Analysis of the Factors of Continuity of Small-Scale Pig Husbandry in a Hillside Village in Northern Thailand

The objective of this paper is to analyze the factors influencing the continuity of small-scale pig husbandry, which is practiced widely in hillside villages in continental Southeast Asia. For this purpose, we used the results of a case study in a hillside Hmong village in Nan province, northern Thailand. In particular, we examined the factors of continuity of small-scale pig husbandry by describing the following points: 1) the type of pigs villagers kept; 2) the type of feed given to the pigs; and 3) how the villagers used the pigs they kept. The results are outlined below. First, the main factor in the continuity of husbandry is that the villagers regularly use pigs for events with dual religious and social aspects. The religious aspect involves offering pigs in ritual sacrifice for an annual ancestor worship event, while the social one is related to the use of pork in feasts for celebratory events, which play a role in reaffirming relationships with other villagers. Second, the main factor in small-scale husbandry relates to the techniques of collecting pig feed and the labor demanded for it. The number of pigs that can be kept by each household is regulated by the characteristics of freshness of plant feed, for example, banana leaves and stems, which are plentiful near the village but cannot be kept fresh for a long period of time. Therefore, villagers need to collect feed almost every day from the area around the village.