Characterization of smallholder pig production system: productive and reproductive performances of local and crossbred pigs in Sikkim Himalayan region

The effect of the proportion of Modern European ancestry on grower and sow performance of pigs in smallholder systems in Uganda

Several factors, including breed, lead to divergent performance of pigs for production and reproduction traits in different environments. A recent genomics study showed that Modern European (ME) pig breeds contribute to the ancestry of smallholder pigs in the Hoima and Kamuli districts, Uganda. These pigs were also involved in a longitudinal study with several traits recorded, including 540 body weights (WT) of 374 growing pigs, 195 records of total number of piglets born alive (TBA) of 157 sows, and 110 total number weaned (TNW) records of 94 sows. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test for the significance of environmental effects, including housing system, geographic location, and the season when the events occurred as well as animal-specific effects like age, sex, parity, and farrow-to-weaning interval. Stepwise model reduction starting from models with all main effects and pairwise interactions was applied. The final models were then expanded to include proportions of Modern European (ME) ancestry for the subset of animals genotyped, following genomic ancestry analysis based on a Porcine 50K SNP Chip. ME ancestry proportions ranged from 0.02 to 0.50 and were categorized into three classes (low/medium/high ME) based on 33.3% quantiles. The effects of ME classes on WT and TBA were not significant. ME showed a significant effect on TNW. Sows with a high proportion of ME weaned 2.4 piglets more than the low group, the medium ME group being intermediate. This study used genomic data to investigate the effects of genetic ancestry on the performance of smallholder pigs in Uganda. The proportion of Modern European ancestry did not exceed 0.50, therefore not allowing for the comparison of local versus pure "exotic" types of pigs. For the range of ancestries observed, which is the relevant one for current smallholder systems in Uganda, differences were small for the body weight of growing pigs and the number of piglets born alive, while higher proportions of ME ancestry resulted in significantly more piglets weaned. The availability of genotypes of a higher number of growing pigs would have been beneficial for drawing conclusions on the effect of ME ancestry on the growth rates of smallholder pigs in Uganda.

Participatory assessment of management and biosecurity practices of smallholder pig farms in North East India

The present study was aimed at describing the pig production system, farm management, pig movement, and existing biosecurity level of smallholders' pig production system in North East India. A cross-sectional survey of 1,000 pig producers in four districts (two urban and two rural) in core pig-producing regions of India, where ASF occurrence had been reported, was conducted. The mean pig population was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in urban districts. In urban districts, most of the pig houses were isolated but located on the roadside, while in rural districts, commune pig houses along the roadside were more common. The majority of the respondent purchased (91%) or sold (60%) the pigs during the past 12 months. Swill feeding was common in the entire study area. The majority of the respondent (80%) in rural districts were unaware of ASF. Significant pig trade of live pigs and pork products was observed in the urban district. In the case of on-farm biosecurity measures, only 6.9% of respondents had fencing for the pig farm, 99.3% did not have provision for a footbath, and only 17.2% of the respondents restricted visitors' access to the pig farm. The study revealed that the pig production system is dominated by smallholding units with a frequent introduction or exit of pigs along with poor on-farm biosecurity measures. With the current level of farm management and biosecurity practices, smallholder pig farmers are at an increased risk of ASF and other contagious diseases.

Performance of crossbred pigs with indigenous and Hampshire inheritance under a smallholder production system in the Eastern Himalayan hill region

Pig productivity is very low in the Eastern Himalayan hill region due to the poor performance of local pigs. To improve pig productivity, it was decided to develop a crossbred pig of Niang Megha indigenous and Hampshire as an exotic germplasm. The performance of crossbred pigs with different levels of Hampshire and indigenous inheritance—H-50 × NM-50 (HN-50), H-75 × NM-25 (HN-75), and H-87.5 × NM-12.5 (HN-87.5)—was compared for their performance to find a suitable level of genetic inheritance. Among the crossbreds, HN-75 performed better in terms of production, reproduction performance, and adaptability. Inter se mating and selection were carried out on six generations of HN-75 pigs, and genetic gain and trait stability were evaluated and released as a crossbred. These crossbred pigs attained body weights of 77.5–90.7 kg by 10 months of age, with FCR of 4.3:1. Age at puberty was 276.66 ± 2.25 days, and average birth weight was 0.92 ± 0.06 kg. Litter size at birth and weaning were 9.12 ± 0.55 and 8.52 ± 0.81. These pigs have good mothering abilities with a weaning percentage of 89.32 ± 2.52%, good carcass quality, and consumer preference. The lifetime productivity for an average of six farrowings/sow showed a total litter size at birth of 51.83 ± 1.61 and total litter size at weaning of 47.17 ± 2.69. In a smallholder production system, the crossbred pigs showed a better growth rate and a higher litter size at birth and at weaning than average local pigs. Hence, the popularization of this crossbreed would enhance the production, productivity, livelihood, and income of the regionʼs farmers.

