ASSOCIATION BETWEEN A LOCAL BREED AND LOCAL FEED RESOURCES. THE EXAMPLE OF THE CREOLE PIG IN GUADELOUPE
Asociacion entre una raza local y recursos alimentarios locales : el ejemplo de los cerdos criollos de Guadeloupe
Résumé
In animal nutrition, cereals and their by-products are considered as major sources of energy to feed the livestock animals, especially pig and poultry. In tropical areas, a rational exploitation of local breeds and local feed resources would increase the sustainability of production systems. In Caribbean regions, the Creole pig is the main local breed and it represents approximately 40% of the total pig production. The Creole pig is characterized by a lower prolificacy, a slower growth rate and a greater fatness under intensive management system. Practically, the Creole pig is generally produced under extensive management in small scale farming systems with a feeding mainly based on the use of local feed resources. The general aim of studies performed at the Animal Production unit of Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) is to valorise Guadeloupean Creole pigs in integrated farming system in which there is a close association between crops and livestock. The purpose of this paper is to review the available scientific knowledge on the performance and the nutritional requirements of the Creole pig and on the potentiality of some local feed resource (sugar cane and cassava roots) to replace imported cereals in pig feeding. To conclude, model integrating all the current knowledge about the functioning of a breeding system based on the use of local and animal resources are presented.