Sadly most pig farms in Vietnam are far from being integrated. Feces and urine are allowed to flow together, and this slurry is discharged into nearby black-water lagoons where at times nothing grows but a slimy scum, not even duckweed. Water from these lagoons is often used to wash and cool down pigs. Disease is rampant. Antibiotics proliferate. The stench is unbearable.
In spite of the enormous pollution that the pig farmer generates, he makes little money. The price of soy bean meal, fish meal, and rice bran (main ingredients in pig feed) has risen dramatically in recent times, while the price of pork has declined. The main cost in raising pigs is the cost of feed (up to 70%). The pig farmer in Vietnam has simply become the means by which large feed companies make money.
Pigs, like humans, have inefficient digestive systems compared to many simpler organisms. A fair percentage of the nutrients eaten by the pig remain in its feces. Of course methanogens can convert fecal nutrients into methane, but in this case, a lot of nutrients are not returned to the food chain.
What we propose here is that pig waste be processed in the same manner as human waste: that the feces of the pig be collected and processed by the combined action of BSF larvae and red worms, and that the urine of the pig be flushed to a duckweed pond. The larvae, red worms and duckweed can be processed and fed back to the pig. In the picture above, we see BSF larvae grown in the Mekong on nothing other than pig feces. Below we see the biopods in which they were cultivated.
Many pig farmers in Vietnam make rice wine, and the mash from this process is fed to pigs to offset the cost of feed. Gasifier heat can now be used in the distillation of rice wine. This eliminates the environmental and health problems associated with the burning of low-grade biomass. Gasifier heat can also be used to blanch or cook unprocessed vegetable matter such as fresh taro leaves, sweet potato vines and banana stems.
Also many pig farmers search for different types of waste to feed to their pigs. However they are reluctant to feed these wastes directly to their pigs for fear of the transmission of disease. But with gasification and fermentation technologies, the pig farmer is free to cook or ferment many types of waste. Large quantities of restaurant and institutional food waste are available, as well many types of market waste such as vegetable waste, fish and chicken offal, and so forth. Those pig farmers who operate just outside the city in proximity to large sources of waste enjoy a distinct advantage over those who do not.
After the pig farmer prepares and cooks his own feed, he does not have to dry and store it, as in the case of a feed company. He can feed the freshly cooked or fermented material immediately to his pigs. This eliminates a costly drying step and results in a substantial savings in the cost of feed.
So we see that the pig farmer in Vietnam is in an entirely different position than before:
1. By making use of BSF larvae, red worms and duckweed, the pig farmer eliminates the odor and pollution associated with pig waste.
2. In so doing he recycles a substantial portion of the nutrients in pig waste, and he feeds these nutrients back to pigs, poultry or fish.
3. He locates his farm as closely as possible to urban areas to take advantage of the large amounts of waste generated there.
4. He employs the pig as a scavenger to dispose of many different types of waste nutrients.
5. He cooks wastes with gasifier heat, or he ferments it with lactic acid bacteria.
6. With gasifier heat he also distills rice wine in a smokeless and pollution-free manner.
7. He grows taro and other fast-growing plants to feed to his pigs, and at times he blanches, cooks or ferments these plants prior to feeding.
8. He composts with a fleece most of the non-putrescent biomass that he generates.
9. He blends biochar, worm castings and compost, and he forms a co-op with other pig farmers to export high-value soil amendments.
10. Only with the sale of soil amendment products, he covers a large portion of his costs.
11. He buys virtually nothing from feed companies, and for the first time in his life, he is in a position to make money.
12. On the one site, he produces food, fuel, feed and fertilizer, as we see in the diagram below:
It is easy to make similar diagrams involving chickens, rabbits, goats, cows, fish and so forth. The following features fish and chickens:
All too often in waste management we forget the importance of the pig, who prior to its domestication, was a forager and scavenger. The pig’s ability to consume and digest many different types of waste, prepared in many different ways, makes him a key player in sustainable waste management.
