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. 2025 Mar 31;21(1):228.
doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04667-2.

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

Samuel Majalija  1 , Gabriel Tumwine  2 , Juliet Kiguli  3 , Benard Owori  2 , Robert Alex Isabirye  4 , Peter Waiswa  2
Affiliations

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

Samuel Majalija et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

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 profits 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 March to July 2020. The qualitative data was analyzed and presented as frequencies, percentages, and their 95% confidence 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 disorders on their farms, affecting local breeds (57.0%) of all age groups and throughout the year. Similarly, most of the farmers understood transmission routes of GIT disorders and adhered 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, OR = 3.163, CI: 1.213, 8.244); mixing of different herds of pigs (p = 0.003, aOR = 4.141, 95%CI (1.317,13.013); feeding pigs on raw tubers (p = 0.017, aOR = 2.703, 95% CI (1.198,6.099) and scavenging (p < 0.001, aOR = 9.605, 95% CI (2.131,43.289) were significantly associated with GIT disorders.

Conclusion: Poor husbandry practices especially feeding on raw tubers, scavenging and mixing of different herds of pigs were associated with widespread pig GIT disorders. Involving women in strategies to improve pig GIT health as equal partners is suggested. Farmers are encouraged to adopt confinement and housing of pigs as the minimum good husbandry practices for sustainable pig production.

Keywords: Biosecurity; Diseases; Gut; Husbandry practices; Piggery smallholder farmers.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Makerere University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity. All participants gave their informed verbal consent in the local language, before taking part in the study. The ethics committee approved the verbal consent because the research was associated with low risk and minimal harm to the participants. The consent was obtained after explaining the research to the participants using an information sheet to guide the verbal explanation of the study. They were informed that their participation was voluntary and their refusal would not result in any negative consequences. All information collected was kept confidentially; no names or other identifying information was asked during data collection. Administrative clearance was obtained from Masindi District Local Government. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Reasons for rearing pigs by farmers from Masindi
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Clinical signs associated with swine diseases identified by farmers
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Routes of transmission of GIT diseases as perceived by the farmers from Masindi Biosecurity measures practiced by farmers to prevent GIT disorders of pigs
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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