Most people cannot fathom how important a small flock of chickens can be to a household in a resource poor community. Livestock are integral to the health and incomes of the poor worldwide. Chickens, mostly owned and managed by the most vulnerable – women and children, are particularly important family assets that provide meat and eggs important for the nutrition of the whole family, can be bartered or sold to provide additional income particularly in hard times and are often used to fulfil social obligations. In addition, they provide soil enriching manure, are active in pest control and are used in many traditional ceremonies and treatments.

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the major constraints to the health of these flocks and subsequently impacts food security across Africa and Asia. Outbreaks of the disease occur frequently and often kill 50 to 100 percent of the standing flock in an area. Australian Aid money made available through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) since 1984 has meant that this situation can be prevented through practical vaccination implementation and improved poultry husbandry knowledge and practice.

The culture and environment of village chicken production is often not conducive to or supportive of vaccination. Women owners are more often than not overworked with several household activities, undereducated and neglected by government agencies that focus their animal health extension activities on large livestock that are usually the domain of men and wealthier community members. Another issue is the lack of a reliable cold chain to keep vaccines viable and the fact that commercially imported and packaged vaccines are often too expensive and in too large amounts to make their dissemination and uptake in these areas realistic.