Abstract
In recent decades, pigs and pork have been the central elements of Chinese agricultural systems, food security, and diet. China’s rapid income growth has induced a significant change in food consumption patterns, and hog production has received utmost attention from both, the Chinese government and the public. While the impact of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) on crop cultivation has been widely studied, few studies have examined the impact of FFS on hog production. This study uses data collected from 222 hog farmers in Beijing to examine the impact of FFS on the productivity of hog production, focusing on its three main indicators: feed conversion ratio and the mortality of sows and piglets. We found that farms that participated in FFS programs significantly improved the feed conversion ratio of hog production, particularly in small scale hog farms. On average, FFS reduced the feed conversion ratio for herd sizes of 1000, 500, and 200 by 6.8%, 10.7%, and 14.0%, respectively. We did not find evidence that farms that participated in FFS programs had a significant impact on minimizing the mortality of sows and piglets. This study suggests that the knowledge training model of the FFS program could also work in fields other than crop cultivation. Furthermore, we suggest that more attention could be paid to extension services diffusing knowledge of vaccination and disinfection in hog FFS programs.
Highlights
IntroductionPork has been a primary meat source for Chinese consumers for thousands of years [1]
Pork has been a primary meat source for Chinese consumers for thousands of years [1].Similar to major grain foods, pork has been considered a “national food” [2]
The results show that Farmer Field Schools (FFS) program participation had an insignificant impact on sow and piglet mortality rates
Summary
Pork has been a primary meat source for Chinese consumers for thousands of years [1]. Similar to major grain foods (e.g., rice, wheat, and maize), pork has been considered a “national food” [2]. In 2019, hog farmers and companies in China produced 42.6 million metric tons of pork from domestic swine, which accounted for 41.7% of the world’s total production. China’s domestic pork consumption accounted for 44.4% of the world’s total consumption [3]. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, China has restricted and/or suspended pork product imports since early 2020 [6]. As the world’s largest pork consuming country, ensuring hog production and supply is one of the most important concerns of the Chinese government and its domestic suppliers
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