The use and potential of supplementing village pigs with Stylosanthes guianensis in Lao PDR

Phonepaseuth Phengsavanh and Werner Stür

Forage and Livestock Systems, CIAT, PO Box 783, Vientiane, Lao PDR
p.phengsavanh@cgiar.org w.stur@cgiar.org

Abstract

This paper describes the feeding and management system of smallholder pig production systems in Lao PDR and discusses the main constraints of these systems. It also presents results of a survey of 30 pig producers who have started to use the forage legume Stylosanthes guiananesis CIAT 184 (Stylo) as a supplement to existing feed resources. The main benefits of including Stylo in the diet of village pigs were significant labour savings for women, and improved growth rates of growing pigs.

Labour requirements were reduced from 195 minutes per day to 90-145 minutes per day for households that used Stylo, which benefited mainly women. The main reason for the reduction in labour was that Stylo replaced natural green feed which took a long time to collect, that it was readily available near the pig pens, and that it did not require cooking before feeding. Households reported that the average time needed to grow a piglet from weaning to sale weight of approximately 65kg was 18 months before the use of Stylo. With Stylo this period was reduced to 8.7 months representing an increase in the daily growth rate from 107 to 207 g/day. While this is still a relatively low daily growth rate, the improvement represents a very significant livelihood benefit to households.

Stylo is a broadly adapted forage legume which grows well in most situations but is only of moderate quality when compared to other legumes. Farmers are managing quality by cutting Stylo when it is still very young and thus leafy and of high quality. The adoption of Stylo demonstrates the need for high-protein supplementary feeds in village situations and the opportunity for the introduction other forage legumes. Apart from quality considerations a new legume will need to fit well into the existing farming system. CIAT has recently started a 3-year research project (funded by ACIAR from May 2006 to December 2008) to investigate the reasons for the beneficial effect of Stylo and to evaluate other legumes for use in smallholder pig production systems.

Key words: Lao PDR, pigs, production systems, Stylosanthes guianensis, Stylo

Introduction

Pig production is an important livelihood activity of smallholder upland farm households with sales of pigs often accounting for much of the cash income of poor households. The majority of pig production (>80%) is carried out by smallholder farmers with the remainder being commercial production near major population centres. Per capita pig density is highest in the northern mountainous region of Lao PDR and in the southern region in the mountainous areas along the border with Vietnam. Among the various ethnic groups pig ownership is highest among the Hmong people with 73% of households raising pigs, which compares to 64% for Khmu people and 38 % for Lao loum people (Agricultural Census 2000). Of these ethnic groups the Hmong and Khmu people are living in mountainous upland areas while the Lao loum tend to occupy valleys and lowland areas. The pig population in Lao PDR is estimated at 1.5-2.0 million pigs.

Several native breeds are commonly raised by smallholder farmers in village situations. These are Moo-Chid, Moo-Laat, Moo-dam and Moo Nonghaet (Vongthilath and Blacksell, 1999), which are high fat, black swaybacked Asian breeds with a mature weight of 60-120 kg. They are well adapted to scavenge part of their nutritional needs in free-range conditions but growth rates tend to be very low in extensive management conditions with pigs often taking 15 months to reach a weight of 40-50 kg (Kennard 1996).

Village pig production systems in Lao PDR

Purpose of production

Many farmers and villages have specialised to either raising sows for piglet production which are sold to other farmers or to buying piglets for fattening. The first group also tends to fatten some of the piglets they produce. The purpose of production appears to be closely related to the ethnicity of pig producers. In many instances, it is Hmong households who raise sows for piglet production which they sell to Lao loum households who tend to purchase piglets rather than produce their own. This observation was confirmed in a recent survey 30 pig producers in villages in three districts in Luangphabang and Xiengkhouang provinces by Phengsavanh and colleagues (unpublished data). They found that the majority of Hmong households raised sows for piglet production while the majority of Lao loum households purchased piglets for fattening (Figure 1). One third of Khmu households also produced piglets for sale while two thirds purchased piglets for fattening. The mean number of pigs fattened at any one time by households is 3 pigs (range 2-5). Farmers producing piglets tend to raise 1-3 sows.

Figure 1: Percentage of Hmong, Khmu and Lao loum households who primarily (1) raise sows to produce
 piglets for sale, and (2) purchase piglets for fattening

Feeding and management systems

There are many ways farmers manage and feed pigs. These include

1. Free range scavenging during the day with supplementary feeding and confinement in an enclosure during night time.

2. Confinement in an enclosure with basic housing and feed provided.

3. Confinement in a raised pen with slatted floors and feed provided.

There are many combinations of these basic management systems. Hmong and Khmu households often practice free range scavenging of sows and piglets during the dry season but confine them in enclosures during the wet season to prevent damage to crops. Almost all pigs for fattening are raised in pens and there is a general trend towards increased confinement. Some Lao loum villages have recently started to produce their own piglets, partly because of the fear of introducing disease epidemics and partly because of a switch to cross-bred pigs with lower fat content and higher growth rates for city markets. These producers tend to raise sows and piglets in raised pens.

