Description of smallholder pig farming in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

Several smallholder pig farms exist in Brazil in parallel with industrial pig farming, which is carried out on large-scale farms. This study aimed to describe the smallholder pig production systems in the Metropolitan Area of Curitiba. For this, a questionnaire was applied in loco by interviewing 362 farmers. The labor force was exclusively family-oriented (93.4%), 50% of the farms had between 1.1 and 10 acres, 98.3% raised other animal species (i.e., poultry), and in 80.9% of the properties they cultivated mainly corn. Farrow-to-finish operations were developed in 57.2% of the farms, the swine were kept in a confined system in 62.5%, and the swine were kept outdoors in 20.7%. Of the farrow-to-finish operations, 40.1% had between 11 and 20 pigs, while in the fattening farms, 88.4% had up to 5 pigs. Most of the visited properties (79.6%) had pigs with undefined breeds. In terms of feeding practices, corn, and locally available vegetables were the most commonly used. In addition, 38.1% of farmers used commercial concentrate, usually with other feed. Reproduction was exclusively by natural mating, and the most frequently weaning age (46.9%) was two months. All the interviewees raised swine primarily for their consumption, with 78.7% also selling the animals. In the studied region, farmers obtained their family income by combining farming with other activities and stated that pig production contributed little to this income, and was developed mainly as a family tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]