FEED FORMULATION AND

PIGGERY HUSBANDARY

PRACTICES WORKSHOP REPORT

Business Development Services

Vanuatu TVET Sector Strengthening

Program

Compile by: Provincial Agriculture

Officer

Abstract

The workshop conducted by Sola Livestock and

Agriculture Officers to 15 Pig farmers from 7

(Seven) villages at Vanualava to help them look after

their pigs during this time of high population pressure

and dry season periods that can lead to poor pig

management and shortage of feed. The workshop was

delivered using theory and practical sessions

emphasizing the best husbandry management

techniques used and how to produce best Pig Silage

to improve growth and reduce cost.

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Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2

Objectives .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Workshop Sessions ............................................................................................................................. 4

Day 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Morning Theory Session ................................................................................................................. 4

Afternoon Practical session ............................................................................................................ 5

Day 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Morning Theory Session ................................................................................................................. 5

Afternoon Practical Session ............................................................................................................ 6

Day 3 ................................................................................................................................................... 6

Morning Theory Session ................................................................................................................. 6

Afternoon Theory Session ............................................................................................................... 7

Day 4 ................................................................................................................................................... 7

Morning and Afternoon Practical Session ...................................................................................... 7

Day 5 ................................................................................................................................................. 11

Formulating Action Plan ................................................................................................................ 11

Key achievements/outputs ................................................................................................................ 12

Problems/issues encountered .......................................................................................................... 12

Next Steps/Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 12

Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 13

Appendix .............................................................................................................................................. 14

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Introduction The Workshop was conducted on the 19

th to 23

rd of October 2015 at Sola [Esuva Hall], by

Sola Livestock Officer [Mr. Allan Kutos] and Agriculture Officer [Mr. Peter Maho]. Theory

sessions of the workshop were conducted on Esuva Hall [Sola] and the Practical sessions

were conducted at Kerebuak, Kerebeta and Agriculture Station. The workshop was delivered

to 15 local Pig farmers from Vanualava to help them manage their pigs from birth to

reproduction for quality protein production by providing a secure environment for them to

grow and develop with the provision of good husbandry techniques and adequate nutrient

requirements especially through the fermentation of sweet potato [Kumala] to produce pig

silage which can be used for a six months period.

On day 1 Farmers learned how to set up a piggery farm with its practical session in the

afternoon were farmers measured out and construct a pig house with three separated rooms.

On day 2 the livestock officer covered the husbandry techniques required for better

production in the morning theory session and the farmers had a chance to castrate a male pig

and practically learned other husbandry techniques in a pig pen at kerebeta during the

afternoon practical session.

Farmers need to cultivate their lands for planting kumala for their pig’s silage as it will not

affect their food security needs and competition for crops with the livestock animals. On day

3 of the workshop Sola DARD officer have explain different farming systems to be used and

suggested Alley Cropping system as the recommended cropping pattern using crop rotation to

improve soil fertility and soil structure by the process of Nitrogen recycling which can

provide nitrate [Plant available Nitrogen] to be absorbed by Kumala plants to improve its

protein and carbohydrates requirements which can be consumed by the pigs for energy and

protein production.

During the Pig Silage practical sessions on Day 4, participants prepared their Pig Silage in the

morning by following the preparation procedures and properly package together the kumala

vines and graded cassava and kumala tuber flesh inside an air tight container for fermentation

process to take place.

During the workshop the objectives of the activities are achieved however there are few

constraints encounter and recommendation which are detail in this report.

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Objectives

To help farmers to start and manage a Piggery Farm

To identify reproduction and growth features and manage the best local breeds with

an improve growth rate.

To set up an Alley Plot of Sweet Potato [Kumala]

To understand the process of Nitrogen Cycle

To learned and examine the best ensiling method.

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Workshop Sessions

Day 1

Morning Theory Session

The workshop was declared open by chairman of PGTB, Mr. Michael Silona and livestock

officer emphasize on the importance of improving protein supplies at Sola Markets.

