On 13 May 2013, the “Assessing the Impact of African swine fever (ASF) in smallholder pig systems and the feasibility of potential interventions” project held a kick-off workshop in Kampala. Led by the Swedish Veterinary Institute (SVA), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Makerere University, the project is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

Danilo Pezo, leader of the Smallholder Pig Value Chains Development in Uganda (SPVCD) project welcomed participants and explained project progress in three sites: Kamuli, Masaka and Mukono. Emphasis was put on the process of site selection and the tools developed to assess smallholder pig value chains in Uganda.

Michel Dione presented results on animal health and food safety components of the project while Richard Bishop presented results from the “African swine fever: diagnostics, surveillance, epidemiology and control” funded by CSIRO/AusAID through the ILRI-BecA Hub.

Karl Stahl (SVA) presented the results of a previous project titled “Dynamics and diversity of ASF in Uganda: The wild pig/tick/livestock interface and the peri-urban non-sylvatic cycle of ASFV transmission”, and Erika Chenais a researcher from the same institution presented the new SIDA-funded project. Other presentations in the workshop included:

• The Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) Initiative AppLab in Uganda, by Sean Krepp (Grameen Foundation – Uganda);
•  Assessment of economic impacts of ASF in Gulu (Uganda), by Tony Aliro, district veterinary officer in Gulu District; and
• The village level module – Pilot implantation in the Republic of Georgia, by Daniel Beltrán-Alcrudo (FAO/EMPRES Infectious Diseases Group).

Other participants in the workshop were: Emily A. Ouma, agricultural economist, ILRI/SPVCD Project; Charles Masembe, molecular biologist, College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University; Lawrence Mayega, district veterinary officer, Masaka District; Sofia Boqvist, senior research lecturer In food safety, SLU; and Ulf Emanuelson, professor of veterinary epidemiology, SLU.

Article contribute by Danilo Pezo (D.Pezo (at) cgiar.org)