Presentation by Natalie Carter, Cate Dewey, Ben Lukuyu, Delia Grace and Cornelis de Lange at the EcoHealth 2014 conference, Montreal, Canada, 14 August 2014.

1. Development of balanced diets using local
feeds for smallholder Kenyan pigs:
implications for livelihoods, human health,
and gender
Natalie Carter,1,2 Cate Dewey1, Ben Lukuyu2, Delia Grace2, Cornelis de Lange3
1. Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Canada 2. International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
3. Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Canada
Background and Rationale
Pig production can alleviate poverty1. In western
Kenya, farmers, many of them women, raise 1-3
pigs and sell them to pay for medicine,
education, and food2,3.
Insufficient feed, seasonal shortages, and
unbalanced diets contribute to slow growth of
local breed pigs. Slow pig growth results in
farmers earning below-potential profits and
income.
Inexpensive, nutritionally balanced pig
diets are needed to improve pig
performance.
What we did:
• Modify National Research
Council (2012) nutrient
requirement for Kenyan pigs
• Estimate growth rate and
nutritional needs of Kenyan pigs
from 5 feeding trials 4,5,6,7,8
• Identify locally available pig
feeds2, 9
• Review literature and conduct
nutritional analysis on local
feeds
• Collect price of feeds at local
markets
• Estimate seasonal availability
(extension officers)
• Rate accessibility of ingredients
to farmers
• Formulate least cost diet 10
using linear programming
model
• Seasonal availability, farmer
access to ingredients, and
human/pig food competition
were considered when
formulating diets.
Conclusions
• Balanced least-cost pig diets make use of locally available feed resources, promote
sustainable smallholder pig production, and improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers,
particularly resource-poor and widowed women.
• Research about the impact of these diets on men and women smallholder farmers and their
pigs, seasonal feed shortages, and human/pig food competition is planned.
Natalie Carter
cartern@uoguelph.ca
Department of Population Medicine , University of Guelph
50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
This document is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution –Non commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License June 2012
Ecohealth 2014-August 2014
Montreal, Canada
Objectives
1. Estimate the nutrient requirements of local
breed pigs raised on smallholder farms in
western Kenya,
2. Develop affordable, nutritionally balanced pig
diets using seasonally available local
ingredients,
3. Efficiently use locally available resources,
promote sustainable smallholder pig
production, and improve the livelihood of
smallholder pig farmers.
Results: Nutrient sources and human/pig competition
Figure 2. Example s of available
pig-feed ingredients in western
Kenya
Grist mill waste
35.3%
Maize brewers
waste
5.8%
Wilted cassava
leaf
20%
Fresh cattle
blood
38.4%
Salt
0.3%
Micronutrients
0.25%
Maize flour
45%
Fresh cattle
blood
29.1%
Sweet potato
vine
20%
Sun-dried
fish
5.4%
Salt
0.3%
Micro
nutrients
0.25%
Figure 5. Wet season diet: least cost with sweet potato vine
Figure 1. A smallholder farmer
feeding her local breed pig
Photo: ILRI
Results: Ingredient composition for
least-cost diets (% of diet dry matter)
References
1. FAO, 2012. Pig Sector Kenya. FAO Animal Production and Health Livestock Country Reviews. No. 3. Rome.
2. Kagira, JM., Kanyari, N, Maingi, N, Githigia, SM, Ng’ang’a, JC and Karuga, JW, 2010. Characteristics of the smallholder free-range pig production system in Western Kenya, Tropical Animal Health Production, 42, 865-873.
3. Dewey, CE, Wohlegemut, JM, Levy, M, and Mutua, FK, 2011. The impact of political crisis on smallholder pig farmers in Western Kenya, 2006–2008, Journal of Modern African Studies, 3, 455-473.
4. Ndindana W, Dzama K, Ndiweni PNB, Maswaure SM and Chimonyo M, 2002. Digestibility of high fibre diets and performance of growing Zimbabwean Mukota pigs and exotic Large White pigs, fed maize based diets with graded levels of maize cobs, Anim. Feed
Sci. Technol., 97, 199-208.
5. Codjo AB, 2003. Estimation des besoins énergétiques du porc local du Bénin en croissance entre 7 et 22 kg de poids vif. Tropicultura, 12, 56-60.
6. Kanengoni AT, Dzama K, Chomonyo M, Kusina J, Maswaure S, 2004. Growth performance and carcass traits of Large White, Mukota and Large White x Mukota F1 crosses given graded levels of maize cob meal, Anim. Sci., 78, 61-11.
7. Len NT, Lindberg JE and Ogle B, 2007. Digestibility and nitrogen retention of diets containing different levels of fibre in local (Mong Cai), F1 (Mong Cai · Yorkshire) and exotic (Landrace · Yorkshire) growing pigs in Vietnam, J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr., 91, 297–303.
8. Anugwa FOI and Okwori AI, 2008. Performance of growing pigs of different genetic groups fed varying dietary protein levels, Afr. J. Biotechnol., 7, 2665-2670.
9. Mutua FK, Dewey, C., Arimi, S., Ogara, W., Levy, M. and Schelling, E., 2012. A description of local pig feeding systems in village smallholder farms of Western Kenya. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 44, 1157-1162.
10. Skinner S.A., Weersink A, and deLange CF,2012. Impact of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) on Ration and Fertilizer Costs of Swine, Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 60, 335–356.
Figure 4. Dry season diet: least human/pig food/feed competition
Table 1. Nutrient sources for pigs and human/pig food/feed competition
Nutrient type Pig feed ingredient Pigs and people
compete to eat it
Energy Cattle blood
Energy Avocado
Crude protein Cattle blood
Crude protein “Weeds” amaranth, dayflower, hairy beggarticks
Crude protein Wilted cassava leaf
Fat (ether extract) Avocado
Calcium Amaranth
High in fibre Cattle rumen contents
High in fibre Rice bran
High in fibre Millet brewers’ waste