Effect of extensive live pig production system on revenue generated by small holder piggery farmers in Bulindi Parish, Hoima District

Abstract

The pig sub-sector has recently gained prominence as a sector with potential to significantly improve the incomes of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. There are three systems of pig production namely the intensive, semi-intensive and extensive systems. The extensive live pig production system in Uganda is characterized by low input costs and low output. The system involves tethering (where pigs are tied on a rope to restrict their movement), or keeping pigs on free range scavenging for food around the homestead, village or garbage collection centers. The system is common in rural areas where land holdings are still big (Ouma et al, 2014). Despite the constraints presented by the extensive live pig production system, it is still highly practiced and could have a significant effect on revenues of the rural smallholder farmers. The overall purpose of the study was; to understand the linkage between extensive pig production system and revenue generated by pig farmers in Bulindi Parish. Specifically, the study aimed at characterizing pig farmers in Bulindi Parish based on their socio-economic and production characteristics, assessing the different pig production systems used by piggery farmers in Bulindi Parish, and determining the effect of extensive production system on pig farmers’ revenue. Descriptive statistics and log linear regression model were used in the analysis. Results show that using the extensive pig production system has a positive and significant relationship with the revenues from live pig production in Bulindi Parish. The distance to the nearest market and disease occurrence are significant and negatively affect the revenue. Therefore, measures to improve the extensive live pig production system in Bulindi Parish should be put in place since results show that most of the farmers (81.1%) use the extensive system and it has a positive impact on the revenues of farmers.