title: Nutrient requirements and low-cost balanced diets, based on seasonally available local feedstuffs, for local pigs on smallholder farms in Western Kenya.
abstract: Growth performance of pigs on smallholder farms in the tropics is low. Lack of feedstuffs, seasonal feed shortages, and feeding nutritionally unbalanced diets contribute to slow growth. Low-cost balanced diets are needed to improve pig performance. In this study, we estimated the nutrient requirements of local pigs on smallholder farms in Kenya and developed balanced low-cost diets using seasonally available local feedstuffs. Diets were formulated to provide pigs with 80 % of the nutrient density in corn and soybean meal-based (reference) diets to minimize the cost per unit of energy and other nutrients. Estimated requirements for starting and growing pigs (8 to 35 kg body weight) were as follows: digestible energy (DE) 2960 kcal/kg of dry matter (DM), standardized ileal digestibility (SID) lysine 5.8 g/kg of DM, calcium 2.8 g/kg of DM, standardized total tract digestible (STTD) phosphorous 1.4 g/kg of DM, and crude protein 85 g/kg of DM. Nutrient requirements of local pigs on smallholder farms in Kenya were lower than those of exotic breed pigs raised in commercial settings. Seasonally available local feedstuffs were used to develop low-cost balanced diets. Twenty-two diets are presented based on season, cost, and feedstuff availability. This study has broad applicability as a case study of an approach that could be applied in other tropical regions in which smallholder pig keeping is practiced and where local feedstuffs for pigs are available seasonally.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1, Canada. natalieacarter001@gmail.com.|International Livestock Research Institute, Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya. natalieacarter001@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Natalie Ann
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Catherine Elizabeth
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Dewey
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute, Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya.|Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Lian Francesca
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute, Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lukuyu
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute, Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Delia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Cornelis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Lange
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D004063:Digestion; D007630:Kenya; D009753:Nutritive Value; D012621:Seasons; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000254:growth & development; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Diet; Feeding stuffs; Nutrient requirements; Pigs; Sub-Saharan Africa; Subsistence farmers