Enhancing on-farm biosecurity and health management for improved domestic pig production in Tanzania

Date
September 2025 to August 2027
Countries
Members
Keywords
pig farming
African swine fever
on-farm biosecurity
domestic pigs
health management
small-scale livestock farmers
Research fields
Agriculture and Food Sciences

Domestic pig farming is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Tanzania, contributing to food and nutritional security, and income for small and medium scale farmers. Domestic pigs provide a quick source of income as they grow to maturity in a short time and can be raised successfully with minimum investment. However, the sector is constrained by African swine fever (ASF), exacerbated by poor husbandry and inadequate biosecurity, particularly in the Southern Highlands zone (SHZ) where most of the domestic pig population is found. ASF has persistently circulated in the SHZ since introduction of genotype II ASF. This project seeks to enhance on-farm biosecurity and health management to improve domestic pig productivity and livelihoods of small-scale livestock farmers in Tanzania. It will assess farmers' practices, implement culturally and gender-sensitive training programs, strengthen disease diagnostics and evaluate the impact of interventions to boost domestic pig productivity.