Enhancing Livelihoods of Poor Livestock Keepers through Increased Use of Fodder: Smallholder cattle fattening in Viet Nam
ABSTRACT
This Technical Advisory Note (TAN) describes the transition of smallholder farmers in Ea Kar, whose livelihood was based on small, diversified crop-livestock farms, from traditional „cattle keepers. to market-oriented „cattle producers.. Many smallholder farm families keep 1-3 cattle as part of a diversified smallholder livelihood. They graze cattle on grass, herbs and shrubs growing along road sides, fields and waterways, and in nearby forests. In intensively cropped lowland area, farmers supplement grazing with freshly cut native grasses and crop residues. Almost invariably, there are two main issues with this type of production system:
1) Feed supply is insufficient for good animal growth as animals are unable to find enough fodder on heavily grazed land, and
2) Cattle management is very labour
intensive as grazing needs to be supervised in cropping areas and cut- and-carry of low-growing, native grasses is very time consuming.
This situation has resulted in thin animals with a low meat yield at slaughter and poor reproductive performance; these animals can only be sold on local markets for local consumption. The purpose of keeping cattle has, usually, been related to preserving capital which can be liquidated easily rather than producing cattle which command good prices as meat animals. There are now opportunities for smallholders to benefit from the increasing demand for higher-quality beef in larger towns and cities but smallholders cannot access these markets unless they change the way they raise, produce and market cattle.
This TAN describes the successful transition of smallholder farmers from cattle keepers to cattle producers in Ea Kar district, Daklak, and analyses the key factors that were instrumental in enabling this transition.
The key to success was the combination of a convincing technology – farm-grown fodder – and an innovation process that was participatory, actor-oriented, and both production and market focused. The immediate benefits of easy access to fodder stimulated stakeholders’ interest and provided an entry point for innovation. As cattle production improved and stakeholders realised that they could produce high-quality animals, market opportunities became the key driver for chang.
To see the original paper please access the website:
http://mahider.ilri.org/handle/10568/4750
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Science and Public Policy
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