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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

African swine fever (ASF) is a severe viral disease that affects both

domestic and wild pigs and causes significant economic and production

losses. Many ASF virus (ASFV) strains kill nearly all of the infected pigs.

The Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary

Animal Diseases (GF-TADs), also known as the “FAO-OIE GF-TADs

general agreement,” was launched on May 24, 2004. GF-TADs is a joint

FAO and OIE initiative for zoonoses, with participation from the World

Health Organization, with the goal of achieving TAD prevention, detection,

and control by focusing on their original and global dimensions (Yun, 2020).

The outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Asia has been

unprecedented, with outbreaks affecting animal health and welfare, the

agricultural economy, and food security (FAO, 2020; Tian and von Cramon-

Taubadel, 2020). While ASF does not directly endanger human health, its

highly contagious and fatal characteristics, which affect both young and old,

as well as domestic and wild boar populations, could cause severe

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devastation to the pig industry (Yun, 2020). African Swine Fever has

ravaged the swine industries of both Western (1960-1995) and Eastern

Europe (2007-2018) (Cwynar et al., 2019; Lu et al., 2020), killing over a

million pigs in China since severe outbreaks in 2018, signaling fear and

unprecedented spread among other countries in Asia (Estienne, 2019).

Since then, many Asian countries have been affected, including Mongolia

in January, Vietnam in February, Cambodia in April, North Korea in May,

Laos in June, Myanmar in August, and South Korea in September, among

others, with the Philippines becoming the ninth affected country (Pig

Progress, 2019; Estienne, 2019; FAO, 2020; Kim et al., 2020; Parrocha,

2020). From 2005 to 2018, the number of countries affected increased at an

unprecedented rate (Rozstalnyy and Plavi, 2019). Because the ASF DNA

virus is complex and unusually related to other viruses, no effective vaccine

has yet been developed (Costard et al., 2013), necessitating a multifaceted

approach to prevention and mitigate its impact.

Preventing African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks necessitates the

active participation of pig farmers, who are on the front lines of detection,

notification, and the implementation of strict biosecurity measures. And

although there have been multiple studies performed about, there has been
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no concise study focusing on the perspective of the pig farmers towards bio-

security measures in preventing the spread of ASF, therefore, conducting

this phenomenological research on this matter is essential to understand

the perception of pig farmers on this matter.

For this reason, the researcher is moved to conduct a study on

Perception of pig farmers in san miguel, Surigao del Sur towards Bio-

Security Measures in Preventing the Spread of African Swine Fever which

aims to know and understand the point of view of pig farmers in San Miguel,

Surigao del Sur, and determine how these preventive measures to contain

ASF has affected their livelihoods.

Theoretical Framework

Transactional Model of Stress and Coping Theory

Lazarus and Folkman (1987) developed the transactional model of

stress and coping theory, which defined stress as an imbalance between

perceived external or internal demands and perceived personal and social

resources to deal with them. Coping, according to Lazarus and Folkman, is

a phenomenon that involves both cognitive and behavioral responses that

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individuals use in an attempt to manage internal and/or external stressors

that are perceived to be greater than their personal resources (Biggs, 2017).

With this in mind, the researcher will investigate more about both

cognitive and behavioral response of the Pig farmers in San Miguel, Surigao

del Sur as attempt they to manage internal and/or external stressors

perceived to exceed their personal resources brought by the bio-security

measures in preventing the spread of African Swine Fever. Specifically, with

the mentioned theory, the researcher aims to know the consequences and

coping mechanisms of the pig farmers.

Protection Motivation Theory

Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) by Ronald W. Rogers helps us

understand individual human responses to fear appeals. According to

protection motivation theory, people protect themselves based on two

factors: threat appraisal and coping appraisal (Normal et al., 2015). Threat

appraisal examines the severity of the situation and how serious it is,

whereas coping appraisal examines how one responds to the situation. The

perceived severity of a threatening event and the perceived probability of

occurrence, or vulnerability, comprise threat appraisal. Perceived response

efficacy, or an individual's expectation that taking the recommended action

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will eliminate the threat, and perceived self-efficacy, or belief in one's ability

to carry out the recommended courses of action successfully, comprise

coping appraisal (Rogers, 1975).

The theories cited will support the researcher to have a better

penetration on the ongoing study and shall create a clear understanding on

the perception of the pig farmers in the preventive measures against African

Swine Fever. The interconnection of the conduction of the study on

Perception of Pig Farmers in San Miguel, Surigao del Sur towards Bio-

Security Measures in Preventing the Spread of African Swine Fever.

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Conceptual Framework

Understanding Perception

of pig farmers in san

Miguel, Surigao del Sur

Pig farmers in San
towards Bio-Security
Miguel, Surigao del Sur
Measures in Preventing

the Spread of African

Swine Fever.

Figure 1.

Schematic Diagram of the Study

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Statement of the Problem

The researchers aimed to understand the perception of the pic

farmers in San Miguel, Surigao del Sur towards bio-security measures in

preventing the spread of the African Swine Fever. Specifically, the

researchers sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the perceptions of pig farmers on bio-security measure in

preventing the African swine fever?

