Day 3: MoA Multiplication Unit and Piggery Expert

Breeding pigs at the multiplication unit

Visiting the Ministry of Agriculture’s multiplication unit this morning was a very different experience from the two other farms we’ve seen thus far on the trip. Unlike he pigs at the multiplication unit, the pigs at FoodNet were more curious. The pigs at FoodNet approached the farm manager, were excited during feeding. 

Chunky growers at the multiplication unit

The pigs held by the multiplication unit were more nervous and jumpy, exhibiting signs that we later learned could arise from fighting with one another. Naomi and Diego keep their animals in family units in order to prevent the otherwise territorial animals from fighting. The multiplication unit did present us with an interesting idea: a larger open enclosure for sows to hang out instead of being kept inside cement pens all day. 

The afternoon we got to meet Mr. Mphinyane at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) headquarters in Gaborone, who works with the piggery sector. Everyone at the ministry was welcoming, from the random employee jumping into photos with Ellie to the smiling and singing MoA worker who shared our elevator ride. In addition to the smiling faces, the ministry gave us some more information about the constraints facing the piggery sector. From the cost of feed to the lack of slaughter facilities, the piggery sector is facing significant challenges. The meeting with Mphinyane though led us to discover that there is in fact an even larger farm, operating with over 100 sow units, better infrastructure, that were even incorporating the slaughter and processing facilities.