Investigation of how improved pig-feeding changes the well-being of poor Ugandan pig keepers using participatory epidemiology

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Natalie Carter1,2 , Cate Dewey1 , Delia Grace2, Emily Ouma2, Sally Humphries3

1. Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph 2. International Livestock Research Institute 3. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph

TRAINING WORKSHOPS

Participatory Research Workshops

References

Pig production can alleviate extreme poverty in the tropics1. Resource-poor smallholder farmers in Uganda raise 1 to 2 pigs and sell them to generate income to pay for medicine, education, and food2,3. Women, particularly those widowed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, may not have the resources required to raise cattle. Pigs require fewer resources so raising pigs is within their means. Pig keeping’s effect(s) on women and the degree of decision making and control that Ugandan women have over pig production are not fully known. Women’s ability to benefit from pig keeping could be improved by policy, social, marketing, and technological innovations. Research is needed to identify potential opportunities and develop appropriate innovations.

Acknowledgements Funding provided by the Ontario Veterinary College, the Ontario Agricultural College, European Union, International Fund for Agriculture Development, with support from the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), led by IFPRI.

Following the training workshops, 10 participatory workshops will be conducted, each with 6 -8 participants. Workshops will be facilitated in English, and/or the local language, according to participants’ preferences. Workshops will be audio recorded and transcribed. Questions will be back-translated for accuracy. Six women-only, two men-only, one girl-only, and one boy-only workshops will be conducted by a same-gender facilitator. Four active participants from both the women-only and men-only workshops will attend one final mixed-gender workshop. Discussion topics include pig keepers’ likelihood of diet adoption, and the anticipated benefits and constraints of doing so. Two activity time clocks will be developed using pile sorting. One clock will represent how pig keepers currently divide each day into tasks. A second will show anticipated behaviour following diet adoption. Photos of people performing tasks counter to gender norms will be shown to stimulate gender norms discussion. Decision-making methods, and ownership and access to pig-feeding resources will discussed. Aspirations, visions, and feasibility for change by individuals and collectives will be discussed.

Study Sites and Participant Selection

From a sampling frame of all pig keepers raising 1 to 2 pigs, in 15 villages in Masaka District, Uganda, 48 women, 16 men, 8 boys, and 8 girls will be selected. Local partners will assist with selection using the following inclusion criteria: men, women, and youth who live in Masaka District who raise 1 to 2 pigs, some of whom may belong to farmer groups. Farmer-group membership, pig management type (free-range, tethered, housed in pen), and pig ownership versus pig management will be considered during participant selection to ensure local pig-keeping scenarios are accurately represented.

METHODS

All participants will attend a training workshop consisting of two modules: a classroom-style presentation followed by hands-on diet preparation. Trial pigs’ average daily gain, feed conversion, and water consumption will be presented for each of the three trial diets; control (commercially prepared feed), local (fresh and dried local feedstuffs) and silage (ensiled sweet potato vine and tuber based diet). Daily water needs of pigs at various body weights will be demonstrated using jerry cans, the common local mode of water collection and transportation. Participants will chop, measure, and mix the required ingredients for two of the diets (local and silage-based).

The objectives of the study are: 1) to teach smallholder pig keepers how to feed pigs least-cost

balanced diets using seasonally available local feedstuffs, 2) to determine the challenges , constraints, and risks that men,

women, and youth pig-keepers anticipate if they adopt the new diets,

3) to understand the specific roles and responsibilities that men and women have within their households and related to pig feeding, and if/how the two interact;

4) to determine the degree of decision making and control over income from pig production that men, women, and youth have, and how those decisions are made/negotiated;

5) to determine if men, women, and youth feel that factors affecting control and decision making ability should and could change and if so, how to enable that change.

OBJECTIVES

Figure 5: Example of photo to be shown re. behaviour counter to gender norms Photo: N. Carter

Figure 1. Pig-keeping family Uganda Photo: ILRI

Figure 2. Pig tethered under tree Uganda Photo: ILRI

Figure 3. Water containers to be used to demonstrate pigs’ daily water requirements Photo: N. Carter

Figure 4. Feed ingredients for new pig diets Uganda Photo: N. Carter

DATA ANALYSIS Recorded discussions and field notes will be reviewed until the first author is familiar with participants’ responses. NVivo will be used to determine and analyze predominant themes. Themes will be coded and put into a framework. Theme comparison within and between participants and groups will then be done.

Figure 6. Youth chopping jackfruit to feed to pigs Photo: E. Smith

1 FAO, 2012. Pig Sector Kenya, FAO Animal Production and Health Livestock Country Reviews, No. 3, Rome. 2 Ouma, E., Dione, M., Lule, P. Pezo, D., Marshall, K., Roesel, K., Mayega, L., Kiryabwire, D., Nadiope, G. and Jagwe, J., 2014. Smallholder pig value chain assessment in Uganda: results from producer focus group discussions and key informant interviews. International Livestock Research Institute. 3 Dewey, C.E., Wohlgemut, J.M., Levy, M., Mutua, F.K., 2011. The impact of political crisis on smallholder pig farmers in Western Kenya, 2006-2008, Journal of Modern African Studies, 49 (3), 455-473.

METHODS CONTINUED