Keggfarms was invited as a speaker at XLRI, Jamshedpur for their 5th Annual National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship. The Kuroiler Model was shared with social sector practitioners, academicians, policy makers and students. It received a very encouraging response and village poultry is increasingly being looked at as a viable model for inclusive growth.

The business of hatching could turn the fortunes around for the rural women in India. The success of Keggfarms - a poultry chain has shown: both the business model and the unique supply chain module of the firm, deserve replication in the country, reports Madvendra Singh Chauhan in the January 2013 issue of Rural Marketing. To know more, please click here

Dedicated to Late Sitaram Rao, the Case Study Competition seeks to compile best practices, breakthroughs on the ground and sectoral innovations and efforts that have helped the poor to move from substinence to sustainable levels of livelihoods. These case studies are envisaged to inform and influence current and potential plans and programmes in livelihoods promotion.

Keggfarms Case Study titled "Leveraging Traditional Rural Practices and Existing Capabilities to Enhance Livelihoods" has been adjudged among the top three submissions received.

Keggfarms KUROILER Case Study has been adjudged as one of the best submissions received as part of the Sitaram Rao Livelihoods India Case Study Competition 2012.

Keggfarms Pvt Limited has been shortlisted to proceed to the second round of the TOI Social Impact Awards 2012.

Keggfarms' KUROILER Case Study has been selected among the top 11 livelihoods case studies across India at the Sitarm Rao Livelihoods Case Study Competition 2012, organised by ACCESS Development Services. There were a total of 70 shortlisted case studies in the competition this year.

Mr Vinod Kapur, Chairman Keggfarms Pvt Ltd was recently invited as a key panelist at the inaugural session of the National Rural Development Summit held by CII in New Delhi.

Kuroiler, the unique dual-purpose bird which serves equally well for meat and as an egg layer, has now spread its wings into Africa. The pioneering efforts of the Gurgaon-based geneticists' team of Keggfarms now validate on an international forum what Keggfarms has been delivering at the National level for a while now - that Kuroiler is a high yielding village specific poultry stock capable of surviving in harsh, village conditions on no cost agricultural, natural and village waste. In the process, it becomes one of the most important and potent tools in the hands of millions of Below Poverty Line (BPL) villagers who need to be economically and socially empowered and address the food security issue in the same instance. As Keggfarms' Chairman and visionary behind the Kuroiler story, Mr Vinod Kapur says, "A Kuroiler is a money bag on two feet!" Unlike larger livestock such as cattle or even goats, the Kuroiler chicken can be easily disposed of in the market as a meat bird when emergency funds are needed or, its eggs sold - once the family's (rearing it) needs are met.

And today, what began - almost a year ago, as a small experiment by the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University along with Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Uganda, has blossomed into a pan-African celebration with Kuroiler being launched formally at a two-day conference in Entebbe on 8 November instant. Keggfarms had at the behest of the Biodesign Institute, supplied 10,000 Kuroiler chicks in December 2010 with the objective of comparing their performance with that of the indigenous backyard chickens. Distributed to about 100 families spread over 5 districts, the Kuroiler's performance was monitored closely for survival; weight gain, egg production and acceptance by the local farmers. The results took over 6 months to arrive but they were well worth the wait.

In terms of hatchability, the Kuroiler registered 80% as compared to 47% of the local bird. The fertility was at 89% while the local bird registered 68%. On the count of survival the Kuroiler managed as well as the indigenous chick and in 25 weeks, the body weight gain of Kuroiler was twice as much as the local bird. Not only that, Kuroiler's egg production was three times that of the indigenous bird and best of all, it was accepted all round by the farmers as a better performing, high yielding and hardier bird, which could thrive in different agro-climatic zones and protect itself from predators. Thus, the expected outcome in future is rated as: 133% increase in meat production; 462% increase in egg production leading to a whopping 341% increase in incomes!

The story honestly, gets better. Following the overwhelming response of the Ugandan government to import Kuroiler stocks from Keggfarms India, UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) offered to assist in production of the Conference proceedings through editorial assistance and printing which will subsequently be distributed internationally and archived on-line.

For the Kuroiler, the long haul is finally commensurate with the patience and efforts of the Keggfarms team that brought it into existence. It can only fly higher now.

Recent events indicate that the potential of Kuroilers has also found an echo in Africa. Some months ago at the initiative of the Bio-Design Institute, Arizona State University, the Govt. of Uganda had received a batch of Kuroiler Hatching Eggs. Not only did the Kuroiler Hatching Eggs provide a superior hatchability than the existing village stocks but in the tests being conducted by Arizona State University and the Govt. of Uganda, there are indications that Kuroiler stocks are outperforming the local village birds, which would greatly benefit the rural poor.

Most recently, Keggfarms were approached by Flow Equity, a U.S. based Fund, to introduce Kuroilers in Ethiopia. This initiative is being managed by 3 young U.S. citizens, who find themselves driven to work for upliftment of social conditions of the African poor in Ethiopia. Following the visit of Mr. Trent Koutsoubos, who is a Director of Flow Equity, we have sent out the first shipment of 16,000 Kuroiler day old chicks and 4000 Kuroiler Hatching Eggs to Ethiopia on 2nd December 2010. This represents a momentous and a hugely gratifying development, for in the larger sense it represents the potential of an Indian mindset, an Indian approach and an Indian product to play a significant role in the upliftment of the poor in Africa. Flow Equity has advised us that it is their intention to ramp up the activity to import 100,000 Kuroiler chicks per month within the next few months.

In view of the importance of this development the Hon'ble Minister for Corporate Affairs and Minorities, Mr Salman Khursheed flagged off the first consignment to Ethiopia from Keggfarms, Gurgaon on 2nd December 2010.

A quote from the Hon'ble Minister's address was "On my recent visit to Ethiopia I was talking to our Ambassador on the subject of our country's participation in rural development programs of Ethiopia and I will speak to him again and tell him that we now have 16,000 more ambassadors from India to aid in this effort."

A new hatchery was set up in Anand in Gujarat and will be able to provide Kuroilers in adjoining areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Servicing these markets was difficult, due to long distance transportation of day old chicks from existing hatcheries. This is part of our ongoing efforts to provide fresh Kuroiler DOCs to rural beneficiaries.

The latest effort to service rural Chhattisgarh is a brand new hatchery in Raipur. With a capacity of over 1.5 Lakh DOCs per month, the backward districts in Chhattisgarh will have access to fresh stocks throughout the year