Pig Keeping

I sold 9 pigs, got TZS. 700,000, made bricks and constructed a family house to do away with my old, small and uncomfortable one that could not allow enough privacy with my wife. Through income from pigs, I managed to install solar panel in my house. Solar light gives my wife freedom to work overnight…she cooks [prepares] buns overnight and sell them the next morning. I also provide phone charging services to other villagers and earn an extra income of around TZS. 15,000 per month.

Through this project [pig husbandry] I can now manage to join Village Community Banks (VICOBA) and small loans – I never had money to do that in the past. Our life used to be very difficult and it was not easy to get money, when I heard news about the project I decided to join…after joining, my life changed.

I used to fight with my husband because our house was very primitive, we never used to sleep if there is rain during the night. We are now very happy to have moved to the new house built by money from sales of pigs – no more fights! I took part of the income from pigs to start a small business here in the village – I make breads and buns and sell them in the village where I earn up to TZS. 65,000 per month.

A I was convinced to start pig husbandry when I saw my friend’s life was improving every day, I made decisions to join the project a day when I visited him and surprised by 9 new piglets born from one pig. I see myself becoming rich, by 2020 I will be very rich like my friends, I can see a bright future ahead of me and I can confidently encourage others to start keeping pigs.

Since I started using manure from pigs I have seen increased production, such that I was able to sell excess maize and beans and pay school fees for my children. In the past, it was not easy to sell food because the harvests were very little. This project will help many people if continued, forest crimes will end completely since people will find no reasons toinvade the forests.