Best practice health and husbandry of cattle, Cambodia

At the commencement of the project in August 2007, three interview teams conducted farmer attitude surveys by interviewing 90 households involving 6 households in 5 villages per province, in the provinces of Kampong Cham, Takeo and Kandal. The farmer attitude survey confirmed the major knowledge gaps, tested the level of cooperation of stakeholders in the potential project sites, assisted in project site selection and provided a basis for discussion at the project implementation workshop of interventions desired by producers from the project.

The project implementation workshop was held in Phnom Penh in September 2007 and was attended by 60 registered participants on day one and 64 on day two. On the second day there were also an additional six senior ministry officials accompanying the Minister of Agriculture for the closing ceremony, confirming the high profile achieved by this activity in Cambodia.

It was agreed that the workshop had successfully promoted the project to senior provincial officers throughout the country and engaged the intended project participants in a deeper understanding of the project objectives, activities and milestones. The breakout group sessions during the workshop greatly assisted the Australian attendees to relate the project implementation plan into the scheduled activities. The clearer definition of skills development and training needs plus student projects was a particularly valuable activity at this stage of project implementation.

Additional outcomes from the workshop were:
A need for additional input in animal health, particular for vaccination for Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, improved FMD diagnosis and control, fasciolosis control in cattle and toxocariasis control in calves.

Recognition of significant inbreeding problems and a widespread demand for improved genetics to solve the problem. However other knowledge-based production interventions such as improved approaches to reproduction address more fundamental limiting factors and is likely to deliver a more rapid return.

Planning and implementation of growing forages and improved feeding strategies to provide large ruminant farmers with skills and resources to improve year round nutrition is a priority.

The implementation workshop was followed up with several information and training workshops for project staff and village participants at selected project sites in February and March 2008.

Field activities for the longitudinal three year survey commenced in late 2007 with selection, inspection and cattle inventory data collection for the six project sites. The high intervention sites are Preak Por in Kandal province, Sen Son Tbong in Kampong Cham and Nor Mo in Takeo. The low intervention sites are Koh Kor in Kandal province, Veal in Kampong Cham and Dem Kdiet in Takeo province.

The first set of quarterly annual animal health and production data was collected and recorded from each of the six sites between March and May 2008.

During a field trip in February 2008 it was identified that forage growing is the preferred option to improve large ruminant nutrition as having access to forage material close to the home will save a considerable amount of labour. Urea treatment of rice straw was also considered but numerous aid projects had shown poor adoption of this practice due to expense and labour involved. Forage growing at various project sites will also provide collaboration opportunities with the ACIAR forage project team and initial meetings with CIAT and other project staff have been held.

Planning and training of farmers and staff involved for the forage growing trial is underway and planting of five varieties of forages has commenced involving 4-7 demonstration households in the three high intervention sites. In addition eight varieties of forages are being trialed at three provincial demonstration sites and at the national cattle breeding station in Phnom Tamao to assist in practical staff training.

Planning and preparation for the first of three farmer knowledge surveys that will be implemented in June 2008 is being finalized.

Designing and implementation of a survey of trader knowledge and attitudes to improving cattle marketing has commenced. Meetings with 20-35 traders and slaughterhouse personnel were held in February 2008 in Kampong Cham, Takeo, Kandal and Kampot provinces. Information gathered at these meetings is being used to develop a survey protocol of traders. The survey will examine priority strategies to assist marketing of cattle.

An Australian PhD student supported by the project and an Australian Biosecurity CRC scholarship commenced in Cambodia in October 2007, with plans to relocate to Laos in early 2009. The proposed thesis is ' Strengthening Veterinary Services through Better Integration of Institutional and Smallholder Approaches to Cattle Health in Cambodia and Laos', and will be conducted mostly within the project.

Three staff members from the royal academy of Cambodia have been appointed to complete research projects in collaboration with this project in the area of FMD serology-surveillance, effectiveness of HS vaccination and impact of nutrition on reproductive performance in cattle.

A Sydney University honours student is assessing the smallholder farmer attitudes to improving cattle health and productivity in Lao and Cambodia for his honours thesis.