Brian Musonda (57) runs a mixed farming operation on his 10ha small-scale commercial farm outside the Copperbelt town of Ndola. An engineer, who graduated from, a German Polytech, Brian has spent the greater part of his working life in the engineering sector. At some point he realised that farming was a…
The right balance in a pig's diet is the key to successful feeding and profitable pig farming, whether they are free-ranging or penned. Pigs are monogastric omnivores like humans, and cannot digest the amounts of fibre that ruminants thrive on. They eat a combination of plant- and animal- based ingredients. There…
Question: What is the best way to look after piglets before they are weaned? I am afraid that the sow will lie on the piglets and crush them. Sows overlaying their young is a common cause of death in piglets. Sow crates which restrict the sow’s movements to prevent her…
One experienced pig farmer unlocks the potential of aspirant pig farmers, and farm workers, by using the pig farms of his clients as his classroom. He takes his teaching to where it makes a real difference to people and pigs. Elder Phiri (50) of Chilanga, Lusaka, spent 30 years working…
By producing organic vegetables, fruits, chickens, eggs and pork in Zambia's Kafue district with holistic management methods, Sebastian Scott earns a substantial premium for his products from retailers and families in the country's capital, Lusaka. So much so that he could grow from a micro farmer whose products were transported…
Pigs can suffer from heat stroke. Pigs suffering from heat stress will lie down, pant and be unwilling to move. Pigs are sensitive to heat because they cannot sweat, so the only way they can cool down is by panting, and on very hot days this may not be enough.…
A farmer takes certain steps and follows procedures to keep diseases off his pig farm through good biosecurity. Diseases can be brought in from outside in a few ways: bought in animals may be sick without showing signs of disease, people who have been in contact with pigs may bring…
A group of farmers show how they’ve made a commercial success with pig farming on a small leased farm in Limpopo without taking out huge loans, inheriting land or buying expensive equipment. The driving force behind this success story are a former Zimbabwean cattle farmer who lost his 12 000…
Since he started to practice conservation farming 11 years ago, Mr. Sinoya Phiri of Kafue’s Shimabala region, has gone from a struggling maize farmer to a profitable businessman. He could afford to build a comfortable family home complete with electricity on his 3,5ha farm and he doesn’t struggle to pay school…
Vaccination involves exposing animal (or a person) to disease-causing agents (vaccines) in such a way that the animal will not get sick but will be protected in future against infection by that germ. Vaccines contain germs that have been made harmless in the laboratory. After receiving a particular vaccine, the…
My sow is going to give birth to her first litter in about two months. I am going to build a pen with a concrete floor to house the piglets after weaning, where they can grow until I sell them. I would like your advice on how big the pen…
Plan carefully and put a business model together for pig farming. Funding should be enough to set up the piggery and cover the running costs for at least a year. Profit is not immediate because of the investment costs. Even the best planned and implemented commercial projects experience a lag…
