Pig farming in rural South Africa: A case study of uThukelaDistrict in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

We assessed the status of pig farming and its contribution to the livelihoods of rural households in the study area. Snowball sampling was used to sample respondents (n=533), and data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. The majority (62%) of respondents were females over 46 years of age. Most respondents (62%) had no schooling or had only attended primary school. Male respondents reared significantly (p < 0.05) larger herds. Respondents who had secondary school education tended to rear significantly (p < 0.05) larger herds. The few respondents (1%) who held formal jobs tended to rear significantly (p < 0.05) larger herds. Livestock contributed less (10%) to household income compared to government grants that contributed 47.3%. More than half of respondents (63%) kept pigs for household consumption, while only 33% reared pigs as a source of income. Respondents still reared local pig breeds, and fed their pigs predominantly on swill (81%). Very few respondents had been exposed to training on pig rearing. Most pigs are slaughtered locally and sold mainly at social grant pay points on days when grants are paid out. The potential of pigs to support rural households has not been fully exploited in the study area. There is a need for skills transfer to limit the risks associated with feeding swill and poor animal husbandry practices. Meat inspection services are needed to limit the risk of diseases like cysticercosis.

Porcine Cysticercosis Control in Western Kenya: The Interlink of Management Practices in Pig Farms and Meat Inspection Practice at Slaughter Slabs

“…The demographic descriptors revealed that out of the 162 farmer population interviewed, 37.7% were aged between 21 and 30 years, 53.1% were of the female gender, 41.4% had no formal school education, and 77.2% had kept pigs for a period of 6 to 10 years ( Table 2 ). These findings were similar to those reported that the female gender dominated rearing and owning pigs in the rural areas of Western Kenya [ 26 , 27 ] and other African countries [ 28 – 30 ]. The findings agree with the report by Ampaire and Totchschild [ 31 ] that, in Africa, women are traditionally empowered to rear and own pigs as opposed to cattle.…”

A Systematic Review Analyzing the Prevalence and Circulation of Influenza Viruses in Swine Population Worldwide

“…Until February 2020, IAV have been detected in swine in Cameroon, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Reunion Island, Uganda, Togo, and Ghana. However, South Africa has a considerable swine population [352], but currently there is no published report on the prevalence of active IAV or other influenza virus infections in the South African swine. This might be because of the lack of an active surveillance for the detection of the influenza virus disease in the swine in South Africa.…”

The Formal Agricultural Input Sector: A Missing Asset in Developing Nations?

“…Referral sampling is often used to identify "hard to reach" populations and can be subject to bias due to nonresponse when the research concerns illegal or socially undesirable behaviors or illnesses that carry stigma or shame [20]. The topics of concern in this study were not of a sensitive nature and referral sampling has been extensively used to recruit key informants and participants in studies of agricultural systems when no sampling frame exists [21][22][23][24]. This research was conducted under the University of Florida IRB201601294 (Understanding the Formal Agricultural Input System in Haiti) and respondents were under no obligation to provide additional contacts.…”