No Turning Back After Pig Farming: Alian Mo’erzuo

Alian Mo’erzuo is one of the mothers we have helped in the Pig Farming program. She is the head of household of seven members: her husband, son, four daughters, and herself. With a huge family size, the family has many mouths to feed. Moreover, it is still a long time before they can finally rest and retire because their children are still young. The eldest daughter is still in 7th grade, while their youngest daughter is still a toddler at 2 years old.

To support their children, Alian and her husband rely on their different sources of income. Her husband does seasonal labor work far from home and takes home an annual income of CNY 30,000. Alian, on the other hand, farms from home, growing potatoes and corn, and raising cattle and sheep on their 7 mu of land. At times when her husband does not have work, he helps Alian with farming. Not all of them are sold to the market. Most of their harvest and livestock are used for their and their livestock’s daily consumption. This way, they could maintain a certain level of food security in their home.

Since they have previously received piglets from our program, Alian has learned about more improved and scientifically-proven practices to raise livestock. Before, they only fed their animals with their corn and sweet potato harvests, but now, they have learned about feeding them with high-protein and nutrient-dense feed that we provided to promote rapid growth and increase their animals’ market value. They also ensure that the water they drink is always clean and fresh to prevent contracting sickness. As for hygiene practices in the pigpen, they prioritize maintaining the neatness of the pigpen by disinfecting it daily and keeping it well-ventilated. When we weighed the pigs, they weighed about 115 kg each—an impressive weight for first-time pig farmers like Alian.

When asked about their future plans for the pigs, Alian shared her family’s excitement about their growth. She hopes to increase the family’s income through pig farming and use the proceeds from selling the pigs to buy daily necessities and school supplies for the children. Now that they know that pig farming is possible for them, they won’t be looking back—only forward, to their brighter future.

Our Partners