A survey of biosecurity practices of pig farmers in selected districts affected by African swine fever in Uganda

Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Veterinary Science

Dickson Ndoboli¹  Robinah Kizza¹  Eddie M. Wampande¹  Deo B. Ndumu²  Margaret Nawatti³  Krista Ochoa⁴  Karyn A. Havas⁴  David F. Singler⁴  John E. Ekakoro⁵ 

[1] Central Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda;Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Entebbe, Uganda;Department of Political Science and Public Administration, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda;Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States;Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States;Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States;

关键词: biosecurity practices;    pig farmers;    African swine fever;    external biosecurity;    internal biosecurity;    questionnaire;    pigs;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fvets.2023.1245754

 received in 2023-06-23, accepted in 2023-08-08,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionIn Uganda, pig production is an important source of livelihood for many people and contributes to food security. African swine fever (ASF) is a major constraint to pig production in Uganda, threatening the food supply and sustainable livelihoods. Prevention of ASF primarily relies on good biosecurity practices along the pig value chain. Previous studies showed that biosecurity along the pig value chain and on farms in Uganda is poor. However, the biosecurity practices of pig farmers in ASF affected areas of Uganda and their opinions on on-farm ASF morbidity and mortality were previously not comprehensively characterized. The objectives of this study were to document pig farmers’ experiences with ASF in their farms and to describe the pig biosecurity practices in districts of Uganda that were highly affected by ASF.MethodsA total of 99 farmers were interviewed in five districts. Data were collected by way of triangulation through farmer interviews, field observations during the farmer interviews, and a survey of key informants. However, farmer interviews were considered the primary source of data for this study. Farmers’ biosecurity practices were scored using a biosecurity scoring algorithm.ResultsForty-one out of 96 (42.7%) farmers reported having pigs with ASF in the past 12 months. The level of pig farming experience (p = 0.0083) and herd size (p < 0.0001) were significantly associated with the reported occurrence of ASF. Overall, the biosecurity scores for the respondents were considered poor with 99% (98/99) scoring <70% and just one farmer obtaining a fair score of 72.2%. District (p = 0.0481), type of husbandry system (p = 0.014), and type of pig breed raised (p = 0.004) were significantly associated with farmer’s biosecurity score.ConclusionContinued farmer education on ASF and the importance of good biosecurity practices is necessary. More in-depth scientific inquiry into the factors influencing the biosecurity practices among pig farmers in Uganda is necessary.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Ekakoro, Nawatti, Singler, Ochoa, Kizza, Ndoboli, Ndumu, Wampande and Havas.