The pig feeding systems are closely aligned with the cropping system and available resources. In Lao loum villages, where many farmers are growing paddy rice for sale, pig feed is based on rice bran as the main feed source which is fed together with a small amount of green feed. Green feed or vegetable matter is traditionally collected from forest margins and fallow fields and includes Colocasia esculenta, Alocasia macrorrhiza, Crassocephalum crepidioides, Crassocephalum crepidioides, paper mulberry leaves and several other herbs depending on local availability. Farmers in some Lao loum villages also feed brewery waste from making rice wine and spirits, and in some cases broken rice. In all situations the main feed ingredient is rice bran of varying quality. Many micro rice mills are not able to effectively separate rice husks from the bran, resulting in a lower-quality product with reduced protein and high fibre content. Rice bran tends to be available for most of the year except for a short period in July to September before the new rice is harvested (Table 1).

 

Table 1.  Feed availability during the year in Lao loum villages

Type of feed

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

Rice bran

y

y

y

y

y

y

#

#

#

y

y

y

Broken rice

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Vegetables

#

#

#

#

y

y

y

y

y

#

#

#

y  = used extensively;   #  = limited availability;  x  =  used by few farmersSouce:  Survey of 30 producers (Phengsavanh et al unpublished data)

In Hmong and Khmu villages farmers grow less rice and thus have less rice bran available for feeding to pigs and poultry than Lao loum households. In addition to rice, households in these villages grow maize and cassava as a feed for pigs. These are not fed throughout the year but are related to availability. Cassava roots are fed during the rainy season from May to September, maize during the dry season and rice bran throughout the year as long as it is available (Table 2). Green feeds are similar to those used by Lao loum farmers but there tends to be a larger range of herbs that are used at different times of the year.

Table 2.  Feed availability during the year in Hmong and Khmu villages

Type of feed

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

Rice bran

y

y

y

y

y

y

#

#

#

y

y

y

Cassava root

x

x

x

x

y

y

y

y

y

x

x

x

Maize

y

y

y

y

x

x

x

y

y

y

y

y

Vegetables

#

#

#

y

y

y

y

y

y

y

y

#

y  = used extensively;   #  = limited availability;  x  =  used by few farmers Souce:  Survey of 30 producers (Phengsavanh et al unpublished data)

Constraints of village production systems

The main constraints of village pig production are disease epidemics, high piglet mortality, poor growth rates and high labour demand (Stür et al 2002).

Disease epidemics are devastating for farmers as many if not all pigs are killed in such epidemics and these spread quickly from village to village. Epidemics are caused mainly by classical swine fever - CSF (also called hog cholera). This is a growing problem for villages that were previously free of this disease as villages are better linked to roads and markets by access tracks and minor roads. Increased linkage has many benefits for villages but one downside is the introduction of diseases not previously known in these villages. The extensive nature of piglet production in Hmong and Khmu villages allows contact between pigs and contributes to the rapid spread of CSF and other diseases in villages. Increased confinement and quarantine pens for animals entering village areas will help to minimise the spread of CSF, as will improved vaccination coverage.

High piglet mortality (30-50%) is a big problem in pig production in many upland areas. This is related to a multitude of factors including poor nutrition, lack of control of breeding, poor housing and hygiene resulting in unspecified bacterial infections and diarrhoea.

Growth rate of pigs is severely limited with piglets taking 15-18 months to reach sale weight in many village situations. This is likely to be related to poor nutrition, particularly protein deficiency in the locally available feeds. In Lao loum villages, protein content of rice bran is often as low as 7-9% as it contains a high proportion of rice husks. The overall protein content in the diet in these villages is improved by the small amount of green feed given, but this is still well below the protein requirements of growing pigs. In upland villages, protein content in the diet may even be lower in situations where starchy feeds such as cassava are used without an additional protein source. Intake of fresh green material, a good source of protein and minerals, is limited by their high fibre content so the total amount of protein ingested is limited.

The last major constraint to village pig production is the increasing scarcity of naturally-available green feeds. Traditionally these feeds have been collected from fallow fields and forest margins and overuse has led to a decrease of the availability of these feeds. Women, who are often responsible for taking care of pigs in villages, have to spend more and more time (often 2-3 hours per day) to find sufficient green feed for their pigs.

Use of the forage legume Stylosanthes guianensis to supplement existing feed resources

Phengsavanh (unpublished data) and colleagues conducted a survey of 30 pig producers in 11 villages in three districts in Luangphabang and Xiengkhouang in 2005, covering a range of pig production systems, ethnic backgrounds and feeding systems. In all of these villages, farmers had grown the forage legume Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 (Stylo) for at least 1-2 years and were using this legume as a green feed supplement for their pigs. Respondents for the survey were selected randomly among households growing and using Stylo. The study team conducted village meetings with farmers raising pigs to discuss the overall production system, constraints and opportunities. This was followed by individual household interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire.

