An innovation that monitors the growth of pigs while pointing farmers to right markets is proving popular among Kenyan farmers thanks to its ease of use even as pig farming takes root across East Africa informed by growing demand for pig products.
Dubbed E-pig and developed by technological solutions company, the management software Superior Farming Solutions (SFS Limited) guides farmers on pig rearing procedures like breeding, feeding, and maintenance of good health. The innovation also inculcates feeding rations, sales forecast and procurement practices.
E-Pig comes in three versions that target the whole market – a mobile version, for farmers with less than 10 sows, a desktop version, or farmers with between 10 to 30 sows, and enterprise version, for those with over 30 sows.
The software’s additional features include data analysis, monthly profit and loss accounts, income statements, budgets and forecasts, feeding and breeding plans, project sales, cash flow estimates and other important financial statements. It has the capacity to detect anomalies and deviations from the standard recommended practices, allowing the farmer to take quick remedial measures.
While farmers using it for the first time have to key in virtually all data which might prove cumbersome at first, the data is crucial in tracking the overall performance of the pigs if the desired size is to be realized. For example pigs have to be weighed every week for the system to check if they are growing to the desired rate.
The innovation is a sigh of relief to numerous pig farmers buffeted by a litany of woes from rising feed cost to emerging pig diseases. Besides providing e-pig, SFS also helps agri-investors select enterprises in farming, carries out feasibility tests, commences the project and supports the implementation and management of projects. Using modern ICT based solutions, the firm also helps investors to design and implement operating systems, which optimise operations and ensure profitability.