{"metadata":{"id":"0169d71ed49ef5f8d1915ebd426f5608","source":"gardian_index","url":"https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/ded21f88-f7ab-471e-b42d-dd9a12bd6453/retrieve"},"pageCount":2,"title":"","keywords":[],"chapters":[{"head":"","index":1,"paragraphs":[{"index":1,"size":163,"text":"CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB). This project aims to: (i) investigate options for silage making and supplementation; (ii) identify gender responsive models for organizing value chain actors to produce, conserve and market sweetpotato based feeds; (iii) strengthen existing linkages between pig farmers and sweetpotato traders; and (iv) build business capacity for profitable silage making and pig raising by December 2016. Our challenge is to integrate sweetpotato and pig production systems and demonstrate its benefits, in terms of increased productivity, affordable costs and savings in labour use, to smallholder and commercially oriented Ugandan livestock farmers--especially women, who play a major role in pig production. Building on experience generated with partners in Kenya, we conduct adaptive participatory research with pilot farmers and youth entrepreneurs to test and validate the technological and economic feasibility of sweetpotato silage production and marketing as well as best-bet options for the organization of the value chain in Uganda. The expected research outcomes of this initiative are:"},{"index":2,"size":41,"text":"• Decreased postharvest losses (50% average reduction in the amount of wasted vines by pilot farmers and utilization of at least 20% of non-marketable roots for silage); • Increased shelf-life of sweetpotato residues (shelf-life of vines extended to at least 1.5"}]}],"figures":[],"sieverID":"87e68ee5-cf92-43c8-8a03-5fa4040166c6","abstract":"In Uganda, researchers are developing innovative business models to promote and commercialize sweetpotato silage. This is expected to transform production and utilization of sweetpotato vines and roots to attenuate the constraint of livestock feed shortages. Fig. 1 New silage recipes being tested Nutritious and affordable sweetpotato based silage: the feed solution for small-scale pig farmers 2015 AUG What is the problem?In Uganda, quality commercial concentrate pig feeds are expensive, while other locally available feeds are seasonal in nature and often of poor quality. Feed accounts for about 62% of the total production costs in pig farming and the problem is further compounded by farmers' limited knowledge of supplementation strategies. To mitigate feeding costs, farmers often resort to using locally available feed resources, e.g., crop residues, plant leaves (Ficus natalensis), swill and kitchen leftovers to feed their animals. Sweetpotato makes up about 20% of total crop residues provided by roots and tuber crops and farmers in Uganda currently feed an estimated 1.9 -2.7 kg per day of sweetpotato residues to pigs. However, sweetpotato vines, which are the most commonly used form of fodder, are highly perishable and seasonal in nature. Silage (fermented, high moisture stored fodder) is a relatively easy and affordable technology that farmers can use to conserve roots and vines for feeding pigs in times of scarcity and helps cope with seasonal feed prices fluctuations that many smallholder pig producers experience. Cost-effective sweetpotato silage recipes were developed and tested in Kenya during Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health (SASHA) Phase 1 project. Silage provides an opportunity to reduce waste in urban markets and at the household level can open up business opportunities for youth and women. However, the technology is not known amongst smallholder producers and has not been validated under Ugandan conditions."}