Presented during the Project inception workshop at M – Hotel in Kigali on 28 September 2022
Presented by Emily Ouma, Martin Ntawubizi (University of Rwanda), Claire d’Andre,
Claire Hirwa (Rwanda Agriculture Board), Solange Uwituze (Rwanda Agriculture Board,
Dennis Karamuzi (Venture37), Jean Claude Shirimpumu (Rwanda Pig Farmers
Association), Karen Marshall (ILRI), Ben Lukuyu (ILRI), Esther Achandi(ILRI), and Michel
Dione(ILRI).
PROFITING FROM PIGS IN RWANDA:
IMPROVING PEOPLE’S LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS
THROUGH MORE PRODUCTIVE PIG FARMING

April 2022 − March 2025
Profiting from pigs in Rwanda:
Improving people’s lives and
livelihoods through more
productive pig farming
Participating institutions
• International Livestock
Research Institute (ILRI)
• University of Rwanda (UR)
• Rwanda Agriculture Board
(RAB)
• Rwanda Pig Farmers
Association (RPFA)
• Land O’Lakes Venture37 –
Orora Wihaze Activity
Objectives
1. Develop, pilot, and evaluate an integrated pig productivity enhancing package comprising
herd health, feeds and appropriate pig feeding and improved pig genetics, delivered through
gender-sensitive ICT solutions.
2. Develop, pilot, and evaluate collective action business models for women and men pig
farmers to improve access to inputs and services, and pig or pig product markets.
3. Support the national system and other stakeholders on availing improved pig genetics to pig
producers, as well as ensuring gender equitable adoption of, and benefit from, the improved
genetics.
4. Support the Centers of Excellence in development of an outreach program on pig keeping.

INVESTIGATE
Overarching goals:
 Improve the livelihoods of smallholder men
and women pig producers, in a sustainable
manner, through increased productivity and
incomes and strengthened market linkages
in pig value chains.
 Strengthen the capacities of Rwanda’s
National Agricultural Research and
Education Systems in pig rearing, including
the production and delivery of quality pig

INVESTIGATE – Why it matters
 Increased growth of the pork sector in
Rwanda driven by strong and increasing
demand for domestic and export pork
− Fueled a rise in pig population from
706,472 in 2011 to 1.44 Mn in 2020
(MINAGRI, 2020/2021)
 An important source of livelihood for
smallholders, typically rearing 1-2 sows
and mostly practicing low-input
production systems
 Risk diversification and livelihood
security

INVESTIGATE – Why it matters
 Piggery sector has a high potential for:
− Productivity increase and ability to contribute
to national economic development objectives,
including food and nutrition security
 Despite its high potential, especially for
smallholders, the value chain faces
critical production and market related
constraints
− Low productivity
− Unstable and high feed prices especially
compounded commercial feeds
− Underdeveloped pig marketing systems

INVESTIGATE – Where we will work
 Districts
− Nyamagabe
− Gakenke
 Complementary activities
under the USAID-funded
Orora Wihaze program
focused on improving animal
source foods (ASF) value
chains
 High levels of child
malnutrition, e.g. Gakenke,
41% of children under 5
years are stunted (WFP, 2018)

 A random phased in design to evaluate the outcomes from piloting the
integrated pig productivity enhancing interventions coupled with market
linkages.
− Randomization of the intervention at the level of community-based farmers
savings group (CBSGs) into 2 groups: treatment and control.
− Target population: pig producer members of the CBSGs in Gakenke and
Nyamagabe districts.
− Power calculations: focus on pig income outcome, assuming a 10%
difference between treatment and control
INVESTIGATE – Research design
30 CBSGs exposed
to the intervention
30 CBSGs – control
groups
STUDY ARM 1
15 pig keeping hh
per CBSG = 450 HH
STUDY ARM 2
15 Pig keeping hh
per CBSG = 450 HH

INVESTIGATE – What we will do
 Elements of the integrated pig productivity and marketing interventions
− Pig nutrition package: Gendered-FEAST and roll out promising interventions
+ Feed calculator
− Herd health package: participatory epidemiology and training of Herd Health
champions to mentor and train animal health providers
− Extension messaging IVR platform that integrates herd health, nutrition and
breeds and breeding – as part of Centers of Excellence (CEC) outreach
program in pig keeping
− Develop a digital animal recording and performance evaluation system to
strengthen the capabilities of the RAB CEC in pig breeding and insemination
services
− Marketing package: Apply MSD approach to strengthen relationships in the
value chain and catalyse linkages with smallholder men and women pig

INVESTIGATE – What we will do
 Data collection and analysis
− Baseline and end line quantitative surveys at the levels of pig farmers, and
input and service providers to evaluate outcomes (income, productivity
indicators, changes in knowledge, attitude and practices)
− Qualitative surveys utilizing participatory approaches to assess gender related
constraints, preferences, and perceptions regarding the interventions
− Difference in difference (DiD) estimation techniques to assess changes in
outcomes

COLLABORATE
Co-PIs and Collaborators – Multidisciplinary team
 Martin Ntawubizi – University of Rwanda
 Solange Uwituze – Rwanda Agriculture Board
 Claire Hirwa – Rwanda Agriculture Board
 Dennis Karamuzi – Land O’Lakes Venture37, Orora
Wihaze Activity
 Jean Claude Shirimpumu – Rwanda Pig Farmers
Association
 Ben Lukuyu - International Livestock Research Institute
 Karen Marshall - International Livestock Research
Institute
 Michel Dione - International Livestock Research

INNOVATE – Our Theory of Change

INNOVATE
Innovations
• Integrated pig husbandry package comprising herd health, feeds and
appropriate pig feeding and improved pig genetics, for improving pig
productivity
• IVR platform for pig extension messaging
• Digital animal recording and performance evaluation system
• National pig genetic improvement strategy
• Herd health package
• Business model to enhance value chain linkages and transparency in the
value chain through farmer collective action
Scaling potential
• Strategic partnerships with RAB, the University of Rwanda, the Rwanda Pig
Farmers Association, and Orora Wihaze program
• Involvement of private sector and “next users” such as artificial
insemination businesses, pig feed millers and feed processors + capacity
development interventions is expected to facilitate investment from

COMMUNICATE
Who all needs to know about our work?
• Livestock extension system
• Researchers/scientists
• MINAGRI/RAB
• Men and women pig value chain actors – e.g. feed producers,
farmers, artificial inseminators, veterinary services, abattoirs, pig
traders
• Staff of the Centres of Excellence at RAB and UR
• Rwanda Veterinary Association
• Rwanda Pig Farmers Association
How will we engage with them? How will you discuss findings?
• Stakeholder workshops
• Training and skilling sessions
• Policy engagement meetings

Disclaimer
This work was funded in whole or part by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) Bureau for Food Security under Agreement #
AID-OAA-L-15-00003 as part of Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock
Systems. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed here
are those of the authors alone.
Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems
University of Florida - Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
livestock-lab@ufl.edu | http://livestocklab.ifas.ufl.edu

www.feedthefuture.gov