Improvement of Livestock Production in Crop-Animal Systems in ...

the animal output came from pigs alone. Animals provide about 60% of the cash income in smallholder mixedfarms. The province has surplus grain and animal products, which are exported to other provinces. In 1996,20 million pigs were transported to other provinces.Crop residues and AIBP are principal feeds for animals. The native grasslands in the uplands are utilisedby ruminants, which also graze lowland rice-stubble after harvest. Grazing is controlled by herders, but mixedgrazing of animal species is not common. Other ruminant feeds include rice straw and sweet potato vines andtubers. Silage is made from ammoniated rice straw and vegetable residues. Currently, about 1.33 milliontonnes of rice are consumed by pigs, which is in direct competition with human grain requirements. As partof the national approach, efforts are being made to reduce the feeding of grains to animals through increasedutilisation of crop residues and AIBP.Following the economic reform, more farmers have become interested in animals (poultry, pigs andgoats) to generate cash income. Medium to large farms have adopted intensive or specialised animalproduction systems, and are producing grain for both human and animal consumption as well as using cropresidues and AIBP.In order to develop animal production to meet the rapidly increasing demand for animal protein, theprovincial government has established 51 production bases (stock farms with training and informationfacilities for farmers) for pigs, 18 for cattle, 15 for poultry and five for goats. These bases link the researchinstitutions, the ministry, extension services and the feed and drugs companies with market opportunities.Women participate in almost all aspects of animal management, particularly in non-ruminant systems.However, few women professional scientists and extension workers are engaged in animal production.In order to produce more and better-quality products for a market with consumers of increasing income,the following strategies have been developed:• Preparation of formula feeds using a mixture of local resources.• Ammoniation and use of microbes to treat straws.• Use of artificial insemination for cattle and pigs.• Improvement of animal housing and management to reduce diseases.• Cycling of manure.• Development of extension services and the provision of management guidance to farmers throughassociations such as those for pig and goat farmers.• Tax relief to encourage intensive and integrated mixed farming.In the north of China, triticale is increasing in importance as a pre-rice silage crop for ruminants. Thecultivars developed have not been tested in Hunan Province, and research workers seemed unaware of thiswork. There is no reason why triticale could not be grown in Hunan Province as a silage crop for small farmerswho are already used to making silage.Since 1989, a major effort has been made to expand research and development activities with Blackgoats. It is anticipated that, in the future, goat meat consumption will increase whilst that of beef will decrease.By the year 2000, two million goats will be produced annually, accounting for 40% of the value of all animaloutput. Goat production is going to be expanded beyond the mixed farms to forest and mountain areas, andexport to other provinces is anticipated. The reasons for this are:• Pig production cannot be increased without diverting grain from human consumption. Also, the use ofgrains for feeding pigs makes production less profitable and pork more expensive.• Goats can be produced at a much lower cost than pigs using local feed resources with minimalsupplements.• The demand for goat meat has risen rapidly with increased income, particularly in the winter seasonwhen the price is highest.