Reproductive performance of indigenous Lao pigs reared by small-scale farmers in northern provinces of Laos

Indigenous pigs are essential domestic animals for rural life and meat supply in Laos, especially for ethnic people in remote areas. Northern provinces have the most numerous indigenous pig populations, i.e. covering 84% of the total pig population. This study was conducted in northern Laos, where 164 pig-raising households, 325 sows and 1246 piglets were included. The study aimed to observe the general trend of change in indigenous pig utilization and the altered reproductive performance regarding village location and rearing systems. The semi-structured questionnaires were a key tool for gathering data required through personal interviews and field observations. Two types of indigenous Lao pig breeds (locally named Moo Lath and Moo Hmong) were found in study areas. The village locations were not influencing on reproductive performance of indigenous Lao pigs. Larger litter size and birth weight (P < 0.004-0.000) was found in the second cluster (15 to 30 km away from downtown) with an average of 8.24 heads and 0.88 kg, while the first (< 15 km) and third (> 30 km) clusters had 7.72 versus 7.12 heads, and 0.70 versus 0.63 kg, respectively. Conversely, the second cluster had lower litter per year (P < 0.001) by 1.04, compared to 1.38 for the first and third clusters. The free-scavenging rearing system (FRS) had a higher litter size (8.5) than the confinement (CRS) and semi-scavenge (SRS) rearing system (7.36 versus 7.54). The FRS had a marginally smaller litter per year (0.87) that differed from the CRS and SRS (1.45 and 1.41). The CRS had a shorter suckling period (2.38 months) with a lower weaning weight (6.74 kg), while the FRS and SRS had longer (2.72 versus 2.8 months) and higher weaning weight (7.76 and 7.57 kg). The mortality before weaning was 15 %, and no difference was found related to the villages' location or rearing systems (P > 0.070 versus 0.839). Around 56% of the piglet's deaths were due to poor management that caused piglets to be crushed/injured by sow or starvation. More than 54% of farmers did not keep sows in pens before the farrowing, and 53% of sows gave birth near forests. In conclusion, the village locations and rearing systems did not influence the reproductive performance of indigenous pigs in northern Laos. However, pre- and post-farrowing management had a strong effect on it. During the whole study, we took into consideration the successful example of Hungarian Mangalica pig, which could find a proper new role in the global premium markets. Our results suggest that similar complex semi-intensive farm operations as indigenous Mangalica pig farms in Hungary should be a great option for introducing and adapting to improve indigenous pig performance in Laos.