Department of Animal Production and Management

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Browsing Department of Animal Production and Management by Author "Atula, Sam"

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    Knowledge, attitudes, and practices on the formulation of locally made pig feeds in Kobwin sub-county, Ngora district.
    (Busitema University, 2025) Atula, Sam
    High feed costs remain the principal constraint to profitable smallholder pig production in Uganda. locally available agro-residues and by-products offer a low-cost alternative if farmers possess the requisite knowledge and skills for safe, balanced formulation. This study assessed knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) related to formulation of locally made pig feeds among smallholder farmers in Kobwin Subcounty, Ngora District, Uganda. A descriptive cross-sectional KAP survey was conducted between 26 May and 26 July 2025 using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to a proportionally sampled cohort of 109 pig-keeping households across nine villages. Data were entered into Excel and analyzed in SPSS v20 using descriptive statistics, Likert-scale summaries and chi-square tests (α = 0.05). Results showed that most respondents (82/109; 75.2%) had heard of local feed materials, and energy-rich ingredients (e.g., maize bran, cassava peels) were the most commonly recognized items. However, awareness of protein and micronutrient sources was limited and only 4/109 (3.7%) reported any formal training on feed formulation. Actual on-farm formulation was rare: 107/109 (98.2%) did not regularly prepare balanced rations, and where mixing occurred, it relied on informal, unstandardized measures (reported guesswork rather than weighing or fixed ratios). Attitudes toward locally formulated feeds were moderately positive overall (mean attitude score ≈ 2.98 on a 1–5 scale) but tempered by widespread fear of harming animals through incorrect formulation. Inferential tests indicated no statistically significant associations between basic demographics and key KAP outcomes (for example, highest education level × awareness of local feed materials: χ² = 2.148, df = 3, p = 0.542; sum of known ingredients × education: χ² = 27.891, df = 24, p = 0.265), suggesting barriers to adoption are driven more by limited technical support and input access than by formal schooling or age. The study concludes that locally formulated feeds is constrained by knowledge gaps (especially regarding protein and micronutrients), lack of practical training, poor measurement practices and limited access to protein-rich ingredients. Recommended actions include targeted extension/training programs, promotion of community-level input supply and cooperative mixing facilities, inclusion of feed formulation in extension packages, and follow-up cost-benefit trials comparing locally formulated versus commercial rations.