Systems of cattle production in south central coastal Vietnam

Abstract

<p>The objective of this study was to describe cattle production systems in South central coastal Vietnamincluding: farming resources, herd structure, feed resources, feed and feeding management, and constraints tocattle production. The study site, representative of the agro-ecological characteristics of the sandy zone in theSouth central coast, included Phu Cat, Tuy An, and Phuoc Nam districts selected from Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, andNinh Thuan provinces, respectively. Secondary and primary data on cattle production systems were collectedusing both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Participatory meetings at the commune level wereorganised to collect qualitative information. In addition, 180 households were interviewed by using a set ofquestions.</p><p>Results showed that surveyed households in Ninh Thuan had advantages in raising cattle compared with BinhDinh and Phu Yen in terms of labour and land area; however they were also more limited by lower rainfall.Households in Ninh Thuan had twice the number of cattle, sheep, and goats than those of the other twoprovinces; however households in Binh Dinh and Phu Yen had greater numbers of pigs and poultry thanfarmers in Ninh Thuan, suggesting different income generating strategies. The method of raising cattle ofsurveyed households in Ninh Thuan was more extensive than in Binh Dinh and Phu Yen, evident by the scaleof crossbred cattle, feeding systems, cattle management, and feed resources. Planting grass, storing agriculturalby-products, supplying concentrate, cutting naturalized grass, and restricting the amount of cattle were methodssuggested by surveyed householders to solve the lack of feed issue. Capital was believed by producers to be themost important factors that influenced cattle production (69% of farmers). Other important limitations toproduction included lack of feed and disease.</p>