Acta Tropica 126 (2013) 43–53 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Acta Tropica journa l h o me pa g e: www.elsevier.com/locate/actatropica Practices associated with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza spread in traditional poultry marketing chains: Social and economic perspectives Mathilde Paul a,b,c,* , Virginie Baritaux d , Sirichai Wongnarkpet e , Chaithep Poolkhet e , Weerapong Thanapongtharm f , Franc ¸ ois Roger a , Pascal Bonnet g , Christian Ducrot b a UR AGIRs, Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), TA C22/E, Campus international de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier cedex 5, France b UR 346 Epidémiologie animale, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRA), 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France c Laboratoire Espace, Santé, Territoire, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre la Défense, 200 avenue de la République, 92000 Nanterre, France d Clermont Université, VetAgro Sup, BP 10448, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France e Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Public Health, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Chatuchak, 10900 Bangkok, Thailand f Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, 69/1 Phaya Thai Road, Rachathewi, 10400 Bangkok, Thailand g UMR SELMET, Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), TA C-112/A, Campus international de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier cedex 5, France a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 9 October 2012 Received in revised form 10 January 2013 Accepted 12 January 2013 Available online xxx Keywords: Small-scale farming H5N1 Animal health policies Supply chain Disease perception Epidemiology a b s t r a c t In developing countries, smallholder poultry production contributes to food security and poverty allevia- tion in rural areas. However, traditional poultry marketing chains have been threatened by the epidemics caused by the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) virus. The article presents a value chain analysis conducted on the traditional poultry marketing chain in the rural province of Phitsanulok, Thailand. The analysis is based on quantitative data collected on 470 back- yard chicken farms, and on qualitative data collected on 28 poultry collectors, slaughterhouses and market retailers, using semi-structured interviews. The article examines the organization of poultry marketing chains in time and space, and shows how this may contribute to the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in the small-scale poultry sector. The article also discusses the practices and strategies developed by value chain actors facing poultry mortality, with their economic and social determinants. More broadly, this study also illustrates how value chain analysis can contribute to a better understanding of the complex mechanisms associated with the spread of epidemics in rural communities. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In developing countries, smallholder poultry production is practised by a large number of rural households and traditional marketing chains constitute an important channel for supplying meat to urban centres (Kryger et al., 2010). Indigenous chickens produced by small independent farmers are consumed locally, either by the household which raised them or by consumers who purchase them through local marketing channels. Independent local collectors act as intermediaries, buying live chickens from poultry farmers and selling them to traditional small slaughter- houses (Fig. 1). Native chickens may be sold alive to final consumers in ‘live bird markets’, in countries such as Cambodia or Vietnam (Fournié et al., 2012a), or can be sold by retailers as whole carcasses * Corresponding author. Permanent address: Ecole Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 chemin des Capelles, BP87614, 31076 Toulouse Cedex 03, France. Tel.: +33 0 5 61 19 38 00; fax: +33 0 5 61 19 39 93. E-mail address: m.paul@envt.fr (M. Paul). on traditional fresh food markets as in Thailand. Traditional food markets are also called ‘wet markets’ in Asia, in reference to the floor which is constantly wet from the spraying of vegetables and cleaning of meat and fish (Zhang and Pan, 2013). Traditional poultry value chain encompasses the full range of stakeholders, activities, networks and linkages that are required to bring meat of native chickens from production to final consumers (FAO, 2011). The epidemic of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in Asia has prompted new efforts to assess the importance of the small-scale poultry sector and address gaps in what is known about traditional poultry marketing chains (FAO, 2011). Research to date suggests that the spread of HPAI H5N1 is influenced primarily by human activities related to poultry trading (Fournié et al., 2012a). Commercial movements of live poultry may facilitate transmission of HPAI H5N1 virus through direct contact between infected and susceptible birds (e.g. when purchased live chickens are introduced in a flock). Indirect dissemination of HPAI H5N1 along poultry trade networks may also be enhanced through movements of fomites including people, feed, egg crates, poultry manure, equipment, or vehicles contaminated with muds or faeces. A particularly critical 0001-706X/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.01.008