Pig diseases in Uganda: Impacts on pig production, human health and nutrition
In late 2016, the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish produced several synthesis products, including a series of briefs on its animal health work carried out between 2012 and 2016. This brief reviews interventions and tools to address pig diseases in Uganda.
Pig keeping is an increasingly important livelihood strategy for rural households in Uganda. Most pigs are kept by smallholder households—managed by women—under extensive systems. The pig value chain was included in the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish due to the growth potential and competitiveness of small-scale pig production in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the last five years, scientists have significantly enhanced their understanding of the composition, structure and workings of the Uganda pig sector.
This brief brings together some of the most compelling evidence and best practices in animal and human health control from research by the Livestock and Fish program in collaboration with the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH).
Key messages from this work include:
- High burden diseases, such as African swine fever (ASF), hinder the development of pig production, as do the low capacities of value chain actors and stakeholders in this area and the lack of incentives for them to adopt and implement disease control measures.
- Given the high socio-economic impact of ASF on pig systems in Uganda, vaccine development and pen-side diagnostic tools are urgently needed to control the disease.
- Advanced and field research are both needed to address these issues as part of efforts to transform and sustain the smallholder pig value chain in Uganda.
Dione, M., Steinaa, L., Okoth, E., Roesel, K. and Wieland, B. 2016. Pig diseases in Uganda: Impacts on pig production, human health and nutrition. Livestock and Fish Brief 24. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.
