Production systems that make use of local resources in pig farming in tropical regions

Pig farming in the French West Indies is carried out both by specialised industrial-scale farms and by alternative systems that rely heavily on the biodiversity available in their environment. These latter systems are characterised mainly by the presence of multiple production activities (crop and livestock farming) and serve as a platform for innovation in the utilisation of local resources. The work carried out by INRA and its partners on the use of local resources in pig production can contribute to the development of production in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Building on INRA’s key findings regarding the characterisation of existing systems, the nutritional value of energy sources (bananas, sugar cane, tubers, roots) and nitrogen sources (leaves of tubers and roots, pulses), and the characterisation of the local pig breed, the Créole pig, pig production systems that make use of local resources are proposed.