| Summary: | To understand better the zootechnical and economic characteristics of pig farming, a diagnostic study was conducted on 324 pig farms from March to June 2016, in the form of cross-sectional and retrospective surveys in the three regions of Southern Casamance, Senegal. The results showed that pig farming was practiced by both married and educated men and women. They were mainly of the Diola, Mancagne and Balante ethnic groups and combined pig breeding with agriculture, private activity or trade. They operated in three different farming systems (traditional, semi-intensive or intensive), with a marked predominance of the traditional system (85.5% of farms). The latter was characterized by improved traditional hog barns (51.1%) or makeshift sheds (28.4%), where mostly local swine (90.4% of farms) were bred. The average size of the herd was 19.2 ± 20.1 pigs. In 97% of cases, breeders fed the animals from kitchen waste, and agricultural and agro-industrial by-products. The mean age at breeding was 7.6 ± 1.8 months and the mean litter size was 7.4 ± 2.2 piglets. This livestock subsector has a real poverty alleviation potential because it generates net incomes of 5435 to 7566 FCFA per fattened pig per year, depending on the system. Nevertheless, the lack of training of livestock farmers, inadequate pig housing, and feed and health constraints remain the main factors hindering the development of pig farming in the region. It would be useful to find alternative ways to improve housing conditions, feeding and health monitoring of pigs, along with better organization and capacity building of producers and other actors in the pig sector.
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