Dự án nông nghiệp " Nghe An Province Sustainable Village Based Beef Cattle Development, Training and Extension Programme " - Project Progress Report SECOND SIX-MONTHLY REPORT pdf

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development Nghe An Province Sustainable Village Based Beef Cattle Development, Training and Extension Programme Project Progress Report SECOND SIX-MON

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Nghe An Province Sustainable Village Based Beef Cattle Development, Training and Extension

Programme

Project Progress Report SECOND SIX-MONTHLY REPORT

October 2007

Table of Contents

1 Institute Information 1

2 Project Abstract 2

3 Executive Summary 2

4 Progress to Date 3

Implementation Highlights 3

Smallholder Benefits 4

Capacity Building 5

Publicity 5

Project Management 5

5 Report on Cross-Cutting Issues 6

Environment 6

Gender and Social Issues 6

6 Implementation & Sustainability Issues 6

Issues and Constraints 6

Intervention Options 7

Sustainability 7

7 Next Critical Steps 7

8 Conclusion 8

9 Statutory Declaration Error! Bookmark not defined Annex 1 - Project Progress Against Proposed Objectives, Outputs, Activities And Inputs 12

1 Institute Information

Project Name Nghe An Province, sustainable village

based beef cattle development, training and extension project

Vietnamese Institution 19 May Fruit & Vegetable Co

Vietnamese Project Team Leader Mr Diep

Australian Organisation AusAID

Australian Personnel Mr Tim Harvey

Completion date (original) December 2009

Completion date (revised) -

Reporting period First six months

Contact Officer(s)

In New Zealand: Team Leader

Name: Mr Tim Harvey Telephone: 00 64 6 350 5119

Position: Director Fax: 00 64 6 350 5633

Organisation Massey University Email: T.G.Harvey@massey.ac.nz

In New Zealand: Administrative contact

Name: Mr M Peters Telephone: 00 64 6 350 5799 Extn

81338

Position: Director Fax: 00 64 6 801 2682

Organisation Research Management

Services

Email: M.Peters@massey.ac.nz

In Vietnam

Position: Project Coordinator Fax:

Organisation BCFRC Email:

2 Project Abstract

The Beef Cattle Development Plan for 2010 (No1155/QD-UB Nghe An) was introduced in May 2003 The plan set objectives to increase beef production, use crossbreeding to introduce new breeds and improve rural incomes The traditional VN beef industry is based

on very small household farmlets, grazing waste land; this model has proved unsustainable This project will look at developing a sustainable, economic village based beef farming model to improve long-term meat supply, and improve incomes This project will design, implement and evaluate the village based beef farming system in the Nghe An Region The project will be based around a small nucleus (demonstration) farm and three rural villages, which have below average household income levels (Nghia Lam, Nghia Son and Nghia Quang)

The project will train five technical trainers (ToT’s) to build institutional capacity and strengthen the local extension services and technicians in forage, animal nutrition, animal husbandry and breed improvement Collaborators from New Zealand and Australia will work with Local Farmers, 19th May Co, BCFRC and the local Extension Service to evaluate new technologies into the use of bi-products thereby increasing nutritional levels and establishing “Best On-Farm Practices” procedures for this region’s Beef Industry

3 Executive Summary

Introduction & Background Introduction:

Over the last 6-months two project visits have been completed (July & September)

The July 07 visit involved Dr Phil Rolston, Dr Michael Hare and Mr Tim Harvey This visit was successful with the main objectives being achieved Nine farmers were selected, contracts signed, 3 electric chopping machines designed and manufactured locally; 6 new species of tropical pasture and legumes identified for use; and bi-products and crop residue silage made

The September 07 visit involved Dr Michael Hare, Mrs Averill Ramsey-Evans and Mr Tim Harvey The visit completed the inception phase of the project as well as the base data collection

The visit also finalised arrangements for the purchase of AI equipment and semen from Vinh City; analysis of silage; evaluation of pasture species and the setting up of a cattle computer data base for the project cattle

There has been good buy-in from the 9 key farmers and interest from other small holders in the results The 19 May Company administration support for the project has been very good; however, there have been delays in establishing the Nucleus Beef herd, which is causing concern

Cross Cutting Issues:

It is estimated that only 20% of the breeding age female cattle in the 3-project villages are Red Sindhi Cross

This low % will slow the introduction of Brahman and Droughtmaster breeds The local yellow cattle are very small and it is the projects recommendation that only female cattle that are second calvers and have some Red Sindhi breeding be mated to Brahman and Droughmaster

Hopefully good AI results can be achieved (through good training), with high conceptions so farmers can see the long-term benefits of the breeding programme

