Evaluation of locally available feed resources for cost-effective pig rearing in tribal areas

Abstract:

Imagine a smallholder farmer in a remote tribal village who keeps three pigs but spends nearly 60% of annual livestock income on commercially formulated feed. This scenario, common across tribal communities in semi-arid Spain, prompted the present research into locally available feed alternatives. Six feed resources kitchen waste, rice bran, sweet potato tubers, colocasia leaves, brewery waste, and commercial feed (control) were evaluated in a 90-day feeding trial with 36 crossbred pigs (Large White × Iberian) at the Universidad Agraria de Castilla, Valladolid, during 2022-2023. Brewery waste produced the highest average daily gain (0.38 kg/day) among non-commercial feeds, while sweet potato tubers offered the best cost-to-gain ratio (feed cost 56% lower than commercial). Kitchen waste achieved acceptable growth (0.31 kg/day) at the lowest absolute cost. All locally sourced feeds reduced per-kilogram feed costs by 38-68% compared to commercial formulations. These findings support the use of locally available feed resources for cost-effective pig rearing in resource-limited tribal settings.