The productivity of domestic rabbits for subsistence farming families of PNG

摘要

Domestic rabbits were introduced to PNG in 1993 to provide meat, manure and small business opportunities for villagers. The PNG University of Technology, the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, the Canada Fund, the Targeted Community Development Project, Baptists of Aotearoa New Zealand Aid and Development (BANZAid) and other nongovernment organisations have supported rabbit farming research and extension. In PNG, there are now about 1500 farmers with 15,000-20,000 rabbits producing an estimated 120 tonnes of meat per year. The majority of rabbits in PNG are fed forages with a pelleted supplement containing copra meal, millrun and soybean meal. Pellets have been shown to improve growth of young rabbits fed forages from 5-8 grams per day (without pellets) to 20-30 grams per day (with pellets). In Western Highlands Province, where rabbit pellets are widely used, 28 percent of rabbits, out of a total of 987 born, died. From 221 rabbit births in Sandaun (West Sepik) Province, there was 41 percent mortality, mostly due to poor nutrition and inadequate care of young rabbits in the first week of life. For remote sites, where airfreight costs prevent feeding pellets, research is needed to develop local diets for rabbits that allow reasonable levels of productivity. The first task is to identify and establish forage plants that provide high-quality forage for livestock yet require a minimal labour input. The second need is to identify crops m each location that provide additional energy. The preference is to use a crop, such as cassava, which is currently underused, rather than more expensive staples such as sweet potato. Training and research into appropriate feeds and better husbandry will improve the performance of rabbits in villages.