Lessons learnt from the Uganda smallholder pigs value chains

2014

CGIAR is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. The CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish aims to increase the productivity of small-scale livestock and fish systems in sustainable ways, making meat, milk and fish more available and affordable across the developing world. The Program brings together four CGIAR Centers: the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) with a mandate on livestock; WorldFish with a mandate on aquaculture; the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), which works on forages; and the International Center for Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), which works on small ruminants. http://livestockfish.cgiar.org

The assessment of the performance of the pig health delivery services is essential in order to determine constraints and opportunites for intervention along the value chain. Questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were administered to drug stockists, paraveterinarians and veterinary officers in three districts of Uganda in order to assess the pig health delivery and the disease surveillance systems. The results show that most of the service providers are para-veterinarians who act in a poorly-organized system, characterized by poor implementation of quality assurance of the products. The main constraints are related to lack of professional animal health workers, poor drug handling and administration, high transaction costs of drugs and services and poor transport means related to bad road status and high cost of fuel. As a result of these, smallholder farmers face low productivity and high pig mortality due to low effectiveness of treatments coupled with weak biosecurity measures...

Transboundary animal diseases (TADs) are a major threat to livestock keepers affecting growth and productivity. This study was therefore conducted specifically to: characterise agro-pastoralists in Ntungamo and Rakai districts; evaluate the farm level benefits and costs associated with the control of TADs; and determine the factors influencing farmers' willingness to pay for TADs control. A sample of 176 farmers from Rakai and Ntungamo districts was used to generate responses. Data were collected using pretested questionnaires and analysed using EXCEL, SPSS and STATA software. Analytical tools used included descriptive statistics, Cost Benefit Analysis and the Logit model. The study revealed that 61% of the farmers were willing to pay for TADs control. Spraying and vaccination were the most commonly used methods of TADs control costing UGX 8,867 and UGX 500 per animal per year respectively. Total annual avoided losses per animal were 64% higher if TADs were controlled than if they were not controlled. The Benefits of TADS Control outweighed Costs with BC ratio of 1.4. Training in disease control, farmer's annual income, herd size and household size were key factors influencing farmers' willingness to pay. Richer farmers had a higher probability of paying for TADs control compared to low income farmers. In order to ensure effective TADs control, Vaccination should be provided at a lower cost to encourage farmers' willingness to pay for TADs control. Farmers need to be trained in disease control and sensitized on the importance of their payment towards TADs control as this boosts their incomes & livelihoods.

Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022

African swine fever (ASF) is endemic in Uganda and considered a major constraint to pig production. In the absence of a vaccine, biosecurity is key for ASF prevention and control. To improve prevention and control on farm and community level there is need for more knowledge on current application of biosecurity practises, and better understanding of how pig value chain actors perceive prevention and control. To achieve this, a qualitative interview study involving focus group discussions (FGD) was conducted with actors from the smallholder pig value chain in northern Uganda. Six villages were purposively selected based on previous outbreaks of ASF, preliminary perceived willingness to control ASF, and the representation of several different value chain actors in the village. Results indicated that biosecurity practises such as basic hygiene routines including safe carcass handling, minimising direct and indirect contacts between pigs or between pigs and people, trade restrictions an...

Uganda has the largest pig industry in eastern Africa, with majority of farmers still smallholders. African swine fever (ASF) is arguably one of the major constraints in the region, where it is considered endemic. Although the sylvatic cycle exists here, the pig-pig cycle of transmission is more important. The pig value chain is one critical area where there is need for study of the role it plays in the spread of ASF. In this study, different practices and their association with the transmission of ASF within and between farms were investigated on 101 pig farms in Uganda. Practices by 30 traders in pigs and pig products (slaughter slab, pork butchery and roasted pork restaurant operators) were investigated in the districts of Kabarole, Mityana, Moyo, Mukono, Soroti, and Tororo. Key informant interviews with the District Veterinary Officers (DVOs) about pig trade, pig slaughter infrastructure, ASF status and its management in the districts were conducted as well between May-November 2011. Questionnaires were administered to both pig farmers and the traders. Twenty six percent of the farmers reported having had the disease on the farm in the last one year. Although none of the risk factors was statistically significant for ASF outbreaks, results demonstrated presence of potential risk factors for ASF on the farms and the rest of the pig value chain.

