title: Enhancing knowledge and awareness of biosecurity practices for control of African swine fever among smallholder pig farmers in four districts along the Kenya-Uganda border.
abstract: A study was undertaken along the Kenya-Uganda border in four districts of Tororo and Busia (Uganda) and Busia and Teso (Kenya) to understand smallholder farmers' knowledge, practices and awareness of biosecurity measures. Information was collected by administering questionnaires to 645 randomly selected pig households in the study area. In addition, focus group discussions were carried out in 12 villages involving 248 people using a standardized list of questions. The outcome suggested that there was a very low level of awareness of biosecurity practices amongst smallholder farmers. We conclude that adoption of specific biosecurity practices by smallholder farmers is feasible but requires institutional support. There is a clear requirement for government authorities to sensitize farmers using approaches that allow active participation of farmers in the design, planning and implementation of biosecurity practices to enable enhanced adoption.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, Entebbe, Uganda. noelinanantima@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Noelina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nantima
authors.affiliation: The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Jocelyn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dione
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ocaido
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Okoth
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mugisha
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bishop
mesh_terms: D000357:African Swine Fever / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001290:Attitude; D000067565:Farmers; D017144:Focus Groups; D005843:Geography; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D007630:Kenya; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013552:Swine; D014454:Uganda
keywords: African swine fever; Biosecurity; Kenya; Pigs; Smallholder systems; Uganda