Case 1: Ms. Yan - Struggling Backyard Producers

Ms. Yan is 64 years old and has been raising two pigs for the last 40 years except for several extreme years in early 1960s when many people died of famine. She and her husband re-built their house in rural Shandong Provinces at least six times in the last 40 years.

In those very difficult years amid the Cultural Revolution, 3 or 4 pigs a year could add a significant part of family revenue. Food grain (mainly wheat) was never enough for four young children in the early years. Selling a pig two or three times a year allowed for the purchases of other foods in return.

Table 1. Operation Description of Ms. Yan’s 2-pig Farm.

Items Note

1. Feeder Pigs- bought from local bazaars at about 15 to 23 Kg and about $0.85/Kg 2- or 3-way crossbred. Pay can be deferred as short-term debt.

2. Feed- only about 10% of the feed is grain, protein meals, and premixes; others are food residues with no cost.  Only feed little grain at early and late stage.

3. Days to market- about 200 days from 20 Kg to 65 Kg.

4. Market pigs- sold to dealers or on local bazaars. Live weight price varies from $0.65 to $0.80/Kg in 2002.

5. Manure- stored in a open pit for field application Considered to have value

6. Labor & Vets- time used for buying and selling pigs and cleaning; vets and drugs cost about $10 per pig. No opportunity cost for labor included

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