The University of Ghana is launching new research this month to develop chickens resistant to Newcastle disease and heat stress, with the aim of helping small-scale poultry producers increase production, earn more income
and build food security. The programme is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Feed the Future programme, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. It is being implemented by the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in partnership with the University of Ghana and is entitled “Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve Poulty”.
The goal of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve Poultry, is to dramatically increase chicken production among Africa’s rural households and small farms. This research effort will improve food security, human nutrition and personal livelihoods. The programme, which is a multi-partner collaboration among teams of scientists from the United States, Ghana and Tanzania, started in 2014. The research phase in Ghana was launched in March of this year.
Locally, the University of Ghana is implementing this innovative programme to identify genes crucial for breeding chickens resistant to the devastating Newcastle disease and tolerant of hot climates.
Newcastle disease, common in Ghana and across much of Africa, is a highly contagious disease afflicting poultry, often devastating chicken flocks and posing a threat to global food security.
"Newcastle disease is the number one disease limiting poultry production in Africa. Because of challenges encountered in the control of the disease in free-ranging poultry, developing chickens that are naturally resistant to this disease is critical to increasing poultry meat and egg production, that will have a dramatic impact on the livelihoods of poor rural communities in Africa and other regions of the world", said Professor K.G. Aning, a co-investigator.
“We are applying advanced genomic techniques along with traditional genetic selection and breeding to achieve disease resistance,” said Professor Boniface Kayang at the Department of Animal Science of the University of Ghana and the Principal Investigator of the programme. “This is an opportune time to solve a global problem and improve food security, especially in poor developing countries,” he added.
"Genetic resistance through selective breeding is an under-exploited but low-cost opportunity for disease control especially in low-input poultry production systems,” Professor Kayang said.
"The USAID-funded project is particularly important for Africa, where infectious diseases kill approximately 750 million chickens and other poultry annually. In Ghana, rural scavenging chickens constitute about 80% of the poultry population," Professor Aning explained.
The Ghana team is led by the Principal Investigator Professor Boniface Kayang of the Department of Animal Science, University of Ghana, in collaboration with Professor K.G. Aning, of the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ghana, and Dr. Augustine Naazie, a Senior Research Scientist at the Livestock and Poultry Research Centre at the University of Ghana.
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve Poultry is one of 24 Feed the Future Innovation Labs, a unique network supported by over 70 top U.S. colleges and universities along with many partner country research and educational institutions. Through the Innovation Labs, Feed the Future pairs American ingenuity and expertise with some of the best and brightest minds around the globe.
About University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is the premier as well as the largest university in Ghana with a vision to become a world class research-intensive University. The Department of Animal Science, the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Livestock and Poultry Research Centre which are the units within the University of Ghana collaborating on the Feed the Future programme, are all engaged in teaching and research in various aspects of livestock production and health. For further information, visit www.ug.edu.gh; www.ug.edu.gh/animalscience; svm.ug.edu.gh.
About USAID
USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. Since 1957, USAID has supported Ghana in increasing food security, improving basic health care, enhancing access to quality basic education, and strengthening local governance to benefit all Ghanaian people.
About Feed the Future
Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth and trade that increase incomes and reduce hunger, poverty and under nutrition. For more information, visit www.feedthefuture.gov.
Stella A. Amoa
Director of Public Affairs
Media contacts:
Prof. Boniface B. Kayang, Principal Investigator, Department of Animal Science, University of Ghana, 0244066442, bbkayang@ug.edu.gh
Prof. K.G. Aning, Co-Investigator, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ghana, 0244641352, kganing@ug.edu.gh
Dr. Augustine Naazie, Co-Investigator, Livestock and Poultry Research Centre, University of Ghana, 0208127205, anaazie@ug.edu.gh
