Pig Manure Management Practices in South-East Benin (West Africa)

The aim of this study was to investigate pig manure use practices on pig farms in Benin. Data on the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, herd structure and pig manure management practices were collected using a structured questionnaire. It was addressed to one hundred fifty-seven (157) randomly selected pig farmers in the departments of Ouémé and Plateau in south-eastern Benin. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logit model. Results showed that majority of the farmers (55 %) used pig manure burial. Complaints about poor manure management were the reason for the change of site, 82.9% in Ouémé and 78.3% in Plateau (p-value > 0.05). Gender of pig farmer, area of the farm, frequency of pigsty maintenance and herd size were important variables influencing manure management. This study showed that farmers’ knowledge of pig waste management was insufficient. Pig farmers need to be trained on manure management techniques for efficient and effective recovery of animal waste in an environment friendly way.