Demographic study of pig management in the Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.

Abstract

Pig keeping features prominently in farming systems throughout the Papua New Guinea Highlands, but we know less about it than crop cultivation (the subject of many trials and reports). This paper reports on livestock husbandry, herd structure and demography in the central Southern Highlands Province around Nipa. It reports on a series of surveys conducted over twenty-four years on the pig herd of a Wola speaking community in the Was valley. It describes the pig herding regime, reproduction and growth of animals, pig herd demography and the movement of animals into and out of herds. The livestock regime is predictably different to that seen in commercially managed herds. The demographic data reveal some interesting patterns in herd structure The paper seeks to account for these by placing them in cultural and environmental context. Pigs not only supply meat they are a measure of social standing too. They feature prominently in the socio-poiitical exchanges that characterise Highlands ’ life. The high point is the large pig kill staged every few years, which impacts significantly on herd demography. Natural events that cause periodic staple crop shortages may also impact heavily on pig populations, and herds may not contribute significantly to food security at such times. The management regime responds equally to social and political issues, as demographic and environmental ones.