Purpose - The study aimed to evaluate the market opportunities and constraints confronting resource-poor pig farmers in South Africa. Research design, data, and methodology - Information was collected from 292 households in three municipalities through interviews with key informants. The data collected included socio- economic characteristics, major market channels, prices for different pig classes, average weight of the pigs on sale, number of pigs sold annually, and preferred meat quality attributes. Results - In Ngqushwa, 96% of respondents sold pigs as compared to Elundini (81%) and Ntabankulu (65%). Less resource- poor households and those with market-oriented production had large herdsizes (P < 0.05) when compared to more resource-poor farmers. The probability of selling pigs was high for the backyard production system and educated farmers. For all farmers, opportunities included high pork demand, good prices, employment creation, and a niche market for organically produced indigenous pork. Constraints include disease, feed shortages for large herds, distances to formal markets, lack of training, and drugs. Conclusions - Constraints outnumbered opportunities for the resource-poor pig farmers

• James Madzimure(Chinhoyi University of Technology Department of Animal Production and Technology)
• Ntombizodwa Bovula(University of Fort Hare, Department of Livestock and Pasture Science, Faculty of Science and Agriculture)
• Grace P.K. Ngorora(University Of Fort Hare, Department of Development Studies)
• Obert Tada(University of Zimbabwe, Department of Animal Science)
• Shelton M. Kagande(University of KwaZulu-Natal, Discipline of Animal and Poultry Science)
• Archibold G. Bakare(University of KwaZulu-Natal, Discipline of Animal and Poultry Science)
• Michael Chimonyo(University of KwaZulu-Natal, Discipline of Animal and Poultry Science)