Economic Importance of Swine Production over Rearing of Other Domestic Livestock among People of Benue State Nigeria

Economic Importance of Swine Production over Rearing of Other Domestic Livestock among People of Benue State Nigeria.

ABSTRACT  

The researcher has undertaken this study on “Economic Importance of Swine Production over the Rearing of other Domestic Livestocks” to proffer some solution to the problems hindering the rearing of swine in Benue State particularly Zone C Senatorial District (Ado, Agatu, Apa, Obi, Ogbadibo, Ohimini, Oju, Okpokwu and Otukpo). The researcher used descriptive survey design to carry out the study.

The population for the study was 10,450 respondents drawn from twenty-seven towns of Zone C Senatorial District of Benue State. 600 respondents were proportionally and randomly selected as sample size for the study. General objective was formulated from which five specific objectives were formulated. Among these – is to compare swine prolificacy over the prolificacy of other domestic livestocks.

Five research questions were formulated to guide this study, among these is – what importance has the prolificacy of swine over other domestic livestocks like goats, sheep, horse and cattle? Five null hypotheses were formulated for the study among these is – there is no significant relationship between the prolificacy of swine over the prolificacy of other domestic livestock in Benue State.

Pilot study was conducted at Samaru using 20 respondents that reared domestic livestocks. This area was not part of the study location. Questionnaires were used as a medium for data collection. One sample T-test was used to test five null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance and all the null hypotheses were rejected meaning that there were significant differences between pig production over the production of other domestic livestocks. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page……………………………………………………………… i
Declaration………………………………………………………….. ii
Certification…………………………………………………………. iii
Dedication……………………………………………………………. iv
Acknowledgment…………………………………………………… iv
Abstract……………………………………………………………… vi
Table of contents…………………………………………………… xii
Operational Definition of Terms …………………………………….. ix
List of Tables…………………………………………………………

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study…………………………………… 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem…………………………………… 4
1.3 Objectives of the Study……………………………………….. 6
1.4 Research Questions…………………………………………….. 7
1.5 Research Hypotheses………………………………………… 8
1.6 Significance of the Study…………………………………………9
1.7 Basic Assumptions of the Study………………………………….11
1.8 Delimitation of the Study…………………………………………12

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 The Concept of the Economic Importance of Domestic
livestock…………………………………………………… 13
2.2 Pig Prolificacy……………………………………………….. 16
2.3 Efficiency of Pig Conversion of Food to Useful Products.…… 19
2.4 Advantages of Dressing Percentage with Nutrient Values of some
Swine meat pork and part of this meat (insulin) used as Diabetic
Treatment……………………………………………………. 23
2.4.1 Part of Pig Meat (insulin) Used as Treatment for Patient
with Diabetes ………………………………………………… 26
2.5 Rearing Systems of Pigs…………………………………………. 28
2.6 Financial Rewarding in Terms of Market Demand and Supply… 34
2.7 Empirical Studies………………………………………………. 38
2.8 Summary of the Reviewed Literature…………………………. 44

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design……………………………………………….. 47
3.2 Population for the Study……………………………………….. 48
3.3 Sample Size and Sampling Procedure………………………….. 48
3.4 Instrument for Data Collection…………………………………. 51
3.4.1 Validity of the Instrument…………………………………….. 52
3.4.2 Pilot Study……………………………………………………… 52
3.4.3 Reliability of the Instrument…………………………………… 53
3.5 Procedure for Data Collection………………………………… 53
3.6 Procedure for Data Analysis…………………………………… 54

CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
4.1 Analysis of Demographic Variables of the Respondents…….. 56
4.2 Analyses of Data to Answer Research Questions……………… 56
4.3 Test of Null Hypotheses……………………………………….. 69
4.4 Summary of Major Findings…………………………………… 74
4.5 Discussion of Major Findings………………………………. 75

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary…………………………………………………… 80
5.2 Conclusion………………………………………………….. 83
5.3 Recommendations…………………………………………… 85
5.4 Suggestions for Further Studies…………………………….. 87
5.5 Contribution to Knowledge Advancement…………………. 88
5.6 Limitation of the study……………………………………… 89
References…………………………………………………………… 91
Appendices…………………………………………………………. 95

INTRODUCTION  

Domestication of livestock started by the early hunters that go about in search of plants and animals for food. Adeleye and Falusi (1986) testified that some of these animals captured alive, especially the young ones were kept alive and reared for some times before killing them for food while some of them were kept to continue to produce young ones. This practice gave birth to the domestication of livestock that were in full practice today because of the economic importance attached to the animals and their byproducts.

However, economic importance of pig production over other domestic livestock (like poultry, sheep, goats, horses, cattle, rabbits, etcetera) in areas like pigs prolificacy, efficiency of pigs conversion of feed to useful products (pork meat, skin, hair and manure), the advantages of dressing percentage with nutrients values and part of pig meat (insulin) used in treating diabetic patients, rearing systems (extensive, semi-intensive and intensive) and finally financial benefits in terms of market demand and supply over other domestic livestock were so great.

These have made it possible for pig production to become one of the lucrative business among other domestic livestocks in some countries like – Europe, China, India, – 13 – America, Cameroun, Ghana and other countries. This business involved the use of improved breeds with good feeding and management practices which included disease and parasites control measures (Eusebio, 1980). 

However, in poorer countries like Africa, improvement in pig production was slow compared to the improvement in other domestic livestock production for example; many tropical African countries like Cameroun, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Zimbabwe et-cetera, large number of domesticated native pigs were raised as scavengers (extensive system) or raised as backyard (intensive system) to be depended on kitchen and farm wastes are still in practice. 

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StudentsandScholarship Team.