We have been driving for about an hour making our way through small busy towns filled with people starting their day and through what seems to be endless parcels of farmland where crops are grown and livestock housed. Cassava, maize, sweetpotato and banana seem to be the crops of choice in this part of southern Uganda and as we drive through each town we undoubtedly pass by a small market area where local farmers are selling their produce.

As we pull up to a farm gate the sky, which has slowly been turning grey with clouds, opens and torrential rain comes pouring down. We sit in the car for a while waiting for the storm to pass and watch as the pigs at the farm we are visiting wriggle and squirm in the mud seemingly happy with the cooler weather and the chance to get muddy and wet.

We are here to meet with Dr. Lawrence Mayega, the marketing and production officer with Masaka District Local Government who is going to share with us his plans to take a new kind of animal fodder to market. The core ingredient - sweetpotato vines. He, along with the research team working on the CGIAR led RTB ENDURE sweetpotato project are hoping to help fix farmers needs for nutritious and affordable pig feed with a crop that many farmers are already growing.

Lawrence along with Peter Lule, the research technician with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) one of the lead organizations in the project, gives us some background. In Uganda, the demand for animal products is rapidly increasing due to the ever increasing human population, incomes and urbanization. In particular, the smallholder pig industry is witnessing rapid growth with approximately 1.1 million households in Uganda rearing 3.2 million pigs (according to UBOF and MAAIF). Consumption of pig meat is increasing as well and Uganda ranks number one, in East Africa, in pork per capita consumption. In Uganda and East Africa more widely pig rearing has a high potential to provide economic gain for smallholder farmers, particularly women who are often in charge of their care.

Here in Masaka, pig meat is very popular: "it is cheaper than beef and is a great source of protein for many households. Pigs are good for both nutrition and for income” Lawrence informs me. In Uganda, pigs are widely seen as convenient and profitable to rear and as a quick way to generate income. And while this is generally true, there are a number of key issues which put pressure on smallholder pig farmers – and access to affordable and nutritious feed is often identified as the number one issue.

A recent study undertaken by ILRI showed that the cost of feed represents 62% of the total cost of pig production in peri-urban areas of Uganda and that commercial concentrates are the most expensive. To reduce these costs, smallholder pig producers commonly resort to feeding local feed made up of chicken litter, swill, jack fruit, brewers waste, maize stover and other plant leaves.

Lawrence and Peter discuss this issue in depth as we wander. They tell me that “during the dry season we increasingly see that farmers are unable to access locally available feeding resources. The dry season is long and seems to be getting longer - around four to five months - so this is a long period during which farmers struggle to access feed. During this time pigs will often lose weight and therefore lose their value.”

This project is working on many levels. "A first step was to work out the best combination of ingredients for silage when sweetpotato is the core element. We want to look at adding maize bran or something similar as an additional source of energy. We must take into account affordability and accessibility of the ingredients. If we want farmer adoption of sweetpotato based animal feed then these issues are vital.” explains Lawrence as he takes us on a tour of the farm as the rain slowly clears and the sun starts peeking out from behind the clouds.

Seasonal feed shortages, poor quality feed and limited supplementation are the major feed constraints in the pig production systems in Uganda. “We think there is good opportunity for farmers to produce sweetpotato silage on their farms and sell it to their neighbors at about 20-30% less than traditional feed and as an incredibly nutritious option. We are currently researching the exact cost of producing silage and at what price farmers could sell it for.” Lawrence explains to me while next to him the local farmer that is hosting us nods enthusiastically in agreement.

As the largest sweetpotato producing country in Africa, Ugandan farmers are well placed to utilize this crop as a way to decrease costs associated with pig feed, as a way to provide a nutritious feed option for the animals and as a way to utilize the vines which often go to waste on the farm. Although it is a good source of energy (roots) and protein (vines), the vines are highly perishable so in order to make good use of the crop there is need to explore strategies that will conserve the vines during the time of abundance for use during times of scarcity

So one element is to provide nutritious feed and the other is to explore business opportunities for sweetpotato farmers, especially women, to produce and sell sweetpotato based animal feed to pig farmers. Lawrence explains that in Uganda, the sweetpotato value chain is dominated by women and this could present a great opportunity for them to add value to their product.