Characterization and Typology of Backyard Small Pig Farms in Jipijapa, Ecuador

Simple Summary

The Jipijapa region in the south of Manabí Province has the maximum contribution to the pig market in Ecuador. In this region, backyard pig production is important for the economy of the small family units. The main objective of this paper was to characterize the traditional systems of Jipijapa’s small-scale pig producers and determine the farm categories according to the current characteristics of those systems for the implementation of the aid policy in the country. The study identified differences between the seven communities studied for social, productive, and local resource variables. Five types of farms were identified by multifactorial and hierarchic cluster analyses. The aspects that most contributed to the differences between those types of farms were the location, the age, the agricultural activities, the participation of women as owners of farms, the use of indigenous resources in construction, the genetics of the animals, and the food sources used. We determined that the rearing of pigs by small pig farmers of the Jipijapa region is, fundamentally, a social activity and is linked to the crops of each area.

Abstract

To characterize the traditional systems of small pig producers in Jipijapa (Manabí, Ecuador) and to classify farms into representative categories, we interviewed fifty-five farmers from seven communities considering four dimensions: social, organizational, production methods, and local food resources. Multiple correspondence analyses and hierarchical clusters were carried out using the Ward method. The analysis differentiated communities based on social, productive, and local resource variables, showing three factors that accounted for 85.3% of the total variance: the socioeconomic dimension, related to the welfare of families, explained 34.4% of the variation, the care provided to animals explained 30.9%, and the management practices for the supply of food explained 20%. We identified five clusters that shared common characteristics: Group 1 included farmers from Albajacal, wage workers, and Creole pig breeders, Group 2 included farmers raising pigs under lockdown conditions, Group 3 typified traditional farms from the La Cuesta community, Group 4 included landowners, and Group 5 included professionalized farmers in Colón Alfaro. We also studied the supplied alternative food formulations made up of crop surpluses. The role of small pig farmers is a social activity linked to the location, the crops of each area, and the specific practices for the care of animals.

Characterization of smallholder pig production systems in the Western Cape, South Africa

This study set out to characterize the farming and management practices of smallholder pig production systems in the Western Cape, South Africa. Data was gathered in three municipalities: Khayelitsha (27 farmers), Mamre (26 farmers) and Malmesbury (22 farmers) with the use of a structured questionnaire through both face-to-face and telephonic interviews. The study revealed that smallholder pig farmers in the Western Cape owned on average 37.4 ± 50.5 pigs. Majority of farmers (61%) made use of tattoo markings to identify their pigs, 6% made use of ear tags and 4% clipped the ears of their pigs. More than 25% of farmers did not use any method of identification to mark their pigs. More than half of the respondents (51%) do not have formal recordkeeping systems in place. Livestock theft was found to be a major problem amongst farmers. No differences were found amongst the three study areas and the type of housing system used (P > 0.05). The most popular materials pens were constructed of across the three areas were wood (40%), corrugated iron (16%) or a combination of the two (32%); other materials used were cement blocks (5%), polystyrene (1%) or plastic (1%). Pig farmers kept 43% Large White, 43 % crossbred and 14% Landrace across the three districts. Commercial feed was used by 61% of Mamre farmers whereas Khayelitsha farmers fed an equal amount of by-products (44%) and mixed (44%) feed to their pigs, whereas Malmesbury fed 44% mixed, 33% commercial and 24% by-products obtained from factories to their pigs. Piglet mortality due to the sow lying on her piglets was experienced by 47% of farmers interviewed, whilst 29% had experienced piglet mortalities due to the cold. Perturbingly, 76% of farmers did not send dead pigs for a post-mortem, stating that they could not rely on veterinarians or afford their services. Smallholder pig farmers in Malmesbury (68%) and Khayelitsha (70%) sold their pigs to the informal market, indicating that keeping pigs provided a source of revenue. Mamre marketed 88% of their pigs as weaners, Khayelitsha marketed 73% of their pigs as growers, whereas Malmesbury kept 32% of their pigs as breeding stock. Khayelitsha and Malmesbury marketed their growers at 63.3 ± 41.2 kg and 51.5 ± 30.2 kg, respectively, to the informal market. The study highlights the farming practices of smallholder pig farmers in three districts in the Western Cape. There a few differences in the practices of these farmers, but overall, there are similar limitations that hinder them from improved production, such as limited recordkeeping, theft, lack of infrastructure and finances for post-mortem examination. Smallholder pig farmers in the Western Cape are still mainly selling to the informal market. This informal market is not fully characterized yet in the Western Cape, and more studies are needed to further determine and investigate the benefits of only selling to the informal market.