During the first theory session in the morning, Livestock officer explained the requirements

needed to set up a piggery farm and as a recap exercise of what has been explain participants

form groups to discussed and present their ideas.

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Afternoon Practical session

Participants select the best site to build a Pig house by considering the number of pigs

required within the recommended measurements of each room for boar, Sow and wean

piglets using local materials at kerebuak village.

Day 2

Morning Theory Session

Pig reproduction, growth and management topics were covered by livestock officer with

more discussions, questions and presentations made by participants as a tool to help them

understand the topics.

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Afternoon Practical Session

A field day was organized for participants to visit a Pig farm at Kerebeta where they had

hands on practical of how to castrate gilt.

Day 3

Morning Theory Session

Different farming system and their importance to improve the soil fertility was explain by

Agriculture officer and Alley Cropping was the recommended farming system to use as it

retain soil fertility back to the soil within a plot of alley by using crop rotation. Nitrogen

Cycle was also explain with the Nitrogen Synthesizing Bacteria that converts Nitrogen gas to

Nitrate that are available for plants esp. Kumala to improve its proteins structures in the leafs

and carbohydrates in the tubers via the process of photosynthesis. The officer also explains

how to produce more kumala planting materials and the conditions and types of soils required

to plant the vines. [See attach PowerPoint Slides]

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.

Afternoon Theory Session

The Agriculture officer explain the Pig Silage Procedures with the evidence base

documentary of a workshop conducted by NARI Project on Tanna that show outstanding

results of the silage that improve growth and tame the Pigs within a three months period.

Participants then form groups and recap their ideas of the procedures from harvesting to

packaging and present their ideas that raised more questions and discussions during each

presentation.

Day 4

Morning and Afternoon Practical Session

Kumala and Cassava preparation and packaging Procedures

a) Kumala Tubers and Vines are selected, washed and peel to remove unwanted Pest [Weevil &

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Borer] and Diseases [Black rot].

b) Kumala vines and tubers and/or Cassava

tubers are grated and chop to smaller

sizes to allow more sunlight [heat] to

reduce the amount of moisture to about

40%. Because sweet potato vines have

high moisture content (up to 90%

water), which can be a risk of losing

nutrients by excessive effluents coming

out from the silage and most of the

proteins will be converted to

Ammonia resulting in poor

quality silage which is inadequate

for growth and development of

pigs.it is necessary to pre-wilt

them before fermenting.

C) Pre-wilting of the fermenting materials takes

about 2-4 hours in

dry, sunny weather.

During pre-wilting

the vines are turned

over regularly

allowing rapid and

uniform wilting.

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D) After reducing the moisture content of the

fermenting materials, the materials are mixed

together by hand, salt is added as an additives

to restricts fermentation, as it help to save some

of the starch and sugars from being fermented

in the silage and preserving the quality of the

fermented sweet-potato vines and tubers to be

kept stable for a long period of time if properly

processed.

E) The mixture is share equally among the participants and put into their plastic bags. The

fermenting materials inside the bags are pressed hard down to removed air from the materials

and immediately after pressing the materials, the air

inside the first and second bags are removed and the

bags are tightly closed and placed inside a container

that is place in a cool and dry place to avoid mice

and insects.

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F) A prepared sample of the Pig Silage was opened for participants to smell and filled the

finish product of the

silage. A Pig of 3

months old was

weighted to find the

initial weigh before

feeding it with that

prepared silage so

that the difference in

weight can determine

the silage

improvement after a

3 months period.

G) Pigs that can be fed with silage made of kumala vines and roots are fattening pigs from

18-20 kg live weight (or after the age of 2-2.5 months) because by this time the physiology

and functions of the digestive tract have been completed and become stable, so there would

not be disturbances from eating fermented feeds.

Besides this, sows, including nursing sows, can be fed with kumala vine and root silage but

small piglets under the age of 2-2.5 months should not be fed sweet potato vine and root

silage

H) Participants also learned the ratio require to mixed an energy food [Carbohydrate e.g

Copra meal] and Protein feed [e.g Meat/Fish Meal] at a ratio of 3:1 with boil cassava to meet

the energy and protein requirements of the pigs.

