Philippines Smallholder Livestock Production, 2000 - 2001

The scaling-up of hog production systems raises the question about the continued ability of smallholder producers to participate in an industry that is experiencing robust growth. The changing market shares of small-scale and large-scale producers in the livestock market, pork market in particular, tends to suggest a displacement of smallholders. Yet the poverty implications of such a displacement raise important social questions.

This study was therefore undertaken to understand the market forces, structural factors, and policies that affect the scale of production operations in live hog raising (and by hypothesis are displacing smallholders), to quantify the contribution of each, and relate this to what can be done to overcome transaction cost barriers to market access and policy distortions that impact small–scale operators more than large.