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By Brigitte Maass, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
For thousands of years, South Americans have been breeding guinea pigs, but this has not taken root in most parts of the world, including Africa. We discussed with Brigitte Maass the possibilities that they offer for breeding and the difficulties in producing them.
What are guinea pigs?
The guinea pigs are native to South America. In Peru, they are called "cuyes", but the animal has many different names around the world. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), farmers call them "dende". We think it comes from the French name "Guinea pig", which means "guinea pig". But they are not pigs, nor India nor Guinea. We prefer to call them "domestic cellars".
The cellars have many uses. They were domesticated thousands of years ago as a small breed and continue to be bred. They have also been used by medical researchers to study diseases and, mainly in Western society – as in Europe or North America – they are kept as pets.
But traditionally they were used for meat. And they are still around the world today, with demand reaching a peak in South American countries like Peru and Ecuador. Cavy breeding can be a lucrative business. Some farmers have even abandoned dairy production, because raising wineries is more economical. In Peru, for example, the average farmer earns about $ 30 a month, while wine-growers earn up to $ 130.
Why should they be considered a source of meat?
Domestic shrimp produce high quality meat, similar to chicken, with high protein content. Their fat is also rich in healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Shrimps can also be eaten as an alternative to bushmeat. A big problem for the conservation of biodiversity in the forest areas of Central Africa.
But the most important reason is that guinea pigs do not compete with humans for their food. When you raise chickens, for example, you have to feed them with grains that people could eat. Cavies are almost like little cows: they feed on all types of green fodder and are fairly easy to keep. They are not difficult in what they eat and do not get sick easily. Finally, they are shy animals and less likely to escape than rabbits, which can damage natural ecosystems.
Are they currently grown in Africa?
Yes, they are grown in many African countries and eaten by millions of people. It is possible that the missionaries introduced them, but we do not really know when or how they came to Africa. Today, they are raised in various countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Togo.
But this is not well known and could be due to the fact that they are mainly kept in houses or kitchens. It is only in Tanzania that they are recorded in the national census of cattle where they are estimated at 600 000. But this number is probably much too low. We estimate that the DRC has about two million cellars and that there are at least half a million in Cameroon.
In countries where guinea pigs are raised to produce meat, we have found that it is often women and young boys who raise and sell them. And the income is used to pay the tuition fees.
Another very popular product of the breeding of cavies is their manure. Farmers like it because it contains more nitrogen than manure from other livestock and is also lighter to transport because it is relatively dry.
What should be done to support the breeding of guinea pigs as an industry?
For decades, researchers and producers in South America have improved production and marketing of the guinea pig, which is now frequently sold in supermarkets. By contrast, in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole there has been virtually no research or information on how to grow, produce or use cellars.
It is important that the entire value chain be developed, which means that markets must also be developed. For starters, more people on the continent need to eat more meat.
As part of a cavy project in Cameroon and the DRC from 2012 to 2014, we helped develop these value chains. We have set up stakeholder platforms linking producers, wine merchants and restaurant owners. We also invited researchers, journalists, bankers and politicians to several community meetings.
The members of the platform received technical training and their problems were taken into account by the researchers. Producers were registered as legal groups and could open bank accounts. Animals are now sold more expensive and in some cities you can order caviar meat from a few restaurants. In eastern DRC, vegetables produced with cavy manure are getting better prices on the market.
Intercontinental learning is another opportunity. We have gathered people from African and South American countries. This has allowed African caviar producers to benefit from the experiences and progress made in South America and to gain time by improving their production and marketing.
Brigitte Maass, Associate Professor, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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