Forage options for smallholder crop–animal systems in Southeast Asia: working with farmers to find solutions

Stür, Werner W.; Horne, P. M.; Junior, FA Gabunada; Phengsavanh, Phonepaseuth; Kerridge, Peter C.

doi:10.1016/s0308-521x(01)00037-3

Cited by 44 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Livestock policies have been geared towards improving the productivity and expanding marketing opportunities of livestock for upland smallholders due to rising demand for animal products in the country and improved market access of more remote upland areas [4,10]. Substantial efforts have been made by national agencies and international projects to incorporate a range of forage species into existing swidden cultivation systems [5,28,29]. However, there is an inherent conflict between the land, forest and livestock policies of the Lao government.…”

Section: Forest and Livestock Policies In Northern Thailand And Northmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Domestic plants, i.e., those found in permanent fields and homegardens, are considered as being of lower nutritional value. The high value of forage plants occurring "in the wild" or as by-products of traditional swidden cultivation may be one of the reasons why there has been such a low adoption rate of improved forage technologies [29]. Table 3 and Figure 8 demonstrate that the Hmong in Laos have a sound local classification system which is reflected in a complex understanding of fodder values, for example enhanced weight gain of cattle through consumption of particular fodder species, such as "Kham" (Miscanthus fuscus), "Krea Sam Hang" (Abelmoschus moschatus) and "Pai Bong" (Bambusa tulda).…”

Section: Valuation and Management Of Local Fodder Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Agrosilvopastoral Systems in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos: Minority Peoples’ Knowledge versus Government Policy

Choocharoen

Neef

Preechapanya³

et al. 2014

Land

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Traditional agrosilvopastoral systems have been an important component of the farming systems and livelihoods of thousands of ethnic minority people in the uplands of Mainland Southeast Asia. Drawing on a combination of qualitative and participatory inquiries in nine ethnic minority communities, this study emphasizes the complex articulation of local farmers' knowledge which has been so far excluded from governmental development and conservation policies in the northern uplands of Thailand and Laos. Qualitative analysis of local knowledge systems is performed using the Agroecological Knowledge Toolkit (AKT5) software. Results show that ethnic minorities in the two countries perceive large ruminants to be a highly positive component of local forest agro-ecosystems due to their contribution to nutrient cycling, forest fire control, water retention, and leaf-litter dispersal. The knowledge and perceptions of agrosilvopastoral farmers are then contrasted with the remarkably different forestry policy frameworks of the two countries. We find that the knowledge and diversity of practices exercised by ethnic minority groups contrasts with the current simplified and negative image that government officials tend to construct of agrosilvopastoral systems. We conclude that local knowledge of forest-livestock systems can offer alternative or

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Section: Forest and Livestock Policies In Northern Thailand And Northmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Valuation and Management Of Local Fodder Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agrosilvopastoral Systems in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos: Minority Peoples’ Knowledge versus Government Policy

Choocharoen

Neef

Preechapanya³

et al. 2014

Land

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“…The nature and focus of these projects gradually changed over the 10 years and this evolution provided insights into the types and sequencing of interventions required at different stages of the innovation process. Based on earlier research by CIAT that had identified forage varieties suitable for different agro-ecosystems in Southeast Asia (Stür et al 2002), the Forages for Smallholders Project (FSP, 2000(FSP, -2002 introduced a range of promising forage varieties and evaluated these with individual smallholder farmers in three villages in Ea Kar, using a farmer participatory approach. The Livelihood and Livestock Systems Project (LLSP, 2003(LLSP, -2005 continued working with these farmers to develop new, improved feeding systems that combined and integrated the new fodder resource -the farm-grown forages -with the existing feed resources.…”

Section: Research Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformation of smallholder beef cattle production in Vietnam

