The Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAAIF) has adopted PigSmart, a digital messaging platform to strengthen training of veterinarians, extension workers, and pig farmers nationwide.
Under this initiative, MAAIF—with support from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity—will deploy PigSmart’s digital and multimedia tools to deliver timely, tailored advice on pig management directly to the field.
The platform is being piloted in Kalangala District, a Lake Victoria island where communities historically reliant on fishing have been encouraged to diversify into pig farming, considered a viable livelihood alternative requiring lower capital and land investment.
In April 2025, twelve veterinary extension officers in Kalangala were trained using PigSmart’s digital messages—covering best practices in feeding, herd health, improved genetics, manure management, and heat stress management.
As part of a broader livelihood project initiated in July 2025, the ministry is supporting 393 female and 107 male farmers by providing each beneficiary with two piglets.
The PigSmart intervention was first introduced in late 2024 across several central Uganda districts (Mpigi, Masaka, Mukono, Wakiso).
It reached about 1,254 farmers in 55 farmer groups with audio skit messages in Luganda, supplemented by brochures and herd health manuals that tailored content according to pig growth stages—including feeding, breeding, health, manure, and heat stress practices.
An endline survey conducted in November 2024 showed that farmers exposed to the PigSmart messages demonstrated significantly better knowledge and uptake of best practices compared to those who did not receive the intervention.
The messages were credited as the leading source of information—accounting for 30–50% of advisory input on pig production innovations—surpassing traditional channels like peer-to-peer advice, extension agents, and printed IEC materials.
The success of pilots in central Uganda—and the ongoing trial in Kalangala—paves the way for scaling PigSmart across a wider geographic footprint, potentially integrating digital advisory services into national extension systems.
