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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
Peasant pig production in South of Mexico consist in kept pigs in the backyard. This is a complementary activity for the family income. The pigs are a significant source of protein, but their real meaning lay in their role as a “peasants’ savings bank”, an asset that could easily be tapped into when cash is needed. In this system Creole pigs are used mainly. The Creole pig is descendent from Iberico and Celtico pigs carried from Spain after the conquest of Mexico five hundred years ago. The Creole pig is fatter, have a reduced liveweigth gain and less fertility in comparison to selected breeds of pigs. However, these characteristics are an advantage for the peasant pig system, due to low nutrient requirements of Creole pigs that match very well with the feed available from the agriculture such as maize, Mucuna beans (Stilozobium deerengianum) and forages. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate digestibility and nitrogen retention in Creole pigs fed with feedstuffs obtainable from agriculture in peasant systems in comparison with a diet utilised commonly in commercial pig production systems.