Overview
This project aimed to enhance income-generating opportunities for goat-raising households in Lao PDR through the development of productive, environmentally sustainable, socially acceptable and gender-sensitive production systems accessing high-demand markets in Vietnam.
Goat numbers in Lao PDR have increased dramatically in recent years, although population estimates vary greatly. The last Laos Agricultural Census in 2010/11 estimated goat numbers to be 215,600, while current estimates of the current goat population range to 550,000. Previous research has indicated that up to 90% of goats in some regions of Lao PDR are exported to Vietnam, and on average, these goats command a price premium of 30% over Vietnamese crossbred goats.
Demand in Vietnam is likely a function of both human population growth of 19% from 2000 to 2016 and, more significantly, a 228% increase in GDP per capita over the same period. Increasing prosperity is resulting in increases in the consumption of goat meat, which is, to some extent, seen as a ‘luxury’ meat for special occasions.
High mortality is a major constraint, and farmers have identified controlling disease as their most important need. Inbreeding depression has also been identified as a major constraint on productivity by Lao counterparts. There is a need to understand the relative role of goats in farming systems and household economics, including any household risks in changing or expanding goat production and farmer motivations to do so.
