Breeding of guinea-pig (Cavia porcellus, L. 1758) for meat production in Butembo, Democratic Republic of Congo : Literature review and breeding scheme

Providing animal proteins to humans requires choosing the animal species to be raised when access to land is limited. Butembo, is a refuge city of conflicts area in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo, where guinea-pig (Cavia porcellus) is considered as food. Therefore the breeding of this animal is an option to make more meat available. Genetic selection of guinea pigs and popularization of improved farming techniques can contribute to solve problems of food security in the region. The present work aims at pointing out the major characteristics and constraints of guinea pig’s breeding and to present the zootechnical interest of this species compared to the traditional domestic ones, when agriculture land are scarce. A selection method of local guinea pigs is proposed and will be further applied in the region of Butembo.