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MEKARN Workshop 2009: Livestock, Climate Change and the Environment |
The farming system should incorporate the principle of recycling so that residues are managed as substrate for more production. Integrated farming systems are based on the premise that there are complementary activities to be played by the different components within the system. The residues from one activity are the inputs for the next cycle, applies specifically to the farmland. Recycling organic waste and integrated is the way to maximize use of natural resources, and decrease dependence on purchased inputs. These present capacities can generate conversing the organic waste recycled to become the production of pig meat reality. And water plants (Lemna spp, Ipomoea aquatica, Eichhornia crassipes, Ludwidgia adscendens…) are the valuable plants for decontaminating water charged with organic effluents. They could be played as high potential and used as components of sustainable integrated farming systems.
Rau Dua, RD (Ludwidgia adscendens) yield was estimated on 4 farms in the Mekong Delta. On 2 farms the RD was fertilized by pig manure compost and on 2 farms by using digester effluent. On each farm 120 m2 of water land was divided into 4 plots for growing and harvesting RD in 2 first cuttings. The RD fresh biomass yield per turn (tones/ha) was 19.2 on pig compost and 19.0 for bio-digester effluent. The contents of DM (11.7 %) and CP (20.2 %) of RD were not different between the two types of fertilizers. An on-farm trial was carried out using Ludwidgia adscendens in pig diets to evaluate the replacement a part of the protein supplement. 24 Yorkshire-Baxuyen type pigs, comprising an equal number of castrated males and females with initial mean live weight of 57 kg were used. The trial was designed as a randomized block with four households and three dietary treatments. The basal feed was the same for the three treatments and was based on rice-by products, a protein supplement replaced by Ludwidgia adscendens at 0 % (RD0), 25 % (RD25) and 50 % (RD50). The daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio were not affected by dietary treatment. Feed cost per kg weight gain was more effective for RD50 (13,306 VND) than for RD25 (13,815 VND) and RD0 (15,486 VND). Overall, these results indicate that usage of natural resources as supplements in pig diets can be recommended to get more benefit, and protect the environment by decontaminating from livestock effluent wastes.