Abstract China, the world’s largest producer and consumer of pork, faces environmental challenges as household pig farming is often blamed for land and water pollution. Since 2015, stricter regulations have forced closures of small farms, undermining livelihoods and creating social tensions. This study explores how household pig farming can be sustained while balancing ecological protection and income security. Using participatory action research (PAR) framed by green social work, two rounds of fieldwork were conducted in rural Fujian Province. The first round, seeking legalization of family pig farming, proved unfeasible under current policies. The second round therefore pursued adaptive strategies: relocating pigsties to cooperative land, establishing tripartite agreements among farmers, entrepreneurs, and social workers, and integrating traditional veterinary knowledge with low-cost innovations. These measures stabilized production, doubled pork prices, reduced antibiotic use, and replaced commercial feed with natural alternatives, while building technical, market, and policy support networks. The findings suggest that economic incentives, combined with participatory processes, can motivate farmers to adopt and sustain green practices. This study extends green social work into pig farming and offers a replicable pathway to reconcile environmental sustainability with rural development in China.
Guo et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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