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Matching Livestock Systems with Available Resources |
MEKARN Regional Conference 2007 |
Hong Ha is one of 16 poor communes in Aluoi District, Thua Thien Hue Province, where there are different groups of the ethnic minority people living together. On farm feeding trials were carried out in this Commune. In experiment 1, eighteen crossbred (Mong Cai x Large White) pigs, with an average initial live weight of 9 kg, were randomly allocated to two treatments in 5 farms. The control diet consisted of rice bran, ensiled cassava roots, sweet potato vines and fish meal with 150 to 230 g crude protein/pig/day and ME content 2,900 to 4,800 kcal/pig/day for pigs (10 – 60 kg) . In the experimental diet Trichanthera gigantea leaves replaced sweet potato vines in the control diet. Daily weight gains were similar for the two treatments. Mean live weight gains were 391 g/day for the sweet potato vines treatment and 403 g/day for Trichanthera treatment. There were no differences for feed conversion ratio (3.39 and 3.38 kg DM/kg LW gain). Feed costs per kg live weight gain were 11% less for pigs fed Trichanthera compared those given sweet potato vines.
In experiment 2, twelve crossbred (Mong Cai x Large White) pigs of 18-20 kg initial live weight were randomly assigned to two treatments in 3 farms. There were 4 pigs per house hold. Six pigs were fed the control diet consisting of rice bran, boiled cassava roots, fish meal and sweet potato vines with 160 g to 200 g crude protein/day and ME content 3,300 to 4,200 kcal/day for pigs (20 - 60 kg) and six pigs were fed ensiled cassava leaves to replace sweet potato vines. Daily weight gains were similar for the two treatments. Mean live weight gains were 394 g/day for the control treatment and 390 g/day for the diet with ensiled cassava leaves. There were no differences between treatments for feed conversion ration (3.57 and 3.61 kg DM/kg gain). Feed costs per kg live weight gain were 16% less for pigs fed ensiled cassava leaves compared to those given control diet.
Activities designed to enhance the capacity of women in pig production were: Farmer to farmer exchange; study tours in Aluoi and Huong Tra districts for women; technical training courses on processing, preserving and using cassava roots and leaves and on planting and using Trichanthera gigantea. These activities resulted in building confidence and improving awareness for women in pig production.