How Rabbit Production can boost food sufficiency in the Cordilleras?

Baguio City - The Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office Cordillera (DA-RFO-CAR) is now eyeing to increase rabbit production to boost food sufficiency and increase production of farm inputs in the region.

Rabbits have a shorter growth cycle and their meat is known to be healthier than pork and beef, which could be a perfect substitute.

Through the Support of Technology Demonstration on Rabbit Production, rabbit manure is now being introduced as a component for vermicompost processing for organic fertilizer to increase production for the farming industry.

According to Science Research Specialist Angeline Kalngan, vermicompost produced is harvested and can also be sold for profit.

Said technology demonstration under the Research Division promotes the economic potential of rabbit farming and vermiculture and encourages the utilization of household biodegradable waste.

Currently, there are two bucks and seven female rabbits in the techno-demo project, integrated with garden by-products, chayote fruits, trichanthera leaves, camote leaves, and other leafy greens supplemented with commercial feeds given as rabbit food.

Meanwhile, rabbit kits produced were distributed to interested individual farmers and farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in the region.

This year, only 14 heads of rabbits were distributed due to the decrease production since the production area is under repair.

According to DA-CAR they have allocated nearly P200, 000 for the project until the end of 2021.

The project started way back in 2014 with initial funding from DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) and was continued to be funded by DA-CAR from 2017 to the present under the other Research and Development fund.

Rabbit farming for food shortage

Aside from raising rabbits for using their byproducts like their manure as fertilizer, wool, paws, and tails for key chains or selling them as breeders and pets, rabbit farmers can also sell the meat as food.

Earlier, the DA central office considered rabbits as an alternative to pork meat among backyard raisers, citing the shorter growth cycle of the animal than that of pigs affected by the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in the country. Secretary William Dar, in his previous interview, said that the rabbit has a shorter growing cycle which makes it a better substitute to pork.

According to Ms. Angeline Kalngan, Science Research Specialist, rabbit meat is a healthy source of protein with the lowest cholesterol content compared to pork, chicken, beef, lamb, and turkey.

Kalngan said, “There are other advantages of rabbit production such as rabbits are fast to reproduce with minimal input and labor.”

Challenges

Cordillera Rabbit Breeders Association interim president, Mr. Hector Dominguez, shared some of the challenges on rabbit farming, especially for businesses that include the lack of experts on rabbit raising; and expensive materials for cages, accessories, and the cost of high-quality stocks.

Mr. Dominguez added the challenges of the rabbit market industry such as the low acceptance of the general public on ‘lapan’ rabbit meat, the rabbit meat is more expensive than other livestock in the market, sales and marketing of the livestock industry going back to normal and sustainability of rabbit production in sales and marketing.

With the said challenges, the program and the rabbit raisers are exerting efforts in promoting rabbit production and providing the rabbit raisers free rabbit kits and trainings in the region.

Interested individuals or farmer groups on rabbit farming can request rabbit kits and training through a letter addressing it to DA-RFO-CAR Cordillera Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CIARC).

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