Project final report

Crop-livestock systems platform for capacity building, testing practices, commercialisation and community learning final report

Date released
24 July 2017
ISBN
978-1-86320-049-3
Publication Code
CSE/2014/086
Authors

Dr Tamara Jackson, Dr Pheng Sengxua, Professor Len Wade

Overview

This project worked to refine selected integrated crop-livestock technologies, assess systems approaches to crop-livestock integration, and create institutional capacity with local partners at national, provincial and district levels for establishing local platforms for commercialisation and co-learning.

This small project complemented CSE/2009/004 (Farming and Marketing System, FMS) by enriching elements of the FMS activities in selected research hubs in Savannakhet and Champassak Provinces, Lao PDR, with core members of the FMS research team and facilities.

The lowlands and uplands in southern Laos could improve rice production, and produce market surpluses in non-rice crops and livestock. These mixed crop-livestock systems could be intensified and diversified through integrated crop-livestock techniques, strengthening links with the private sector, implementing new production and marketing practices, and adapting relevant technologies to make rice, post-rice crops and livestock production systems more profitable.

On-farm research and demonstration sites provided a mechanism for understanding and application of these systems approaches.