Early 2012, a five year research project supported by CGIAR on Livestock and Fish was set out to transform the pig value chain in Uganda. The program’s initiatives have flourished after much dedication from public and private-sector partner engagement and practical interventions along the pig value chain. The Smallholder Pig Value Chain Development (SPVCD) project assisted producers address feed constraints by formulating pig feeds using locally available feed resources and improving pig health by designing protocols to control Africa Swine Fever. The project has improved pork safety through research on prevalence and control of the Taenia solium (pork tapeworm) and training of farmers, slaughterers, pork inspectors and other actors in the value chain. In order to improve market access for smallholder farmers, CGIAR collaborated with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and its local partners on formation and registration of seven pig farmers’ cooperative societies that help farmers to collectively market their pigs and jointly access inputs and services. The SPVCD project has undertaken a feasibility study for the setup of a centralized pig abattoir in Masaka District and a business plan for a slaughter node of the value chain. The research project valued contributions of other stakeholders which facilitated the boost of pig value chain within the country: ILRI in partnership with SNV through multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) identified feed constraints as the major impediment to pig production across the country thus advocated revision of the feeds policy to strengthen the enforcement of quality standards of pig feeds. Moreover, ILRI and its local partners have developed a series of training manuals for the pig value chain that addresses information and knowledge gaps on different aspects of pig husbandry. The National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLIRRI) for instance, has included pig husbandry among its research priorities and at the district level, pigs are now considered among the top priority livestock species alongside cattle and poultry. As for the public sector, the Uganda government through the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Makerere University restructured its curriculum to ensure that all agriculture students are taught livestock (including pigs) for the entire four-year degree course.
http://livestockfish.cgiar.org/2015/06/05/uganda-vcd/