Given the many benefits it brought to hog-raisers, sustainable pig farming (SPF) should be promoted among backyard and commercial raisers.
“Since we started teaching farmers SPF, many already benefited from low feed cost, good quality meat and a more environment-friendly know-how of raising pigs,” Senator Cynthia Villar said.
“Backyard hog-raising is one of the alternative sources of additional income of many farmers.”
The chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food also noted that backyard hog-raising or pig farming is one of the alternative sources of additional income of many farmers because it requires only a small capital.
In partnership with the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG), has been conducting a training course on SPF in its farm schools in Cavite and Bulacan that benefited raisers coming from the National Capital Region, Southern Luzon, Northern and Central Luzon and the Cordillera Autonomous Region.
The 20-day training course teaches innovative information on raising pigs with emphasis on the challenges, issues and updates on pig farming and new techniques like fermenting fish and plants to be used as organic and natural feeds for pigs.
“Teaching hog raisers how to produce feeds for pigs will prevent swill feeding which causes animals to contract diseases.”
Villar said teaching hog raisers how to produce feeds for pigs will prevent swill feeding which causes animals to contract diseases.
The weekly sessions teach trainees the scientific and more sustainable approach to pig farming. SPF follows the pattern of natural farming in which animal production would receive the least or no synthetic products in terms of feed and medication.
It covers discussions on Housing for Sustainable Swine Farming; Types of Feeding; Herbal Medicine; Health Management and Record Keeping; Swine Diseases; Sow Management; Post-Harvest Technology; Meat Processing; Marketing and Economics; Global Warming and Climate Change; Animal Welfare Act; and Swine Industry Situationer and Trends.