Management of animal waste to improve the productivity of Pacific farming systems

• Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Fiji
• Foundation of the People's of the South Pacific International, Fiji

Livestock play an important role in the cultures of Pacific island countries. Most animals used to be free-ranging. However, livestock numbers have increased to the point where public pressure has forced many owners to tether them or keep them in pens. As a result, waste is concentrated in and around specific areas. Most waste is not collected or managed; rather, it is left where it lies. This contaminates surface and underground water, leading to human health risks and the loss of potential agricultural and economic gains.
Animal manure can be used to produce methane and fertiliser for village crops and gardens. However, time and effort are often required to maintain the equipment needed to do this, and many communities have been unwilling to adopt new practices they do not understand. There is a need for better information on how animal manure can be used more productively in Pacific island countries and on the relevant attitudes and values of local people.

This project aimed to help Pacific island countries to use animal waste productively rather than allowing it to pollute water supplies to the detriment of human health.

This project focused on Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji and Tonga. These countries were chosen because they have high livestock densities and because they provide a range of physical and cultural environments, making the results of the project applicable to most other Pacific island countries. The work was also undertaken at sites chosen for related projects (LWR1/01/050 and AS1/2001/054) on groundwater management and zoonotic infection.

The project team included both physical and social scientists. A national from each country linked the project to relevant legislation policies and programs. The project was strongly supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Preliminary activities in Fiji allowed the development of prototypes for use in the other countries. In the first phase of the project, a research team reviewed the literature and field study data - to document how animal waste is used in crop and garden production, to determine its impacts on the environment and human health and to estimate its economic impact. Other teams surveyed villages in their own countries to gain a better understanding of social, economic and environmental values of various sectors of society. In particular, they gathered information on why previous recommendations were not taken up.

Researchers analysed the data collected in the literature review and village surveys to identify culturally and socially acceptable strategies for managing animal waste for greater benefits. Survey teams then revisited villages to show videos and otherwise demonstrate the suggested strategies to people who were then asked to choose the best alternatives for their circumstances.

In the second phase of the project, some villages were selected to test the most acceptable strategies. Researchers used social, environmental and economic criteria to determine which management systems would most likely succeed in a region. They also developed indices to monitor the effects of animal waste management, looking in particular at the time taken for initial implementation, the level of uptake and its sustainability and the effects of the changes implemented.

The project produced impacts in communities within all four countries involved with the project. These impacts relate to the implementation of project activities at specific sites, as well as by neighbours who had a secondary involvement in the project. It is important to note that the project developed differently in each of the countries.

In Tonga the project focused on Ahau village, and had the following outcomes:
Ten farmers in Ahau village changed from a free-range extensive system (where pigs roam free in the village and nearby land) to a semi-intensive production system with pigs housed at all times.
Farmers at their own instigation and in association with the Ministry of Agriculture staff are now developing ways to improve the way they feed their confined pigs and developing improved health programs. This initiative is intended to overcome any tendency for intensification to become a negative impact should pigs fail to thrive in this system. This outcome highlights an important advance, as the farmers are now proactive learners working in partnership with government departments.
Potential negative impacts also relate to maintaining reproductive rates of the housed pigs, because most farmers do not keep a boar. One farmer released his sows when they were in oestrus and while acknowledging this was not an ideal solution it was effective in the short term. The farmers are now negotiating options to provide a breeding boar.

In Tuvalu, where the project worked with several communities on Funafuti Atoll, the project obtained the following outcomes:
There is potential for positive impact on the environment in Tuvalu as farmers change the design of their piggeries, as well as their waste management. Crucial in the design has been a minimisation of water use to wash the piggeries.
The changed management has the potential to provide a more stable cash flow for farmers involved in commercial production of pigs or vegetables.

In Fiji the project initially worked with two communities. One decided to withdraw from the project due to an internal community issue. But there were the following positive impacts in the village of Votua:
Relocation of the access point further upstream for the supply of drinking water to the village, above the areas being contaminated by human and animal waste.
Three farmers converting to piggeries using a composting system, with two of those farmers not receiving any financial support from the project. In one case a farmer is now using the compost produced to grow vegetables and food for pigs in a garden he has built near to the piggery.

In Kiribati the following outcomes have been attained:
Farmers have begun to use animal waste as compost in vegetable gardens
A negative impact was that the method of resource allocation used by the project led to a community dispute. Conflict developed between members of the community who were invited to join the project and those were not. It is difficult to know if the conflict was a result of project activities or if the conflict was due to other underlying issues operating within the community. However, the conflict has been an important learning point for the project team, highlighting the need to clearly understand how the various members of the community perceive the project.

In all countries there is potential for economic gains with farmers substituting expensive fertilisers with organic manure. In addition the nutrient advantages of improved soil structure have been clearly illustrated by the farmers in Tonga and are being demonstrated in Tuvalu. There are potential positive impacts on human health that may occur over the next decade. An example for Fiji is the improved recreational use of rivers that have less contamination from animal waste.