Article (Scientific journals)
From taboo to commodity: history and current situation of cavy culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Maass, Brigitte; Metre, Thierry K.; Tsongo, F et al.
2014In Livestock Research for Rural Development, 26, p. 151
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Keywords :
Cavy; Guinea Pig; Cobaye; Kivu; Livelihood; non-conventional animal production; small livestock; women empowerment
Abstract :
[en] For the first time, the status of cavy culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is reviewed with emphasis on Sud-Kivu province. Cavy culture, as discussed in this paper, is the raising, production and utilization of the domestic cavy (i.e., Guinea pig, Cavia porcellus) for consumption. Many sources were used in the review, but published scientific research literature is extremely scarce. Nevertheless, it can be estimated that more than 2 million cavies are kept in DRC, contributing significantly to nutrition security, especially animal protein, and income generation of some hundreds of thousands of poor rural and urban households. The largest cavy populations are in the Kivu provinces, which is probably partly due to the inclusion of cavies in ‘rehabilitation kits’ of humanitarian NGOs and in the agricultural portfolio of development agencies who seek to address the challenges of widespread hunger and malnutrition in the area. The review covers the history of cavy culture in Sud-Kivu since colonial times based on oral tradition; it describes the current ‘cavy status’ in the country and identifies research and capacity building needs. We suggest that cavy culture in DRC is likely to become more widespread and important due to the activities of a new project on ‘Harnessing husbandry of domestic cavy for alternative and rapid access to food and income in Cameroon and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’. Given the dimension, cavies should be included in livestock census as well as research and development agenda, honoring their role in the livelihoods of less endowed people, especially women.
Disciplines :
Animal production & animal husbandry
Author, co-author :
Maass, Brigitte
Metre, Thierry K.
Tsongo, F
Mugisho, AB
Kampemba, FM
Ayagirwe, RBB
Azine, PC
Bindelle, Jérôme  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Sciences agronomiques > Zootechnie
Chiuri, WL
Language :
English
Title :
From taboo to commodity: history and current situation of cavy culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Publication date :
2014
Journal title :
Livestock Research for Rural Development
eISSN :
0121-3784
Publisher :
Centro para la Investigación en Sistemas Sostenibles de Producción Agropecuaria, Cali, Colombia
Volume :
26
Pages :
151
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Available on ORBi :
since 11 August 2014

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