Brigitte Mukandoha, a pig farmer from Nyamata Sector in Bugesera District, has seen improvement in her farm performance and income, as a result of efficient artificial insemination supported by the use of drones which ensures timely swine semen delivery.

"I used to rely on natural mating, but this was risky. Pigs could spread sexually transmitted diseases, and inbreeding among relatives often resulted in weak piglets with high mortality rates," she said, indicating that artificial insemination has helped mitigate these risks while reducing the cost of keeping a boar, a male pig for breeding.

"In 2022, when I relied on traditional insemination, I would sell a 100-kilogramme [live] pig for Rwf300,000. Now, using artificial insemination, I can’t sell it for less than Rwf400,000," Mukandoha said.

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Mukandoha is one of several pig farmers who have reaped the benefits of transitioning from traditional method – consisting of natural mating – to artificial insemination.

Solange Uwituze, Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Development at RAB, told The New Times that the novel approach has contributed to an improvement in conception rates in pigs.

"The conception is at 87 per cent, before utilisation of drones and establishing artificial insemination centers, it was at 55 per cent. The success rate is at 85 per cent,” Uwituze said.

Underscoring the swift transport means, Prosper Uruvugundi, Partnerships Manager at Zipline Rwanda – an aerial logistics firm behind the initiative – said that a drone can do 210 kilometres round trip in less than two hours, pointing out that progress was made regarding the use of drones in swine semen delivery in the country since its introduction in 2021.

He was speaking to The New Times at the African Conference on Agricultural Technologies (ACAT) 2025 which was held in Rwanda in June.

"When we started, it took time for people to adapt to the technology. But today, every single day, we deliver over 100 doses and one pig delivers between 8 to 16 piglets. So, last year alone, we delivered over 50,000 doses,” he said.

"If in a year, you deliver 50,000 doses, that&039;s a lot of meat you are also are putting on the market,” he said of the impact.

The innovation is part of ongoing efforts to enhance pig farming efficiency and reduce risks, including sexually transmitted diseases associated with traditional breeding methods.

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According to Uwituze, the annual target for pig artificial insemination under the Fifth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA 5) – which runs from 2024/25 through 2028/29 – is 112,500.

In that regard, she said that the government plans to set up two artificial insemination centers, which will add to the six already existing ones which operate in Rwamagana, Gicumbi, Bugesera, Rubavu, Rusizi, and Muhanga.

She added that RAB is focusing on genetic improvement, pig nutrition, best practices in breeding boars for semen collection, improved gilt management, and biosecurity measures, for better results.

Drones as game changers

Meanwhile, Mukandoha said that drone delivery has addressed transportation challenges that were negatively affecting productivity.

"If semen is mishandled or transported on poor roads in rural areas, it may arrive damaged. This is where drones have been instrumental in ensuring safe and efficient delivery over long distances," she said.

On the cost aspect, she said that a dose of semen costs Rwf6,500 – excluding the transport and veterinary service fees – which is relatively a bigger amount compared to traditional breeding, where farmers could use a male pig to mate with a sow.

However, though farmers buy semen under artificial insemination, it has some advantages since they do not incur the costs associated with keeping a boar, and protects their pigs from potential disease spread and inbreeding that would occur in case of mating.

Jean Claude Shirimpumu, Chairperson of the Rwanda Pig Farmers’ Association, said that drone delivery has been a game-changer in pig farming.

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Shirimpumu is also the founder of Vision Agribusiness Farm (VAF), a firm that offers services including artificial insemination to farmers.

He said that semen is stored at drone launching sites available in Kayonza and Muhanga, before being dispatched upon order pressed by farmers.

"Farmers send requests to Vision Agribusiness Farm (VAF), specifying the type of semen needed and their location. VAF then coordinates with Zipline, which delivers the semen promptly; the whole process cannot exceed 30 minutes,” he said.

The time it takes to deliver semen varies depending on the distance between the farmer and a drone launching site, The New Times understands.

Shirimpumu explained that the move has addressed a major logistical challenge, ensuring that semen reaches farms in optimal condition.

"Previously, a farmer in Rubavu who needed semen from Gicumbi had to endure a long journey, and by the time they arrived, the semen was often no longer viable. With Zipline’s specialised equipment, semen now arrives in perfect condition," Shirimpumu said.

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He said that since 2014, he has been importing exotic breeds from Europe to improve swine productivity. However, when inseminating a large number of pigs using traditional methods, some would contract infectious diseases and spread them to others.

"Farmers had to physically move pigs to find a breeding male, exposing them to diseases like foot-and-mouth disease or injuries during transportation," Shrimpumu said.

Now, with the help of artificial insemination, he said that farmers have improved access to specialised breeds for various purposes which are productive.

"Pietrain and Duroc are meat-producing breeds with minimal fat, while Large White and Landrace are excellent for reproduction but contain more fat. There is also a hybrid breed, Camborough, which balances both traits," Shirimpumu explained.

He estimated that the introduction of artificial insemination has led to a 90 per cent increase in pig farming productivity, indicating that modern pig breeds raised under artificial insemination show remarkable growth.

"In six months, they can reach between 100 and 120 kilogrammes, compared to traditional pigs that barely reached 30 to 40 kilogrammes [in the same period]."

"With traditional mating, the quality of semen was unreliable. Now, each semen collection is checked for quality, and a single collection from a male pig can inseminate between 10 and 20 females," Shirimpumu stated.

By the 2023-2024 fiscal year, pork production reached 28,000 tonnes, accounting for 14 per cent of Rwanda&039;s total meat production, according to Uwituze, who indicated that the country now counts more than 1.3 million pigs.