Production System, Feeding and Slurry Management of Swine in Ethiopia

The study was carried out to characterize the production systems, feeding & slurry management, herd administration, cost determinants and constraints of Ethiopian swine farming. A total of 66 swine farms were selected in six major towns to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the studied parameters. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select sampling areas and respondents. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the data using person to person interview. Data were analyzed using several statistical procedures of SAS and SPSS.  According to the findings of the study, the swine production at visited farms was characterized by semi-intensive (51.6%)  and intensive (45.3%) management system. About 73.8% of the households were practicing full cycle production and the remaining 26.2% were practicing either finishing phase or piglet production. The most common feeds used by the swine producers were food leftover, commercial feeds and agro-processing byproducts. The amount of feed used per swine farm per year was significantly differed (P < 0.05) across the three scales of production. Regarding farm administration practices, 70% of the visited farms were administered by the farm owners and 18% of them by hired personnel. The use of swine' slurry at visited households level was generally low. Among the 66 producers, almost all (93.9%) of them made no use of it. Cost of production at swine farms was positively associated (P < 0.05) with three independent variables namely number of hired labor, feed type and swine management system. The three major constraints facing the swine producers in Ethiopia were lack of market, shortage of farm inputs and lack of government policy favoring swine production.  The study provided valuable information that can support future interventions for improving the swine sub-sector in Ethiopia.