Assessing the knowledge and practices of smallholder pig farmers and associated risk factors for swine gastrointestinal disorders in Masindi district, Uganda (original) (raw)

2023, Research Square (Research Square)

Background: Piggery production is a main income source for the rural poor in Uganda, where 1.3 million households own about 4.47 million pigs. Nonetheless, health challenges and lack of knowledge by the farmers affect the productivity and pro ts of the pig enterprises. Thus, this study determined the knowledge and practices among smallholder pig farmers and the associated risk factors for pig gastrointestinal disorders in Masindi district, Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a closed-end questionnaire interview of 170 smallholder pig farmers in the rural district of Masindi, from April to July 2020. The qualitative data was analyzed and presented as frequencies, percentages, and their 95% con dence intervals. Bivariate and multi-variate analysis were used to determine factors associated with GIT disorders. Results: Of the 170 farmers, males and females were equal (50%), mostly as pig owners (91.2%), rural folks (88.8%), who raised other animal species (72.9%) and with 5-10 years (72.4%) of experience. Of these, 67.6% were married, mainly in age ranges of groups 19-50 (90.6%) and 47.6% had attained primary school level. Pig rearing was for income generation (95.5%) and 79.4% reported GIT on their farms, affecting local breeds (57.0%) of all age groups and throughout the year. Similarly, a majority of the farmers identi ed common clinical signs associated with GIT, transmission routes and adherence to biosecurity practices. However, 62.9% treated the sick pigs, 40.6% sold the sick pigs and only 25.9% consulted a veterinarian. At multivariable logistic regression analysis, being a female farmer (p = 0.018,