Her research project will strengthen the participation of women, youth and marginalized groups in the chicken value chain in lower eastern Kenya, promoting them beyond smallholder backyard farming with eco-friendly practices. More than 70% of Kenyans living in rural areas are supported by agriculture, and smallholder poultry farming is abundant, with most households keeping chickens for domestic consumption. Despite its importance, chicken farmers - who are largely women - face challenges such as high cost of inputs, limited access to high-value markets, climate variations, and lack of bargaining power. This project aims to help farmers address these challenges through novel initiatives like establishing eco-friendly black soldier fly (BSF) production units, developing homebased chicken feed formulations, implementing dam liner multi-story gardens, and introducing technologies to extend the shelf lives of larvae, eggs, chicken meat, fertilizer and vegetables. This will increase productivity and enhance the livelihoods of the smallholder female, youth and vulnerable chicken farmers.