Pig feeding management and pig farming constraints in Southern Benin

Abstract

In order to characterize pig feeding practices in Oueme and Plateau departments in Southern Benin, a survey was carried out among 151 pig farmers. The study identified three groups. Group 1 (32.5% of survey participants) consisted mainly of farmers with no school education who preferably reared the local breed. In Group 2 (49.6% of the surveyed farmers), the majority had primary or secondary education. Almost all pig farmers in this group reared an improved breed. Group 3 (17.9% of the respondents) consisted mainly of farmers with no school education or farmers with primary education. These farmers had mainly chosen to rear the improved breeds. Group 2 farmers mainly kept their animals in concrete pens (61.3%) and in semipermanent pens (38.6%). These farmers fed their animals with a self-formulated diet (86.7%). Kitchen scraps and agricultural residues as well as forages were mostly used in groups 1 (57.1%) and 3 (55.6%), where pig breeders were mostly crop farmers. However, the use of commercial complete feeds was more frequent in Group 3 (37.0%) than in Group 1. The most common constraints for the three groups were the lack of feed availability, the increasing cost of feed ingredients, and the lack of financial resources. Feed remains an important constraint for pig productivity in Benin. It should be improved by the development of balanced feed formulas, which meet animal requirements according to the physiological stage, and are based on local and cheaper feed ingredients.