The Benue State Swine Improvement Project originated from an effort to reduce impacts of an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in 1998-2000, which decimated the Nigerian swine population. The Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam contacted Iowa State University to request help in bringing new swine genetics and modern swine production methods to Benue State. Although the initial focus was on swine production, The ISU global Extension team identified an equal effort was needed to infuse modern agronomic technologies and techniques required to grow the necessary feed resources for growing pig and human populations. Currently, average corn yields are 25 bushels per acre and soybeans yield 15 bushels per acre. Through instructions on crop-raising knowledge and timely applications of fertilizers and crop protection, a goal of substantially increased yields of maize and soybeans will be realized.
The Benue Swine Team is a multi-discipline group charged with learning and transferring modern pork production to the Benue State environment. This team of six Nigerians arrived Sep 20 to begin their three-month swine production training program with Iowa State University under the leadership of ISU Extension veterinarian Dr. Jim McKean. The six swine production specialists, Dr. Hangem Deborah Seember, Torhemen Michael, Taangahar David Vayima, Iorgyer Mary Iveren, Tingir Joy Ngo and Saawuan Wilfred Iorkumba, were placed in an immersive learning environment coordinated by an Iowa-based commercial production company. The training included daily hands-on experience in semen collection and processing, heat detection and pig husbandry for breeding, gestation, farrowing and grow-finish ages. In addition to learning general swine production practices, the six specialists identified what is meant by teamwork, active leadership, multi-tasking, and what can be accomplished with a positive attitude at work through their daily interactions with the swine production staff.
The training interactions offered ISU Extension staff and Veterinary College faculty a chance to learn about the challenges facing Nigeria and explore some of the potential solutions with face to face meetings with the Nigerian swine team members. These contacts are important because it enables ISU staff to understand challenges faced by and capabilities of the Benue Swine Team. Over time this knowledge foundation can be used to offer specific advice that when applied is directly applicable to successful outcomes in Benue State. This interaction may be offered electronically, so ISU faculty/staff are not required to travel to Nigeria to solve emerging or endemic problems.
The role of the Benue Swine Team is to provide applications of modern swine production within the context of Benue and Nigerian needs and resources. This task includes multiplification and distribution of the newly imported genetics, instruction and illustration of bio-security principles, and provision of balanced feed rations to build a productive swine production system within Benue State. It will be a large undertaking for the six Nigerians as they prepare for the arrival of the new breeding stock. When the team left for home, they had a timetable and to-do list in hand and will be working closely with the Governor’s project coordinator to secure a list of available feed resources, make sure building construction is progressing as planned, and a new water borehole is completed. ISU Global Extension is consulting on much of the structural work and preparations, but ultimately the success of the project rests with Benue State and the Benue Swine Team.