Smallholder pig production system of Assam

The study was carried out to attain information on smallholder pig production systems of Assam. Stratified purposive and random sampling design was followed for selection of respondents in two districts namely Tinsukia and Dhemaji located in sub-Himalayan terrain. The socioeconomic parameter of the farmers were delineated. Mostly the pigs were reared in semi-intensive to loosehouse system. Major feed ingredients were kitchen waste and locally available, seasonal unconventional feed. There was prevalence of local breeds namely Ghungroo and Doom pigs along with crossbred animal mostly of Hampshire and Large White Yorkshire crosses. The field level performance was evaluated. The study revealed the major constrains and opportunity for improvement of the sector in the surveyed area.

Evaluation of reproductive and production performance of Nicobari pig under humid tropical island ecosystem

Nicobari pig is semi-feral, reared in free-range system with very low level of management. However, its population has been significantly reduced due to and after Tsunami in 2004. No systematic study has been conducted to explore the production potential of Nicobari pig. Therefore, a systematic comparison study was conducted between intensive and free-range system on growth and reproductive parameters in ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair. Reproductive parameters like age at first mating in male and age at first oestrus, oestrus cycle duration, oestrous duration, age at first mating, age at first farrowing, farrowing interval, litter size at farrowing and weaning, litter weight, still birth and mortality were recorded. Growth parameters like body weight at birth, at weaning and at months 3, 6 and 9 were recorded. Results revealed that significantly higher body weights at months 3, 6, 9 and 12 were recorded under intensive than in free-range system in male and female pigs and in male than in female. Non-significant differences was observed in the reproductive parameters in pigs between the two systems except parameters like oestrous cycle duration was higher and age at first mating, stillbirth and mortality were lower significantly in pigs under intensive system than in free range system. It was concluded that growth and reproductive performances of Nicobari pigs reared under intensive system has significantly higher beneficial than in free-range system.

Indigenous pig genetic resources of India: Distribution, types and their characteristics

In India, the indigenous pigs are traditionally reared either by the poor, weaker and the tribal sections of the society. Although, the growth rates and feed conversion ratio of indigenous pigs are less than those of exotic or crossbred pigs, they have unique features like heat tolerance, disease resistance, early sexual maturity and ability to produce meat with less fat. In India, the total population of indigenous pigs is 78.35 lakhs constituting 76.14% of the total pig population of the country. Uttar Pradesh has the largest population of indigenous pigs (11.52 lakhs), followed by Assam (10.22 lakhs), Jharkhand (9.21 lakhs) and Bihar (6.26 lakhs). In studies conducted at various centres of All India Coordinated Research Project on pigs, the weight of these pigs at birth, weaning (8 weeks) and 32 weeks of age ranged from 0.44±0.01 to 0.83±0.01, 7.00±0.36 to 8.12±0.18 and 31.32±0.45 to 42.91±1.04 kg, respectively. Although, the indigenous pigs were largely clubbed as local or non-descript but in the last few years many population have been characterized. Some of them have been registered by ICAR-NBAGR as new breeds of indigenous pigs, like Ghoongroo, Niang Megha, Agondagoan, Tenyi Vo, Nicobari, Doom, Zovawk and Gurrah pigs. This review discusses the population trend, attributes and available breeds of indigenous pigs of India.