I love this article. It clearly shows that education can eliminate cultural stigmas. Who would have known that by teaching a pig farmer to use BSF larvae, red worms and duckweed it eliminates not only the stench but because of the very same process attracts rather than repels.
I’m amazed at the Gasifer heat process and how it transforms what was once unusable into usable and safe. Pictures and graphics are awesome! Thanks!
I AM A 30 YEARS OLD WOMAN INTERESTED IN PIG FARMING IVE GOT THE LAND TO DO FARMING , I WILL BE VERY HAPPY TO GET A SUCCESFUL COMPANY THAT CAN ASSIST ME I MENTOORING ME AND ALSO FUNDING I AM IN SOUTH AFRICA IN THAE PROVINCE OF EASTERN CAPE I WILL REALLY APRICIATE YOUR HELP IN ANTWAY YOU CAN.
Dear Sir,
I Mr. Raju Nepali from remote village Gulmi,Nepal. I am a normal family person but I am thinking that I really like to do Pig farming training from there. Actually! Last year I was visit in Spain in Frontara city but I didn’t find anything. But now I am thinking that if I get chance to Pig Training then sure I am really interested to do. So, please would you help me to give this training from you?
Please, help me to do this I will be thankful to you.
Regards,
Raju
Gulmi ,Nepal
Mobile no 9841399861
Dear Sir, This article was and informative read. I am a farmer in Gauteng Province South Africa and would like to commence with piggery. My concern is the waste management and the smell. I am also interested in converting the pig waste to gas fuel for use on the farm. My questions are:
1. What is BSF Larvae?
2. Where can I get it?
3 How do I process the waste into gas?
I would really appreciate your help.
Regards
Nkaxa Nkuna
Thanks for the info about ways to turn pig waste into pig food while eliminating the odor.
Another successful pig raising system is the Korean Natural Farming “Deep litter system” that utilized microbes to “eat” pig waste, completely eliminate odor and flies, and eliminating pollution from pigs.
It doesn’t seem to have as much nutrient recycling as the system above, but it is very simple and once its is learned it is easy to share with others. Farmers and ranchers can’t believe their noses when they stand outside a Korean Natural Farm piggery.
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/news/articles/V3-Duponte-piggery.pdf for more info
Mike DuPonte is the University of Hawai’i livestock and natural farming extension agent. He is swamped with interest in the piggery and other natural farming practices. I would suggest doing a lot of homework online before trying to contact him–he is in great demand with a limited budget so probably will not be able to offer much help to those overseas.
more info about “letting nature do the work” in agriculture systems at
http://www.agroforestrydesign.net
i been living in the tropics of the Philippines for the last 4 year and after much study i;ve come to the same style of pig farming described here. the biggest problem with any system like this is you have to go very site specific when designing a farm and make sure you give yourself enough buffer of both the bsf and the duckweed.
ill give a few free tips for free. 1 with the bsf feed ie pig poo make sure you cook the poo boiling is best option to keep from accidentally cross infection pigs and increases break up of feces. If you breed the bsf use a inclosed room like a screened shed with 2 door hallway to keep flies in and stray flies out as wild flies can carry diseases. since the larva will attempt to crawl out of the feces to dry are when they are ready its good to have a lightly chlorinated catch bason for them to fall into then you can dry and feed to pigs. though this system describes 3 sustainable protein sources about 45+ percent of a pigs diet is sugars a more in depth study must been done in the farms area to see whats good sugar sources and how much is needed for a farm. One more thing is growing some herbs can substitute a fair amount of antiboics and medications used garlic and mint being two key ones anyone interested should look into.
Hello There.
We are Northern region farmer’s association from East Africa. We
would like to come for training at your farm. so that we lean modern
way of framing,breeding and rearing Animals with the benefits of
modern technology and agriculture science. if there is any chance hope
to hear from you soon.
Henry Ddamulira
[email protected]
http://www.northernregionfarmersassociation.org