Production constraints of smallholder pig farms in agro-ecological zones of Mpumalanga, South Africa.
South African pig sector is a contributor to the agricultural industry. A study was conducted to identify the production constraints and compare the management practices in smallholder pig farms in Mpumalanga, South Africa. A total of 220 selected smallholder pig farmers were interviewed. Smallholder pig farming was predominated by male (64 %), age above 50 years (54 %), black Africans (98.6 %), and three quarters of the smallholder farmers were poor to just below average. Majority (80 %) have no pig husbandry training, while only 33 % received assistance from government's Agricultural Department. In terms of stock, mixed breeds (89 %) from exotic pigs were mostly kept and majority (87 %) of the farmers kept ≤10 sows in their herds. Many farmers (75 %) engaged in risky behavior of buying auctioned-sourced boars, free-range boars, and untested boars from neighbors and relatives. Few (17 %) farmers practiced vaccination and only 10 % kept farm records. Majority of the responses on pre-weaning mortality (50 %) and post-weaning mortality (90 %) were within acceptable range of 1-10 and 1-5 % mortality rates, respectively. The lead causes of mortality were weak piglets and crushing (46 %), diarrhea (27 %), poor management knowledge (19 %), and malnutrition (16 %). Agricultural training and government incentives will facilitate improved productivity in smallholder pig farming.
Nooitgedacht Research Station, Animal Research, Non-ruminant Sub-directorate, Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Administration and Environmental Affairs, Nooitgedacht, South Africa.|Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
Priscilla
P
Munzhelele
Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
James
J
Oguttu
Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.|Department of Animal Health, Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Olubunmi G
OG
Fasanmi
Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa. daydupe2003@yahoo.co.uk.
Folorunso O
FO
Fasina
D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D000072480:Farms; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D013019:South Africa; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D014886:Weaning
Diseases; Nutrition; Pre-weaning mortality; Smallholder pig farm
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