Stür

Khanh

Duncan

2013

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

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EthiopiaThis research describes and analyses how smallholder crop livestock farmers in rural Ea Kar, Vietnam, were able to take advantage of the rising demand for meat in urban centres and transform cattle production from a traditional, extensive grazing system to a more intensive, stall-fed system that supplied quality meat to urban markets. The traditional grazing system produced low-quality animals that could only be sold for local consumption. Introduction of the concept of farm-grown fodder production enabled farmers to produce fatter animals, achieving higher sale prices, and reduce labour inputs by moving from grazing to stallfeeding. These benefits convinced farmers, traders and local government that smallholder cattle production could be a viable enterprise and so stimulated stakeholder interest. Within 10 years, the way that cattle were produced and marketed changed considerably. By 2010, more than 3,000 smallholders had adopted farm-grown forages and stall-feeding, and many produced high-quality beef cattle. Traders had been able to develop access to urban markets as farmers were able to produce animals that satisfied the stringent quality requirements of urban markets. In addition to the underlying driver of strong market demand for quality meat, several factors contributed to this transition: (i) a convincing innovation -the use of farm-grown fodder -that provided immediate benefits to farmers and provided a vision for local stakeholders; (ii) a participatory, systems-oriented innovation process that emphasised capacity strengthening; (iii) a value chain approach that linked farmers and local traders to markets; (iv) the formation of a loosely structured coalition of local stakeholders that facilitated and managed the innovation process; and (v) technical support over a sufficiently long time period to allow innovation processes to become sustainable.Keywords: sustainable beef cattle development; smallholders; intensification; innovation systems; forage; market linkages; livestock Introduction This paper addresses the question 'Can smallholder livestock production systems in developing countries be transformed to take advantage of the increasing demand for meat', a question that has been posed by many authors (e.g. Tarawali et al. 2011). On the basis of a case study that followed smallholder cattle development in Ea Kar, a district in the central highlands of Vietnam, over a 10-year period, it analyses the contribution of technology interventions, market linkage and private sector development, participatory research and farmer group-based approaches, capacity strengthening, and local coalitions and innovation platforms to sustainable intensification of smallholder livestock production.

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“…For example, L. leucocephala and L. diversifolia are better adapted to more fertile soils [13] like in Kamanyola, as demonstrated by their growth of number of stems, plant height and biomass production in contrary to their reduced performance in Tubimbi. L. leucocephala is known to grow well on soils between pH 5 -5.5 ranges [11] [14]- [18].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The number of papers per plot was counted and ranks were established. After choosing forages in the field, the two teams met to discuss in order to reach consensus between genders as recommended by [13]. Data are presented as ranks of preference by location.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agro-Ecological Adaptation and Participatory Evaluation of Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Legumes in Mid Altitudes of Sud-Kivu, D. R. Congo

Katunga¹,

Muhigwa²,

Kashala³

et al. 2014

AJPS

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Livestock is traditionally managed in mixed crop-livestock production systems in Sud-Kivu, D. R. Congo. Currently, livestock production is facing numerous constraints due to wars and insecurity in the country, with looting of animals, demographic pressure on natural resources, and lack of extension services. Multipurpose trees and shrubs with adequate forage quality could help overcome dry-season feed shortage. The objective of this research was to assess the agro-ecological adaptability of selected forage tree and shrub legumes combined with farmer participatory evaluation. The study was carried out at two distinct mid-altitude sites in Sud-Kivu. Trees and shrubs were planted randomly in eleven lines, with each species/accession consisting of nine plants split into three replications. Following a standardization cut after one year of growth, regular biomass harvests were performed every eight weeks during one year; Desmodium and Flemingia were cut at 0.5 m above soil surface, while Leucaena and Calliandra at 1 m. Before every harvest, plant height was measured and number of stems counted. Fresh leaf and stem biomass were weighted, sub samples dried and leaves analyzed for nutritive value. Results from agronomic evaluation M. M. D. Katunga et al. 2032 show that Leucaena diversifolia ILRI 15551 and Leucaena leucocephala had the highest yield in the rainy season on fertile soil; during dry season, Leucaena diversifolia ILRI 15551 was superior. On poor soil, Flemingia macrophylla CIAT 17403 performed best in both seasons, however, its forage quality was relatively low. Forage tree and shrub legumes chosen by farmers were, in general, the same as those superior ones in agronomic evaluation.

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Forage options for smallholder crop–animal systems in Southeast Asia: working with farmers to find solutions

Cited by 44 publications

References 3 publications

Agrosilvopastoral Systems in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos: Minority Peoples’ Knowledge versus Government Policy

Agrosilvopastoral Systems in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos: Minority Peoples’ Knowledge versus Government Policy

Transformation of smallholder beef cattle production in Vietnam

Agro-Ecological Adaptation and Participatory Evaluation of Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Legumes in Mid Altitudes of Sud-Kivu, D. R. Congo

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