Poster by Natalie Carter, Cate Dewey, Delia Grace, Emily Ouma and Sally Humphries presented at the Canadian Society of Epidemiology and Biostatistics National Student Conference, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, 10 May 2014

1. 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