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Day 5

Formulating Action Plan

During the last day of the workshop participants group together into their respective villages

and formulate their Action Plans deciding to work together in building and repairing the pigs

houses and fences and set up their alley cropping system to plant kumala for their pigs .

Before the closing ceremony the participants form Vanualava Pig Farmers Association and

elected their executive body to help monitor the progress of the pig farmers and to register the

association to the Cooperative admin officer at Sola.

The workshop was officially closed by Torba TVET Centre Coordinator.

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Key achievements/outputs

The objectives of the workshop are assess during the theory and practical sessions were Pig

farmers practically learned new husbandry practices such as how to identify reproductive

stages of a male and female pigs [reproductive cycle], new practical terms such as farrowing,

Weaning, Castration and practically learned how to measure a piggery pen to separate pigs

according to their respected needs. Farmers also learned the procedures to produce good pig

silage by ensiling Kumala and Cassava fermenting materials and the conditions required to

store the silage for 21 days and onwards.

However after the 3 months period the participants will be assess with their Action Plans and

officers will identify those pig farmers that achieved the objectives of the workshop. Also

after 3 months the results of this prepared silage will show that sweet potato silage will have

three advantages: 1) improved pig growth rate, 2) reduced cost per kilo of weight gain, and 3)

saved labor.

Problems/issues encountered Currently there are shortages of Kumala veins and tubers that was are tackling issue in most

of the villages due to the ongoing Elnino seasons that causes wilting of vines and leafs and

smaller tuber sizes and/or decaying of the tubers in heavy clay soils. Infected fermenting

materials can results in poor Pig Silage that can trigger disease development within a pig’s

digestive tract and without proper disease and husbandry management techniques the pigs

will definitely reduce its protein quality.

Next Steps/Recommendations

1. If Pig farmers achieved the objectives of the workshop after monitoring their action plan

they will be selected as lead farmers for other future pig trainings such as producing Bio-gas

[Methane gas] from pig’s dung.

2. The trainings have to be delivered to Islands and villages where there are more pig farmers

in other islands of Torba such as Merelava and Gaua.

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Conclusions The workshop was conducted purposely to help pig farmers to plant their kumala in an alley

cropping system and produce their own local feeds using kumala vines and tubers. Pig’s

feeds are somehow too expensive by some farmers or too time consuming to be prepare daily

Pigs can only benefit from a certain amount of feed sources each day and over-feeding only

results in wastage. Farmers are often forced to feed large quantities of sweet potato to pigs

immediately after harvesting in order to minimize loss during storage due to weevils, rats,

rotting or other factors. However the ensiling methods of preserving the nutritional value of

fermenting kumala materials can lengthen the storage life of the materials for a period of

about 4-6 months.

The one week workshop have introduces the 15 participants not only on the nutritional

aspects of the pig-raising system, but also pig’s husbandry management techniques that are

essential in order to take full advantage of improved nutrition. More importantly, without pig

management, the results of feeding trials would be inconclusive because it would not be

possible to differentiate between the effects of nutrition and illness on growth.

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Appendix

Pig husbandary and Feed Formulation Participants

Name Male/Female Village Contact Details Number of Pigs

Keith Barton M Kerebeta 5493681 2

Elton Livae M kerebeta 5622996 2

Johnstar Stanley M Kerebeta 5486519 27

Harry Albert M Kerebeta 5397295 8

Nelson Leo M Big Water 5397295 To be Purchase

Chrisben Webas M [Disability] Wasaga 13

Jerry Alex M Wasaga 5994417 5

Jim Paulsa M Wasaga 5486168 5

Benza Paul M Wasaga 5969323 6

Derick Wilton M Wasaga 5399756 4

Philimon Dinh M Sisiol 5434719 8

Bernard Smith M Sisiol

Robin Hand M Neregasal 5399855 7

Rolland Collin M kerebuak 5399788 3

Aitan George M Qweso 7106111 4