Effect of Stylo on productivity of growing pigs

The information presented in Table 3 is based on feedback from respondents in the survey who estimated the initial and final sale weight of growing pigs and recalled the length of time taken from the start of the fattening period to final sale. The responses were consistent with feedback elicited during the village meetings.

The mean age and weight of piglets at the start of fattening was 4 month when piglets weighed 14-15 kg, and sale weight was estimated at 65kg. Using Stylo as a supplementary feed reduced the length of the fattening period from 18 to less than 9 months (Table 3). This effect was consistent across villages and meant that the supplementation with Stylo increased average daily gain (ADG) from 107 g per day in traditional feeding system to 207 g for pigs supplemented with Stylo. Clearly, there may be factors other than Stylo supplementation that also played a role (e.g. better management, Stylo being fed in addition to other feeds rather than as a substitute for other feeds) but the consistency and magnitude of the response shows that Stylo has had a major impact on pig productivity. The average area of Stylo grown per household was 320 m².

Effect of Stylo on labour requirements for feeding

Collecting naturally-occurring green feeds is a very time consuming activity which is mostly carried out by women. Without access to Stylo, the average time needed to collect natural green feed, cook and feed to pigs was 195 minutes (Figure 2). This was reduced to 90 minutes for households which had enough Stylo to replace all of the natural green feed. Those with a limited supply of Stylo saved only 50 minutes per day as they still had to go and collect natural green feeds on some days.

Households that were able to fully replace natural green feeds with Stylo and fed basal diets that do not require cooking (e.g. rice bran and brewery waste) had a further saving of time as they no longer needed to cook feed at all as Stylo does not require cooking. In contrast, most naturally-occurring green feeds need to be cooked before feeding which takes time and fuel for cooking.

Figure 2. Time needed for collection, preparation and feeding of pigs

Clearly, using Stylo saved households considerable amounts of time and this was the initial reason for farmers to adopt Stylo for pigs. Productivity gains were only noticed subsequently by farmers who used Stylo consistently.

Conclusions

• The magnitude of the growth response to Stylo was surprising but was reported consistently by farmers in the survey and by other farmers growing Stylo. The most likely reason is a severe protein deficiency in traditional diets. Although Stylo is not one of the most nutritious legumes it has been adopted widely. Clearly, the initial factor for adoption was labour saving and productivity gains were secondary. Now many farmers are managing Stylo to maximise protein and minimise fibre content by cutting Stylo frequently. Some farmers report cutting Stylo every 12-14 days during the rainy season, which would result in material that is very high in protein and low in fibre, but sacrifices yield.

• Further increases in animal productivity are likely if the protein content of the diet can be increased. As intake of fresh green feeds is limited to approximately 10% of total intake (most likely because of high fibre content) other avenues need to be explored that increase protein levels in the diet.

• One option is to find forage legumes with higher nutritive value (more protein and less fibre). This will be relatively easy as there are many highly nutritious legumes; however, finding legumes that fit into the farming systems as well as Stylo and that are as well-adapted to a broad range of situations will be a challenge. CIAT has recently started a 3-year project "Forage legumes for supplementing village pigs in Lao PDR" which is funded by ACIAR and explores the reasons for the growth response to Stylo and searches for alternative legumes.

• Another option is to process Stylo (and other legumes) into dried and ground leaf meal. Farmer feedback indicates that pigs may be able to eat up to 30% of dried and ground Stylo leaf meal which would improve protein ingestion by pigs to much higher levels than is possible with fresh leaf material.

• The use of Stylo as a supplement to traditional feeds has great potential for resource-poor smallholder farmers in the uplands of Lao PDR. Legumes can be grown on farm, save labour and increase productivity of pigs.

References

Agricultural Census 2000 Highlights, Lao Agricultural Census, 1998/99. Steering Committee for the Agricultural Census, Agricultural Census Office. Vientiane, Lao PDR.

Kennard R O, Phatlamchanh and Sithivong K 1996 Livestock Production and Diseases Study. Louang Namtha Integrated Rural Development Project, Lao PDR - EU. Final Report. Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Vientiane, Lao PDR.

Stür W, Gray D and Bastin G 2002 Review of the Livestock Sector in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Prepared by ILRI for the Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines, 50pp.

Vongthilath S and Blacksell S 1999 Classical Swine Fever in Lao PDR. In: Blacksell, S. (ed) Classical Swine Fever and Emerging Diseases in Southeast Asia. ACIAR Proceedings No. 94. ACIAR, Canberra, Australia, 122-125.

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