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. 2025 Apr 22;57(4):181.
doi: 10.1007/s11250-025-04427-2.

Socio-economic and production dynamics of Guinea fowl farming in Northern Ghana: insights into health management, challenges, and climate change impacts

Nasir Abdallah  1 , Oyebamiji A Oluwaseun  2
Affiliations

Socio-economic and production dynamics of Guinea fowl farming in Northern Ghana: insights into health management, challenges, and climate change impacts

Nasir Abdallah et al. Trop Anim Health Prod. .

Abstract

Guinea fowl farming is vital to the livelihoods of rural communities in northern Ghana, yet its socio-economic and production dynamics remain underexplored, especially concerning health management and climate change. This study bridges this gap by investigating the socio-economic profiles, production practices, and health challenges of guinea fowl farmers in three towns in northern Ghana. A total of 137 farmers participated in structured interviews, with data analyzed using one-way and two-way ANOVA tests in SPSS version 21. The results highlighted variations in farmer demographics, with most being married, involved in crop farming, and having non-formal education. Guinea fowl production served for both sale and home consumption, with adult birds, keets, and young birds priced at > 69, 9-10, and 18-30 Cedis, respectively, while fertile and table eggs cost 4-4.5 Cedis. Flock sizes ranged from 10-60, predominantly of the Lavender breed. Farmers favored semi-intensive systems with traditional poultry shelters, supplemented feed, and pond or river serving as water sources. Disease symptoms, such as wing drooping, and high mortality rates were major challenges, with climate change exacerbating disease prevalence and management costs. These findings highlight the need for enhanced disease management, climate-resilient practices, and targeted interventions to ensure sustainable guinea fowl production and improved livelihoods.

Keywords: Climate change; Ghana; Guinea fowl; Health; Marketing; Production.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Statement of human and animal rights: This study did not collect any confidential or private information of the farmers. An informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of Ghana showing the study area (Tolon and Tamale districts) and neighboring communities and districts (Source; Helegbe et al. 2018)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
MCA mapping of the socioeconomic characteristics of the study area. Source Author’s analysis from Survey data 2024
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Variable MCA Plot Source (Survey 2024)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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