Improved beef production in central Vietnam

• Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Vietnam
• Quang Ngai Rural Development Program, Vietnam
• Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam

In Quang Ngai Province and other areas of central Vietnam increasing the incomes of smallholder farmers is an important avenue to development. Smallholders have indicated that cattle rearing and finishing were the most desired income generating activity. There is considerable market potential for selling cattle, but knowledge on cattle feeding systems is limited. ACIAR has supported research in this area which resulted in a workshop, during which both the income potential and value of future research were confirmed.

In 2000 data indicated cattle numbers in Quang Ngai at 224,000. Strong beef prices in the main urban areas and overall increases in national consumption have created a market that will continue to demand more beef. Cattle fattening in Quang Ngai Province has attractive returns to labour costs, but still faces some constraints to wider uptake.

Access to credit is a major constraint, as is farmer knowledge of cattle nutrition, production and health. Feeding options based on on-farm resources and supplemented by off-farm protein sources can reduce existing input costs, partially alleviating credit constraints.

The project will not, however, delve into credit access, instead focusing on feeding systems in their entirety. The project will link in with the Quang Ngai Rural Development Program to ensure extension activities are sustained beyond the life of the project.

A project coordination committee will be established to oversee activities, including linkages with QNRDP.
The availability & nutritive characteristics of feeds in Quang Ngai will be established through a desk top analysis of feed resources available to small holder lowland farms in Quang Ngai and a literature review on nutritive characteristics of available feeds.
A year round feed supply inventory will be developed and field tested.
Controlled experiments to optimise use of feed resources for productivity and profitability will begin with a literature review by examining the implications of associative effects between feeds on metabolisable energy values. Experiments to quantify associative effects between forages and supplements will be conducted along with feeding experiments.
Verification of feeding options in lowland farming systems will be conducted through on-farm demonstration / development and extension activities in Vietnam.
Increased knowledge and technical skills of scientists and extension staff in Vietnam and Australia will be developed throughout the project.