Proposal of sustainable management of pig farming on pastures in Tuscany

It is quite recent in Tuscany the rediscovery of rearing on pastures of rustic pig breeds. The utilization of the pastures is often implemented without a specific skill of the farmer and this often leads to feeding errors exceeding the carrying capacity and wasting the feed; this situation has negative impact on ecosystem, animal welfare, quality of products and farm management. This paper is aimed to propose a practical scheme of Cinta Senese rearing on pastures focused on the use of wood as a factor characterizing the quality of production. The example (module to be replicated in case of larger farms) is a farm, with 9 sows producing progeny two times per year. Feeding plans, reported as graphs, provide forage chains suitable for the rearing area of Cinta Senese as well as the amount of feed (kg) to be used daily per animal during the entire growth-fattening phase. Results and conclusions: Length of rearing on pastures and feeding plan are function of season of birth, growth rate and expected availability of pasture that will affect the final product quality