The potential role of crop wastes in Uganda’s future pork and poultry meat production: A mini review

Abstract

In Uganda, it is projected that pork and poultry meat consumption will exceed any other livestock meat in the next decade. However, pork and poultry meat in most markets in Uganda is less healthy which may predispose consumers to risks of cardiovascular complications. This is due to the high fatty acid saturation of the two meat products on the market resulting from the compromise on feed quality. In an effort to contribute to meeting the projected demand, while ensuring low fatty acid saturation, the current review explores literature on potential low-cost ingredients with low saturated fatty acid composition. The review focuses on post-harvest crop wastes that could be fed to pigs and/or poultry directly and those that can be used to develop other ingredients for use in pig and poultry diets. Sweet potato vines and pumpkin wastes have been found as potential ingredients for use in pig and poultry feeds to produce high-quality meat with enhanced polyunsaturated fatty acids. Other potential ingredients are biochar from crop wastes and insect meals raised on crop wastes. To ensure adoption of these post-harvest wastes for use in animal feeds, there is need to first build capacity of extension workers to train the farmers on the inclusion of post-harvest wastes in pig and poultry diets.

Keywords:

• biochar
• insect meals
• post-harvest wastes
• pumpkin wastes
• sweet potato vines

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

There is a steadily increasing trend in the consumption of pork and poultry meat in Uganda. This increase in consumption necessitates establishment of a sustainable production system for both pigs and poultry, focusing on the production of nutritionally safe pork and poultry meat. This will only be possible if the feeding constraint is mitigated, especially among the smallholder farmers who produce most of the country’s pork and poultry meat. The current review unearths the potential low-cost feed ingredients which, if judiciously included, can result in healthy pork and poultry meat with enhanced Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid composition for a healthy meat market.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to our respective institutions for having availed us with favourable conditions throughout the preparation of this paper. The great work of the different authors cited herein is highly appreciated for, without it, preparing this review would have been an impossible task.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All the necessary data for this work is included within the paper.

Additional information

Funding

The current work received no external funding.

Notes on contributors

J. S. Kasima

Junior Senyonga Kasima is a non-ruminant nutritionist who is enthusiastic in finding alternative feeding solutions for smallholder systems to ensure sustainable production of nutritionally safe animal source foods. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Agricultural and Applied Biosciences (Animal Nutrition) from Gulu University

H. Muyinza

Harriet Muyinza (PhD) is a Principal Research Officer (Postharvest Biologist and Entomologist) at National Agricultural Research Laboratories. Harriet has developed and promoted use of improved post-harvest technologies and conducted research on sustainable agri-food systems and is involved in fostering innovations upscaling, especially for value addition, and reduction of post-harvest losses and food waste.

B. Mugonola

Basil Mugonola (PhD) is an Associate Professor of agricultural and environmental economics at the department of Rural Development and Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Gulu University. He has research interest in the economics of smallholder production systems and overall competitiveness of agricultural value chains.

E. K. Ndyomugyenyi

Elly Kurobuza Ndyomugyenyi (PhD) is an Associate Professor and Head of Department, Animal Production and Range Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Gulu University. Ndyomugyenyi’s research interests are in alternative (non-conventional) feed resources to reduce feed costs for non-ruminant production. He has done extensive work on Java plum and Jackfruit seeds as feed for poultry.