The business model is designed to create value propositions, improve revenue streams, and organize activities for silage production and utilization at various levels of the sweetpotato value chain. “Part of our strategy is to develop two pig business hubs – in Kamuli and Masaka district. We will explore the opportunity to have a central market area as a hub for farmers to buy and sell pigs and related products like animal feed.” explains Lawrence “We think this is a good way to give the pig industry a boost and to give farmers good access to the market. We can engage all people who are involved in pig farming in some way or another. We are still in the initial stages of developing this idea and are hoping to further the concept over the coming months. It would also be a place for people to share information and knowledge and exchange contacts and approaches to pig farming.”

Value propositions will be created at various levels of the value chains through reduced feed cost, increased availability of pig feed, increased nutritive value of sweetpotato feeds, employment, reduced labor costs, gender empowerment and social inclusion, employment for the youth, women and men, increased social acceptability, improved knowledge and environmental sustainability.

“We have had some preliminary meetings providing interested parties with enterprise development training and mobilization skills which will help equip people with the skills to be able to engage in the value chain. We think the hub will allow for farmers to better access markets and remove the need for a middle man who often takes much of the profits.” explains Lawrence. He goes on to tell us that revenue streams will be generated through employment and sales at various levels of the sweetpotato value chain by engaging youth, women and men in production as business, supply of roots and vines for silage making, and engaging in silage making and trade as a business.

The business case will help to create a model for proper organization of silage production, conservation, marketing and use at various levels of the sweetpotato root and vine value chains purposely for pig feeds. The existing linkages between pig farmers and sweetpotato traders in the peri-urban and urban markets will be strengthened to increase access of materials from the markets and farms.

Peter highlights that it is women that might really benefit from this research around silage: “Women often spend a lot of time thinking, planning and sourcing animal feed. It is often very stressful for them and takes a lot of time and energy. While producing sweetpotato silage will still take time we believe that it will alleviate the stress that many smallholder farmers have in regards to feeding their pigs – which are such a prized possession.

“We are currently testing lots of different elements – what are the best ingredients? What is the best way to produce and store the silage? Will people pay for it and if so how much? What is the best way to take silage to farmers? And so forth. So there are still lots of questions to be answered but we are making good progress and are excited to further our understanding.” Peter tells us emphasizing that the project builds on previous research which shows that sweetpotato is a nutritious and affordable feed option so while they have much to learn they are not starting from square one.

Before we leave, Lawrence takes us over to where the pigs are kept. They are busy eating a mixture of green leafy vegetables (although not sweetpotato this time) and seem very happy with their meal. With pigs a highly sought after commodity for smallholder farmers in Uganda providing a cost effective and nutritious way for farmers to feed these animals seems like a fantastic way to increase profits and improve livelihoods for farming communities across the country.

Why this research is important

Roots, Tubers and Bananas crops are an important source of food and income in most developing countries. In Sub Saharan Africa, the crops are a major staple providing 20% of calorific requirements and constituting nearly two thirds of per capita food production. However, their full potential to contribute towards food and income security has not yet been realized due to a number of challenges, including bulkiness and high perishability of the crops, poor postharvest management and lack of storage and processing facilities. These challenges lead to high postharvest losses, short and direct marketing channels and limited value adding.

The team

The project is led by the International Potato Center (CIP) and implemented in collaboration with International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Makerere University, Uganda Martyrs University, Volunteer Efforts for Development Concerns (VEDCO), Coalition for Health, Agriculture and Income Networks (CHAIN)-Uganda, Pig Production and Marketing Ltd (PPM) and farmer organizations.

Expanding utilization of roots, tubers and bananas and reducing their postharvest losses

RTB-ENDURE is a 3 year project (2014-2016) implemented by the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas aims at addressing these challenges and opportunities. The project is funded by the European Union with technical support from IFAD.

Words & Images: Sara Quinn, Regional Communications Specialist, International Potato Center