Munzhelele, PriscillaOguttu, James WabwireFasanmi, Olubunmi GabrielFasina, Folorunso Oludayo2016-11-012017-01Munzhelele, P., Oguttu, J., Fasanmi, O.G. & Fasina, F.O. Production constraints of smallholder pig farms in agro-ecological zones of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Tropical Animal Health and Production, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 63-69 (2017). doi:10.1007/s11250-016-1158-7.0049-4747 (print)1573-7438 (online)10.1007/s11250-016-1158-7http://hdl.handle.net/2263/57607South African pig sector is a contributor to the agricultural industry. A study was conducted to identify the production constraints and compare the management practices in smallholder pig farms in Mpumalanga, South Africa. A total of 220 selected smallholder pig farmers were interviewed. Smallholder pig farming was predominated by male (64 %), age above 50 years (54 %), black Africans (98.6 %), and three quarters of the smallholder farmers were poor to just below average. Majority (80 %) have no pig husbandry training, while only 33 % received assistance from government’s Agricultural Department. In terms of stock, mixed breeds (89 %) from exotic pigs were mostly kept and majority (87 %) of the farmers kept ≤10 sows in their herds. Many farmers (75 %) engaged in risky behavior of buying auctioned-sourced boars, free-range boars, and untested boars from neighbors and relatives. Few (17 %) farmers practiced vaccination and only 10 % kept farm records. Majority of the responses on pre-weaning mortality (50 %) and post-weaning mortality (90 %) were within acceptable range of 1–10 and 1–5 % mortality rates, respectively. The lead causes of mortality were weak piglets and crushing (46 %), diarrhea (27 %), poor management knowledge (19 %), and malnutrition (16 %). Agricultural training and government incentives will facilitate improved productivity in smallholder pig farming.en© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016. The original publication is available at : http://link.springer.comjournal/11250.Pre-weaning mortalityDiseasesNutritionSmallholder pig farmSouth African pig sectorProduction constraintsManagement practicesMpumalanga Province, South AfricaPostprint Article