2. What are the consequences in the livelihood of Pig Farmers caused by

African swine fever?

3. How does Pig Farmers overcome the situation in preventing African

Swine Fever?

Scope and Limitation

The study centralized about perception of the pic farmers in San

Miguel, Surigao del Sur towards bio-security measures in preventing the

spread of the African Swine Fever. The main purpose of the study is to gain

more information that would pave way to having an in-depth understanding

about the point of view of pig farmers in the chosen locality, and determine
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how these preventive measures to contain African Swine Fever has affected

their livelihoods.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to discuss and provide significant information

regarding the understanding about the perception of the pic farmers in San

Miguel, Surigao del Sur towards bio-security measures in preventing the

spread of the African Swine Fever. This study can lead to a greater

comprehension of the challenges faced by these pig farmers and how they

were able to create their own coping mechanisms. The results/ findings of

this study could carry a significant contribution on the following:

Department of Agriculture. Results of the study will serve as source

of information about the current status of pig farmers that may help the said

sector to devise appropriate plans to support pig farmers.

National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). This study will serve as

a document of information, and compilation of experiences and various

ways in which pig farmers, due to bio-security measure in preventing ASF

are able to cope up its consequences to their livelihood.

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Pig Farmers. The proposed study will help pig farmers to be given a

chance to express their perspectives and experiences about the bio-security

measures in preventing the spread of ASF.

Consumers. This study can contribute as an additional knowledge to

the consumers that ASF is indeed serious. This would also allow them to be

cautious in examining the meat they buy on any public markets.

Future Researchers. This result of study may provide a source of

information of another research problem and will likewise fill in as a

reference for future researchers in the accompanying ages to come.

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Definition of Terms

For the purpose of clarity and understanding, some terms used in the

study were defined conceptually.

African Swine Fever (ASF). It refers to a highly contagious

hemorrhagic disease that affects pigs, warthogs, European wild boars, and

American wild pigs.

Agricultural Economics. It refers to the branch of economics

concerned with applying economic theory to the production and distribution

of food and fiber.

Agriculture. It pertains to the science or practice of farming, which

includes the cultivation of soil for crop growth and the rearing of animals for

food, wool, and other products.

Bio-security. It pertains to the measures aimed at reducing the risk

of infectious disease transmission by preventing the introduction and/or

spread of harmful organisms to animals and plants.

Perception. It refers to the process of organizing, identifying, and

interpreting sensory information in order to represent and comprehend the

information or environment presented.

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Pig farmers. It pertains to the ones in charge of the daily care and

management of pigs raised for the pork industry.

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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents views of literatures and studies of authors,

researchers, and developers from local and foreign books, articles, and

other references like internet, which are related to the study and are

significant in terms of strengthening the concepts and ideas of the study.

The literatures and studies were read and analyzed thoroughly.

Risk factors for the spreading of ASFV

Few analytical studies have been conducted to identify ASF risk

factors at the farm level (Mannelli, 2020). A free range pig management

system, the previous occurrence of a disease in the farm, the presence of

an infected pig farm in the neighborhood or an abattoir in the community,

and visits by veterinarians and para-veterinarians have all been found to

increase the risk of an outbreak (Tao et al., 2020). A spatial regression

analysis discovered that the density of the road network, water bodies, and

the domestic swine population were associated with outbreaks in Russia,

and a spatial spread model discovered that the movement of infected

animals was the most important factor in the spread of ASFV (Mighell and
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Ward, 2021). The main risk factors in the backyard sector are human-

caused, such as illegal movements of infected pork meat and swill feeding,

as well as suspected case underreporting and "emergency sales." (Penrith,

2020).

Swill, which may contain untreated ASFV contaminated pork or pig

products, is commonly used as supplementary feed in the backyard sector.

Often, contaminated meat is stored chilled, frozen, or after treatment for long

periods of time, acting as the primary mechanism for ASFV maintenance

and re-introduction. Recent epidemiological studies in Lithuania and Latvia

have suggested that fresh grass and seeds contaminated by infectious wild

boar secretions could be a source of infection in backyards (Kuster, 2015).

Virus reintroduction and amplification occur primarily in backyard pigs, and

ASFV then spreads seasonally, first to small farms and then to commercial

pigs.

Furthermore, here in the Philippines, since its arrival in the country in

2019, ASF has spread to 12 regions, 46 provinces, 493 cities and

municipalities, and 2,561 villages. As seen in many outbreaks in Philippines

(Kuster et al., 2015), the interaction between wild boar and domestic pigs

can prolong ASFV circulation in both swine populations. The number of

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backyards, combined with illegal pig grazing, is regarded as a major risk

practice for the persistence of ASF in certain areas of the island (Kouam, et

al., 2020). Indeed, free-range pigs grazing on vast municipally owned lands

have been strongly linked to the persistence of ASFV infection in the Nuoro

endemic area, as evidenced by intense viral circulation among such pigs

(Wang et al., 2018).

