Asia Farming Solutions

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Asia Farming Solutions

Our mission is to reduce the suffering of farmed animals by facilitating the adoption of higher welfare practices.

12/07/2026

Today, we are releasing Transitioning Smallholder Pig Farmers to Higher-Welfare Housing Systems for Sows: A Scoping Study in Three Philippine Provinces.

Based on fieldwork across Batangas, Cebu, and Bukidnon, the report provides baseline evidence on sow housing practices, welfare conditions, farmer perspectives, and the structural barriers shaping housing decisions in Philippine smallholder pig farming. It examines how post-African Swine Fever (ASF) recovery, biosecurity, and animal welfare intersect, while identifying practical pathways for incremental welfare improvements that are appropriate for smallholder systems.

We hope this report serves as a resource for policymakers, researchers, veterinarians, industry stakeholders, and development practitioners working toward a more resilient and higher-welfare swine sector in the Philippines.

Read the full report: https://www.asiafarmingsolutions.org/resources

07/06/2026

As we prepare for the June 15 launch of Philippines: Scoping Study of Pig Farms in Three Provinces, it is important to recognize the pressures smallholder farmers navigate in making housing and management decisions.

Across the farms assessed, individual confinement was often shaped by concerns around African Swine Fever, piglet survival, ease of monitoring, space limitations, and the cost of modifying existing housing systems.

These realities matter. A higher-welfare transition cannot rely on asking farmers to change practices without addressing the systems around them.

Supporting farmers means investing in practical housing designs, biosecurity-aligned welfare improvements, technical guidance, financing pathways, and policy incentives that make transition possible.

The report will be released on June 15 make sure to subscribe to our newsletter: asiafarmingsolutions.org/news-updates

05/06/2026

Ahead of the June 15 launch of Philippines: Scoping Study of Pig Farms in Three Provinces, we are sharing some of the recurring welfare concerns identified across smallholder sow housing systems.

The study documented severe restriction of movement, absence of opportunities for natural behaviors, visible stress-related behaviors, uncomfortable resting conditions, and welfare trade-offs linked to disease risk management.

These concerns were not isolated. They reflected broader challenges in housing design, infrastructure, biosecurity pressures, and limited access to transition support.

Understanding these welfare concerns is an important step toward designing practical, farmer-sensitive, and higher-welfare pathways for sow housing in the Philippines.

The report will be released on June 15 make sure to subscribe to our newsletter: asiafarmingsolutions.org/news-updates

03/06/2026

On June 15, Asia Farming Solutions will launch Philippines: Scoping Study of Pig Farms in Three Provinces, a 2026 report examining smallholder sow housing systems in the Philippines.

This scoping study looks at the realities faced by smallholder pig farmers, the welfare conditions of breeding sows, and the structural barriers that shape housing and management decisions on the ground.

Across the study sites, the findings raise an urgent question: how can we support farmers in moving toward higher-welfare housing systems while recognizing the economic, disease-related, and infrastructure constraints they navigate every day?

The report will be released on June 15 make sure to subscribe to our newsletter: asiafarmingsolutions.org/news-updates

22/05/2026

Pig housing systems are not only an animal welfare issue.

They also shape farmer livelihoods, disease management, productivity, infrastructure costs, and long-term farm resilience — especially within the Philippines’ predominantly smallholder swine sector.

Across the country, gestation and farrowing crates remain widely used despite growing international scientific evidence linking prolonged confinement to compromised welfare, injuries, stress-related behaviors, and reduced sow longevity.

At the same time, the realities farmers face are complex. African Swine Fever (ASF), rising feed costs, spatial limitations, and limited institutional support continue to shape housing and management decisions across the sector.

Despite these challenges, there remains limited localized research examining how existing sow housing systems affect both animals and farming communities in the Philippine context.

At Asia Farming Solutions, we believe meaningful change starts with grounded, evidence-based understanding that can support practical and context-sensitive pathways toward better systems for both animals and farmers.

21/05/2026

Mother pigs should be able to walk, turn around freely, rest comfortably, and care for their young — not spend most of their lives inside cages.

Across the Philippines, gestation and farrowing crates remain widely used in both commercial and smallholder pig farming systems. Yet international scientific evidence has consistently linked prolonged confinement to injuries, muscle deterioration, stress, reduced bone strength, and stereotypic behaviors such as rail biting and repetitive movements.

The current Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards for swine housing — PAES 401 Series of 2001 — were developed more than two decades ago, long before many of today’s advances in animal welfare science and higher-welfare housing systems.

At Asia Farming Solutions, we believe improving animal welfare must also mean supporting farmers through practical, science-based, and sustainable transition pathways toward more resilient farming systems.

20/05/2026

Impact. Collaboration. Accountability.

These are the values that guide our work for animals, farmers, and the future of agriculture. We believe meaningful change happens through evidence-based action, collective effort, and a strong commitment to transparency and responsibility.

19/05/2026

We envision a future where farmed animals no longer endure unnecessary suffering inside intensive farming systems.

Through farmer training, technical assistance, and advocacy, Asia Farming Solutions works to advance higher welfare and more sustainable agricultural practices across the Philippines.

18/05/2026

Building a better future for pigs means transforming the systems that shape their lives.

At Asia Farming Solutions, we support farmers in transitioning toward higher-welfare, more sustainable farming systems — creating pathways that are better for animals, people, and the future of agriculture.

22/03/2025

OUR WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE!

We’re excited to officially launch the digital home of Asia Farming Solutions — where we work to reduce the suffering of farmed animals by facilitating the adoption of higher welfare practices.

Our first campaign, Build Back Better, focuses on supporting farmers in transitioning away from crates and shifting to group housing systems for sows and pigs — paving the way for a more compassionate and sustainable future in farming.

This launch wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of Vegan Hacktivists, especially to James, for facilitating this milestone and hosting our first year on Squarespace — thank you for supporting this vision with us.

Special thanks as well to Violet Studios, especially to Thomas and Kate, for creating a design that truly captures who we are and the future we’re building together.

Visit us now: www.asiafarmingsolutions.org�

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http://asiafarmingsolutions.org/, http://asiafarmingsolutions.org/news-updates

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