The extent and structure of pig rearing system in urban and peri-urban areas of Guwahati

Livestock is common in Indian cities and contribute to food security as well as livelihoods. Urban livestock keeping has been neglected, and in India, little is known about the topic. Therefore, urban and peri-urban pig farms of Guwahati, Assam, India, were surveyed in order to understand more about the pig rearing systems and risks of diseases. A total of 34 urban and 66 peri-urbanpig farms were selected randomly. All reared cross-bred pigs. Free-range pig rearing was common in both urban (58.8%) and peri-urban (45.45%) farms. Artificial insemination was used by around half of the pig farmers. Disinfection in pig farms was practiced in 26.5% of urban and 28.8% of peri-urban farms. More urban pig farms were observed to be moderately clean in (82.4%) compared to peri-urban (69.7%). However, more urban (67.7%) than peri-urban farms (57.6%) reported ahighrodent burden. Pig sheds were mostly basic, with bricked floors in 18.2% farms in peri-urban areas, and more than 80% had corrugated iron roofing sheets. In conclusion, free-roaming pigs in both urban and peri-urban areas of Guwahati can contribute to disease transmission, and the low standard of hygiene and buildings may further increase the risk of diseases.

Tribal farmers' traditional knowledge and practices for pig farming in Nagaland

Pig husbandry is an important farming component in Nagaland which plays a significant socio-economic role in the livelihood of Naga tribes. The present study documented the Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) on pig farming as practised by tribal farmers in Nagaland. Some commonly used plants for feed were Manihot esculenta, Colocasia esculenta L., Ipomea batata, Euphorbia hirta L., Musa spp., Eichhornia crassipe, Bidens spilosa Ficus hispida L. etc. Ethnoveterinary plants identified were Oroxylum indicum for treatment of oral and foot lesion in FMD and also for deworming; Rhus chinensis for treatment of fever; Hibiscus cannabinus L. for fever and dysentery; Spondias pinnata, Rhus similata and Curcuma caesia, guava, bamboo, banana, papaya against diarrhoea and dysentery; Gynura cusimbua for its healing properties and Cinnamomum verum as anti-helminthic. Gur for diarrhoea and dysentery; brick powder and wood ash for deworming; beehives for curing fever and termite's earth for prevention of piglet's anaemia were reported for the first time. Other plants which were documented in the present study were Carica papaya L., Lagenaria siceraria, Citrus spp. and Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. as abortifacient; application of wood ashes with kerosene oil after castration to prevent bleeding and as disinfectant and Carica papaya as galactogogue.

Seroprevalence of PCV2 in north eastern hill states of India

This study describe the seroprevalence of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) in north eastern hill (NEH) states of India. Information on PCV2 from NEH states is lacking. Serum samples (306) were collected from the pigs and different epidemiological parameters like age, sex, and litter size of drift or sounder, system of rearing and different clinical symptoms from November 2017 to May 2018. Samples were screened for PCV2 infection by commercially available ELISA kit (INGEZIM PCV IgG and INGEZIM PCV IgM, Ingenasa, Madrid, Spain). Out of 306 serum samples tested, 151 samples were positive for PCV2 infection. An overall PCV2 prevalence of 49.35% was recorded in NEH states of India. Highest prevalence was found in Sikkim (94%) and lowest prevalence in Nagaland (4%). This study revealed that PCV2 is prevalent in all the north eastern states of India which necessitates the need for implementation of prevention and control measures.

Review: Sustainability of crossbreeding in developing countries; definitely not like crossing a meadow…

Crossbreeding, considering either terminal or rotational crossing, synthetic breed creation or breed replacement, is often promoted as an efficient strategy to increase farmers' income through the improvement of productivity of local livestock in developing countries. Sustainability of crossbreeding is however frequently challenged by constraints such as poor adaptation to the local environment or lack of logistic support. In this review, we investigate factors that may influence the long-term success or the failure of crossbreeding programs, based on the scientific literature and country reports submitted for The Second Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Crossbreeding activities vary widely across species and countries. Its sustainability is dependent on different prerequisites such as continual access to adequate breeding stock (especially after the end of externally funded crossbreeding projects), the opportunity of improved livestock to express their genetic potential (e.g. through providing proper inputs) and integration within a reliable market chain. As formal crossbreeding programs are often associated with adoption of other technologies, they can be a catalyst for innovation and development for smallholders. Given the increasing global demand for animal products, as well as the potential environmental consequences of climate change, there is a need for practical research to improve the implementation of long-term crossbreeding programs in developing countries.