Synthesis

ASFV is a wild boar virus that can cause food poisoning in backyard

pigs. Swill is commonly used as supplementary feed in the backyard sector

and may contain untreated ASFV contaminated pork or pig products. There

have been few analytical studies to identify ASF risk factors at the farm level

(Mannelli, 2020). A free range pig management system, the previous

occurrence of a disease on the farm, the presence of an infected pig farm

in the neighborhood or an abattoir in the community, and veterinarian and

para-veterinarian visits all increase the risk of an outbreak (Tao et al., 2020).

Human-caused risk factors in the backyard sector include illegal movements

of infected pork meat and swill feeding, as well as suspected case

underreporting and "emergency sales."

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Since its arrival in the Philippines in 2019, ASF has spread to 12 regions,

46 provinces, 493 cities and municipalities, and 2,561 villages. Swill, which

may contain untreated ASFV contaminated pork or pig products, is

commonly used as supplementary feed in the backyard sector. The number

of backyards, combined with illegal pig grazing, is regarded as a major risk

practice for the persistence of ASF in certain areas of the island.

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Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the methods of research used with brief

description of the research design, research locale, research participants,

sampling design, data gathering procedure, data analysis, and ethical

considerations of this study.

Research Design

The researcher will use a qualitative design through the study

particularly a phenomenological approach on the perception of pig farmers

towards the bio-security measures to prevent African Swine Fever (ASF).

The researcher will employ data collection by conducting interviews, taking

down notes, recording behavior and through observations. The gathered

information will be primarily focusing on learners of the said school. In this

research design, the point of view of the pig farmers about the preventive

measures against ASF will be collected for the researcher to formulate a

concluded perception.
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Research Locale

This research will be carried out at San Miguel, Surigao del Sur. San

Miguel, officially the Municipality of San Miguel, is a first-class municipality

in the Philippine province of Surigao del Sur. It has a population of 39,340

people, according to the 2015 census. It is the province's largest

municipality and city, covering an area of 55,800 hectares.

Research Participants

This study will include pig farmers from San Miguel, Surigao del Sur.

A group of about 5 pig farmers will be chosen. These participants must

correspond to the following criteria: must be a citizen of San Miguel, is a pig

farmer or whose livelihood includes pig farming, and must have been

affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak. This type of sampling

is known as purposive sampling where the participants must suit to the set

criteria above.
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Sampling Design

In this study, purposive sampling technique will be used. This

technique is a form of non-probability sampling in which we will depend on

the participants’ participation and/or judgement. The said type of technique

is intentionally chosen among other techniques in sampling since we set

criteria in choosing participants who participated in the study.

Data Gathering Procedure

In order to document the needed data for the research, we utilized the

following procedures:

Permission. In order to conduct interviews for the study, the researcher

will seek permission from the Local Government Unit of San Miguel as well

as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture in the said locality.

Following the authorities’ approval, the researcher will ask the selected

participants for permission to answer whether they meet the participant

criteria or not. If the participant is a citizen of San Miguel, a pig farmer or

whose livelihood includes pig farming, and have been affected by the
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African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak. Following their approval, the

researcher will request the participant's preferred time for the interview.

Informed Written Consent. The researcher will seek formal

permission from the participant to participate in the study. The participant

will sign a consent form stating their agreement to participate in the study,

and informative written consent will be provided.

Interview. The interview with the participants will be conducted one-

on-one. We will select a location based on the convenience of the

participants. During the interview, a good conversational approach will be

used to get through information about the topic. The researcher will discuss

the study's confidentiality and purpose. Participants will have the opportunity

to ask questions.

Recording and Transcription. The researcher will film the

participant's responses with an audio recording device based on the

participant's reference, and then transcribe them. Following the

transcription, the ideas of the participants will be highlighted.

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Data Analysis. The researcher will employ Colaizzi's method because

it aids in the identification of important information and the organization of it

into themes and categories. The seven steps of this method will be strictly

followed: in that order, the research will write down all of the subject

descriptions, obtain the important statements, formulate meanings from

their statements, construct a theme from it, develop a comprehensive

description, identify the fundamental structure of the findings, and return to

the participants for validation.

Ethical Considerations

It is critical to adhere to rules and ethics both during and after the conduct

of this research. The researcher will not cause harm to the participant in any

way. Respect for the participants and the environment will be instilled. Any

responses and/or answers provided by interview participants will not be

disclosed to anyone or anywhere. In terms of data findings, the researcher

will emphasize fairness and transparency in the participants' reactions and

responses.
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Cwynar, P.; Stojkov, J.; Wlazlak, K. (2019). African Swine Fever status in

Europe. Viruses 11(4): 310.

Estienne, M.J. (2019). An update on African Swine Fever and its effects on pork

production. Virginia Cooperative Extension. Available in:

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Kim, H-J.; Cho, K-H.; Lee, S-K. (2020). Outbreak of African Swine Fever in

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Kouam, M. K., Jacouba, M., & Moussala, J. O. (2020). Management and

biosecurity practices on pig farms in the Western Highlands of Cameroon

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Parrocha, A. (2020). Duterte creates national task force vs. ASF. Department of

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https://www.pigprogress.net/Health/Articles/2019/9/ASF-Philippines-First-

outbreaks-confirmed-near-Manila-470420E/

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