The objective of this study was to determine the financial efficiency of health and pig management education intervention in reducing the incidence rate of porcine cysticercosis to smallholder pig farmers in Mbulu District, northern Tanzania. We used investment appraisal analytical method (a simple form of cost-benefit analysis) in an Excel ® spreadsheet model. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted to identify the effects of uncertainty on costs and benefits as well as disease incidence rate. Over a period of 5 years, the health and pig management education intervention would have a significant financial benefit to the smallholder pig farmers in Mbulu District [NPV: US $3507 (95% CI: 3421 to 3591); IRR: 370%]. The sensitivity analysis showed that the health education intervention would remain financially efficient regardless of plausible changes in costs and benefits in the pig production, as well as plausible changes in the incidence rate of porcine cysticercosis. It is recommended that smallholder pig farmers in Mbulu District be educated on how to control porcine cysticercosis in order to improve their economic well being.

African Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2020

Background: The demand for pork is increasing in Africa with the increasing need for animal protein in the household diets. But pork safety and quality remains a pervasive concern that needs intervention to assure consumers of protection from Porcine Cysticercosis (PC) contamination. This study assessed among farmers, butcher-owners and consumers in Western Kenya about their awareness, attitudes and perceptions about safety practices regarding risk of PC. Materials and Methods: Data were obtained using structured questionnaires in cross-sectional survey interviews with 162 farmers, 26 butcher-owners and 92 consumers from Busia and Kakamega Counties. The data were in binary response, so were analyzed with Chi - square test. Results: Only two in ten farmers had knowledge of Taenia solium parasite (24.1%), risk factors in PC transmission (21.6%) and could associate pig management system with PC (17.3%). A larger proportion (p<0.01) of the butcher owners perceived pork from slaughter...

Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2017

In many countries of the developing world village poultry play a vital role in the rural economy, providing a source of protein and valuable income with relatively small investments. In almost all areas in which village poultry are raised Newcastle disease (ND) is identified as one of the biggest causes of poultry loss, this is often coupled with a lack of knowledge of poultry management practices. Inexpensive and effective vaccines are available that are suitable for use in rural village environments, but in many areas service providers and reliable structures for delivery remain an obstacle to uptake of vaccines. To overcome this, GALVmed has implemented a network for vaccine distribution in which individuals in the villages are trained as vaccinators. The vaccinators purchase ND vaccines from local agro-veterinary stores and sell single doses at market determined prices. Implementation of these networks was preceded by a programme of smallholder sensitisation to increase awareness of diseases and flock management practices. Here we present analysis of the impacts of this scheme on village poultry production. We compare the results of a baseline survey carried out before implementation of the networks, with the results of a survey 16-24 months following implementation. We present results in terms of the uptake of ND vaccine, flock size, consumption of poultry meat, and poultry sales from Gairo district in Tanzania, Mayurbhanj district in India and Banke district in Nepal. In all areas, there was a significant increase in the numbers of flocks that were using ND vaccines, with over 75% uptake in all areas, reaching 98% in India. In all areas flock sizes doubled, the numbers of eggs that were set for hatching and that hatched increased by 25-50% and there was an increase in the frequency with which chicken meat was consumed and chickens were sold. Additionally, farmers reported fewer ND outbreaks, but this is prone to reporting bias and so improvements in production cannot be categorically ascribed to ND vaccination. These results have shown that establishing a market driven approach for the distribution of ND vaccines and community sensitisation on poultry husbandry practices results in a high rate of uptake of the vaccines. The results also suggest a reduction in the number of ND outbreaks and improvements to the livelihoods of rural smallholders.

2017

African swine fever (ASF) is an important health challenge facing the Ugandan pig sector, causing significant economic losses. While effective control and treatment of ASF are unavailable due to the absence of effective treatment or vaccination, its impact can be minimized through the adoption of biosecurity measures designed to prevent the entry and spread of the disease on farms. In collaboration with the

Bulletin of the National Research Centre, 2021

Background Porcine cysticercosis, human cysticercosis, neurocysticercosis, and epilepsy pose a serious public health risk and lead to economic losses to the small-scale pig farmers in Tanzania’s rural areas. It also resulted in lowering the pig’s prices, high treatment expenses, lower labour productivity, and social discrimination. In Tanzania, small-scale pig producers are unaware of the methods that are used to manage and prevent the diseases associated with Taenia solium. Main body The main goal of the reviewed article was to investigate the socio-economic and health costs of porcine/human cysticercosis, neurocysticercosis, and epilepsy on small-scale pig producers in Tanzania. Several search engines yielded 80 peer-reviewed publications, 44 of which were considered to be relevant to the study. Taenia solium cysticercosis has been reported to cause huge financial losses in the management of pigs posing a burden in terms of vaccination and treatment. Conclusion The information on ...