Mobilizing Pig Resources for Capacity Development and Livelihood Security

Abstract

Livestock farming forms an important economic activity throughout the globe. In particular, they play a crucial role in the socio-economic prosperity of the developing and least developed countries by providing major support to rural livelihood. Pig farming is a viable and profitable enterprise that can be easily adopted and adapted by smallholder farming systems. Pigs can be easily integrated into small- and marginal-scale farming systems and can be fed with by-products from crops that cannot be consumed or used more efficiently by small-scale farmers. In the developing nations, the piggery sector directly empowers the rural poor, precisely the women and tribal population. Besides providing nutrition, pig farming acts as insurance to the weaker section of the society against agricultural failures and loss of labour through sale of pig and pig products. Nevertheless, this sector is still in its developing stage in India and agripreneurs have started taking interest in pig rearing. There are many bottlenecks in its advancement to full capacity, which need to be addressed. Scientific interventions and extension activities aimed to mobilize pig resources towards the empowerment of weaker sections of society can lead to their better livelihood and provide nutritional security as well.