Pigs are one of the small livestock commodities in West Kalimantan province. Based on BPS data for 2018, West Kalimantan is ranked 6th nationally as a province with a dominant pig population. However, during the period between 2018 and 2024, pig population data in West Kalimantan continued to show a significant downward trend.
During this period, the most drastic population decline occurred in the period between 2021 and 2022. The pig population volume was recorded at 410,654 in 2021, then shrank drastically to 76,348, with a percentage decline reaching 81.41 percent in 2022.
This population decline situation has had a disruptive impact on the local economy, as well as on the availability of food sources for the surrounding community. The impact of this decline has been felt by various parties, from home-scale farmers to medium-scale livestock farms.
Distribution of Pig Population in West Kalimantans
Click here for interactive version of this graph. Note: The proportion of the data bubble size corresponds to the number of pig population in the city/district areas in West Kalimantan
The geographical aspect is a crucial study in understanding the decline in the regional pig supply chain. Based on the bubble size, the pig population appears to be more concentrated in the central and northern parts of West Kalimantan.
Meanwhile, the southern part and the west coast tend to have a smaller population. The distribution of the population in several of these areas shows that there needs to be a deep understanding of the design of effective and targeted recovery strategies in the community.
Of the 14 cities and regencies in West Kalimantan, Landak Regency ranks first as the region with the largest population – contributing 123,315 in 2021 – followed by Bengkayang Regency (46,716), and Sintang Regency (45,700). In fact, the need for pork per family reaches 1.06 kg per year (Disbunnak Kalbar, 2023). The concentration of the pig population in Landak Regency strengthens its role in the dynamics of pig farming in West Kalimantan.
African Swine Fever (ASF) Pandemic
The main cause of the decrease in volume was depopulation caused by the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak. The outbreak was first detected in late 2020. Mortality cases due to this virus were found in the bearded wild boar (Sus barbatus) population in the Sabah region, located in the northeastern part of the island of Borneo (Daniel et al., 2024).
Over time, there was a development of transmission of the outbreak that was evenly distributed throughout the island. The distribution of the points of the ASF case emergence areas has indicated the path of the virus spread that does not only impact the domestic scope.
In West Kalimantan itself, the outbreak known as the plague first appeared in September 2021. The findings were initially reported by people who were hunting wild boar in the forest area of Datah Dian Village, North Putussibau District, which directly borders the upper reaches of the Sarawak River, Malaysia.
The fatality rate of the virus that attacks domestic pigs and bearded wild boars can even cause a risk of death of up to 100 percent (FAO, 2025). Initial identification in this border area marks the potential risk of transmission involving countries and regions, and requires more intensive coordination of handling.
This even distribution confirms that the sustainability of the domestic pig and bearded wild boar population is increasingly threatened, and strengthens the urgency of the handling needed in West Kalimantan. This condition is then exacerbated by the challenges of suboptimal biosecurity, poorly controlled domestic livestock movements, and limited understanding of farmers regarding ASF handling.
The case findings in West Kalimantan are an important note that the possibility of the ASF outbreak spreading to other areas of Kalimantan through the distribution chain, geographical conditions, and ecological aspects. Therefore, structured collaboration involving cross-stakeholders is the main thing to answer the challenges of the ASF outbreak crisis.
The combination of mortality rates in domestic pig and bearded pig populations has posed a challenge to the sustainability of pig populations in West Kalimantan.
Multi-party collaboration carried out by the Plantation and Livestock Service (Disbunnak) of West Kalimantan Province, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of South Korea, has made Landak Regency and Pontianak City a pilot area for implementing biosecurity in West Kalimantan.
Based on Government Regulation (PP) No. 47 of 2014 concerning the Control and Management of Animal Diseases and the Decree of the Minister of Agriculture No. 6 of 2021 concerning Good Farming Practices (GFP), this recovery effort is carried out through the CABI Program (Community African Swine Fever/ASF Biosecurity Intervention).
The implementation of biosecurity in this livestock refers to the principles of good livestock farming, emphasizing community biosecurity interventions to prevent further spread, and to restore the pig population after the ASF outbreak. This program is expected to be a solution to overcome the outbreak as well as a sustainable development pattern.
Recommendations for Alternative Policy Steps
In an effort to restore the pig population, both domestic and endemic such as the bearded wild boar, alternative policy steps need to consider further awareness of the relationship between society and the ecosystem. This can be considered through various perspectives, including:
- Ecocentric ethics that consider animals as part of the ecosystem that coexists with humans.
- Diversification of food sources to minimize community attachment to livestock production.
- Mapping the rotation between domestic and wild animals so that biodiversity can be protected.
Thus, this approach is expected to broaden the understanding of society as an integral part of the ecosystem, not as a single and dominant entity.
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