Smallholder poultry production (i.e. family poultry) is an appropriate system that makes the best use of locally available resources. Family flocks are important providers of eggs and meat as well as being valued in religious and cultural life. There are three production systems for family poultry - free range, backyard and small-scale intensive with productivity of 20 - 60, 30 - 100 and 80 - 150 eggs/hen/year, respectively. Body weight of 1.2 kg and 800 g are obtained at 32 weeks for normal size and dwarf breeds of local chickens in the free-range system. Newcastle disease is the most important health problem while breeding, feeding and marketing are equally important problems. A co-ordinated programme involving breeding, feed, health management is suggested for the development of family poultry production. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is strongly committed to family poultry development and, through the International Network on Family Poultry Development (INFPD), can co-ordinate family poultry development activities in the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS).