Foreword

This book is a compilation of the results of a decade of research and development. The problem was to design and develop universally applicable technologies for wastewater treatment and resource recovery. A special effort was made to develop systems of modular units that could be adapted by farmers over a reasonable period of compliance. The technologies described in this book are a valuable resource for anyone faced with the problem of pollution caused by animal waste.

Although pig farming in Singapore has ceased because of the competing need for land for housing and industry in our land-scarce island republic, the thorough and comprehensive work in the field of waste management and utilization, so ably carried out by Professor Taiganides and his team of scientists, will serve as a landmark and valuable reference for everyone concerned with the preservation of the environment. The information contained in Pig Waste Management and Recycling will serve the compelling need for waste management and utilization in the livestock industry worldwide, and particularly in the tropical belts of the world.

Pig Waste Management and Recycling reflects the dedication of the many scientists and engineers who devoted part of their professional life to experimenting with innovative approaches to livestock rearing in an environmentally acceptable manner. This book could not possibly include the details of the work of these researchers, but their expertise can now be tapped by those who are and will be working in livestock development projects.

The Ministry of National Development is indebted to the international agencies that supported this valuable work: the Australian Development Assistance Bureau (ADAB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the German Technical Assistance Agency (GTZ), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and others that con tributed through the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). We also acknowledge the important contribution made by the livestock farmers who agreed to be trained in modern methods of pig rearing and to adopt environmental control measures. Finally, we are grateful to Professor E. Paul Taiganides for sifting through voluminous research reports and writing this cogent textbook and to IDRC for publishing this work for worldwide distribution.

Dr Ngiam Tong Tau

Director

Primary Production Department

Ministry of National Development

Republic of Singapore