoonotic illnesses, both in the farmers and consumer population.