Throughout the Pacific, the centerpiece of any notable feast, celebration, or important occasion is the succulent pig. Whether it’s been roasted underground or above ground— a delicious product of the umu in Samoa, the imu in Hawaii, the lovo in Fiji or the hangi in New Zealand, it is a necessary component of the banquet, and a tradition which has been part of the Pacific for centuries.

In Samoa, the centerpiece is fondly referred to as “size 2”— not too big, not too small— its skin easily crackled; and then there are, of course, the larger sizes used for cultural occasions such as funerals, title endowments, and church consecrations.

Piggeries are therefore common in the territory, but they are not all alike; there are significant differences in the ways in which pigs are kept, cleaned and bred.

It is these differences that have been problematic, and in many cases, environmentally unsound, according to officials at American Samoa’s Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA).

During their yearly inspections, the AS-EPA revealed they found that most piggeries in the territory are not in compliance with ASEPA regulations governing piggeries.

The piggeries are in fact a significant factor in stream pollution and often cause distress to neighbors, who object to foul odors.

At last official count, there were just over 800 piggeries in American Samoa, with only 19 found to be in compliance with environmental regulations.

(It is not a new finding and Samoa News has reported yearly about AS-EPA’s attempts to try and correct the problem, including support for a statute introduced in the Fono to govern piggery location and building codes for the sty. Needless to say, the statute never made it out of the Senate. )

Enter the ANA- the Administration for Native Americans.

Realizing the importance of pig farming in the Pacific, a grant was written with the goal of helping people keep their cultural practices, while implementing best practices for the safety and health of the environment.

Called “Pigs in Paradise” the grant was awarded to AS-Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and executed as a collaborative effort between AS-EPA, ASCC/Land Grant, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) to help piggery owners with the development of approved piggery designs.

Under the ANA grant, environmental engineer Brian Rippy was brought to the territory. Most recently from Montana, Rippy has done extensive international work in the field. He came on board at SWCD and now works with AS-EPA.

It was his piggery design— which local farmers have adapted and improved upon— that was the basis for a new generation of piggeries.

Simple, functional, clean and environmentally sound, the new piggery designs have been called “a model for the Pacific”.

Earlier this year, Samoa News joined Rippy to visit one of the “new generation” piggeries. The first to be funded under an NRCS administered Farm Bill program called “EQIP”, it is, according to Rippy, an exciting step forward.

“EQIP” stands for “Environmental Quality Incentives Program”.

EQIP was designed specifically “to promote agricultural production, forest management and environmental quality as compatible goals” according to their fact sheet.

Eligibility is limited to persons engaged in livestock or agricultural production (including forestry) who have environmental concerns that can be addressed with EQIP.

The first pig farmer in the territory to obtain this funding for a piggery is Sa Iosia, who was assisted by NRCS agent John Womack, working with Rippy.

The results have pleased everyone involved.

Iosia (friends call him Loma) was happy to show his piggery off. He noted how grateful he was for the EQIP program, that can fund participants up to 90% of the project cost.

Rippy developed four different types of standard piggery designs for piggery owners to choose from, but the EQIP program at this stage is only funding a “dry litter” type piggery, and it is this type which Iosia is using.

The dry litter piggeries use woodchips to facilitate a composting process that treats the pig waste.

Managed properly, this is a clean piggery, according to Rippy. It won’t produce foul odors, provided there are enough wood chips mixed in with the waste, which is rich in nitrogen.

In addition to being odorless, dry litter piggeries create a value added product from the waste (organic compost), reduce water use, eliminate environmental ‘point source’ contamination, and promote better animal husbandry practices, said Rippy.

The visit by Samoa News revealed a simple, clean piggery with animals living in sanitary, well watered and uncrowded conditions. Best of all, the stream nearby was completely untouched by pig waste, and Iosia smiled as he showed off his healthy pigs, including a brand new litter.

Iosia, who had once been cited by EPA for non-compliance with piggery regulations, now calls himself “ a believer”. He enthusiastically encouraged others to apply for EQIP funding.

Hopefully, there will be many more to follow.

The EQIP program is managed by John Womack at NRCS, who is the American Samoa District Conservationist. He can be reached at 633-1031 ext. 130.

The dry litter piggery prototype can also be viewed at ASCC CNR/Land Grant.

Call 699-1575 and ask for Larry Hirata or Alfred Peters, who will be “pleased to show the piggeries to any interested parties, including teachers and students”. The CNR Land Grant division is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.