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Second FAO Electronic Conference on Tropical Feeds
Livestock Feed Resources within Integrated Farming Systems
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Abstract of eleventh paper, from G. Chan.

Questions that might stimulate discussion on this topic
include:

1. Can this integrated farming system which has developed in a
high potential area be reproduced in your conditions?

2. What alternatives are available for the dry tropics?

3. What other species can replace pigs in the five important
roles highlighted by the author in the regions or in the farms
where pigs cannot be part of the integrated farming system?

4. Is the number of people that can be fed from one hectare of
farmland a good criteria to compare the efficiency of
integrated farming systems between them and with other
production systems? Can you give such figures for integrated
farming systems that you know?

5. What is your experience with the Chinese type of
biodigestor outside China?

6. To what extent do herbivore fishes digest elephant grass or
similar species?

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LIVESTOCK IN SOUTH-EASTERN CHINA

Prof. George Chan

Environmental Engineering Consultant
United Nations University
Zero Emissions Research Initiative (ZERI) Programme
E-mail: 100075.3511@compuserve.com

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ABSTRACT

This paper describes the five important roles of the pig in a
Chinese household, first as a garbage disposal plant to eat
everything that humans do not want. Its wastes make it a power
station providing biogas energy which can be converted into
electricity, and then a fertilizer factory to supply nutrients
to both water for polyculture of fish and macrophytes, and
soil for multicropping of grains, vegetables, fruits and
flowers. It also contributes to a feed mill, as the crop and
processing residues are used as livestock feeds, and is
finally a meat producing plant. These 5 useful functions make
the pig a very special part in the life style of Chinese rural
society, as it recycles all its wastes and residues most
effectively and efficiently while contributing to its economic
and social development in a sustainable manner. Following the
same economic, ecologic and social principles, the integrated
farming system has evolved, enhancing the farming and
agroindustrial activities of every farm family to meet the
needs of a modern society by providing the renewable means of
production such as energy, fertilizers and livestock feeds.

KEY WORDS: Integrated farming system, China, pig, livestock,
recycling, feed

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FAO ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE:
LIVESTOCK FEED RESOURCES WITHIN INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS
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