Abstract:
A study was conducted in Mpara sub county from February-May 2015 to establish gender participation in smallholder swine production with peculiar emphasis on comparison of gender and socio-economic characteristics of pig rearing households, gender and decision making regarding-the selling and use of revenue from pigs. Four parishes, villages per parish and 12 pig rearing households per village were randomly selected through a multistage random selection procedure where both qualitative and quantitative research approaches were employed and data analyzed using SPSS software with p<0.05 taken as significant Ievel
The study found that the major gender influenced socio-economic characteristics of pig rearing households are primary education (63:9%) and (P=0.009), marriage (73.7%) and (p=0.001), provision of labor (625%)and (p = 0.0017), male dominated pig ownership (54.6%).Pig selling decisions were mainly made by men and women (68.75%) and significantly dependent on gender (p = 0.037).Those regarding use of obtained revenue were made by women and men mostly (67%) with a statistical significant relationship with gender (p =0.008). It was concluded that the major gender influenced characteristics of pig rearing households are education, marriage, income source, pig ownership provision of labor and gender significantly influences decision making regarding selling of pigs and use of revenue obtained. It was also recommended that gender emancipation campaigns should be enhanced since it affects many of the socio-economic characteristics of pig rearing household's and the way decisions are made.