The pineapple processing factory is having difficulty with supply of product and this is making the supply of crop residue pulp difficult to obtain

The 19 May Company is having difficulty obtaining funding for development of its nucleus beef unit and there is a lack of experience and expertise within the company

4 Progress to Date

Implementation Highlights

The introduction of new pasture species of grasses and legume from Thailand Dr Michael Hare from Ubon Ratchathani University introduced Mulato II, Ubon Paspalum and Ubon Stylo Demonstration plots and project farmer nurseries have been established for evaluation Both Mulatto II and Ubon paspalum produced approximately 20 tonne of wet matter in 60-days from planting Gross wet matter production will be monitored over the next 12 months

The successful organisation and participation of 30 farmers and technicians in an in-country 3-day training workshop at BCFRC training centre at Bavi This provided project farmers the opportunity to discuss with successful farmers around Bavi on the development of pasture based cattle systems, as well as receiving detailed instruction on nutrient requirement, reproduction and cattle management

The project sent a 19th May Company technician for training in AI, to support the project and the nucleus herd Mr Ming had training for 35-days at a national AI training course held at BCFRC along with 25 other technicians from around Vietnam This was a great opportunity for capacity building, not only in AI technology but also in overall cattle management and extension methods

The successful construction of small scale silage chopping machinery and purchase of “well liners” for making silage Three electric “single phase” chopping machines and 6 smaller electric choppers were designed and built locally for the project These choppers have proved suitable for project farmers with village and household electricity systems being robust enough to operate the machines These machines chop approximately 100-200 kg/hr

The silage “well liners” purchased as small tanks for small farmer based silage making have proved excellent for this application For 200,000 dong ($US 12) they have proved economical and a lot more sustainable than large plastic bags The “well liners” hold

approximately 150 -180kg of wet matter, are easily compacted, very robust, easy to cover and totally reusable While the size is a little small; it is available locally using existing moulds

The farmers in the district had no previous experience in silage making 15 “well liners” of silage were made in July 2007, 10 liners were excellent with high quality fermentation; 3 liners were OK and usable and 2 liners were poor quality, due to poor compaction and poor sealing of the liner (water and air entering the liner) 8 out of 9 project farmers were very pleased with the technology and 4 silage samples will be sent for analysis at Hanoi to determine protein etc

The following types of silage have been made to date:

¾ Elephant grass with additives (molasses, salt & rice bran)

¾ Elephant grass and cassava leaf with additives

¾ Cassava leaf and green maize stover with additives

¾ Elephant grass and dry maize stover with additives

¾ Green maize (cob in) with additives

¾ Sugarcane top with additives

¾ Pineapple pulp and dry maize stover with additives

The introduction of data recording – all the key project farmers cattle have been ear tagged and liveweights (LWT) recorded to provide a base situation The animal pedigrees have been collected (where known) and recorded for future updating

A new beef cattle recording system (Australian based) is being trailed by the NZ team This programme records owner, location, all cattle information and veterinary events If the programme is robust enough, consideration will be given to its introduction and translation to Vietnamese

The project team has visited the National AI centre in the Ha Tay Province and identified Red Brahman, Droughtmaster and Red Angus as suitable breeds for introducing into the project region Arrangements are being made to purchase some extra AI equipment (in-country) as well as semen for the project

The calibre of the 9 key farmers selected for the project has been very good and encouraging All farmers have been willing to support the project and attend training on a regular basis It

is pleasing to see the level of cooperation and high trust levels that have developed over the last 8-months of the project

Smallholder Benefits

The small holders are starting to get direct benefit from the project At present this is mainly the 9 key farmers involved in the implementation of focus farmers The small holders have received small chopping machines and well liners, all their cattle have been tagged and recorded and weighed All key farmers have been trained in silage making and have made silage on their own properties

The small holders have access to new beef breeds (Brahman and Droughtmaster) and one experienced and one newly trained AI technician are located at the project site to undertake

AI Non-key project farmers will have access to new beef breeds through AI

Small holders have been given new varieties of pasture seed Most have established nursery’s

so the varieties of Mulato II and Ubon Paspalum can be multiplied up in the district (this is the first importation and evaluation of these species into Vietnam)

Small holders have been involved in workshops and training with 30 technicians being trained

at BCFRC in Bavi in Sept/Oct 2007

Capacity Building

The 19th May Company is being exposed to international experience in administration and management of projects This has included international money transfer, importation of product and overall organisation

One new AI technician, (from 19th May Company) has been trained in cattle AI and reproduction management This technician will provide much needed experience to the project and other technicians

The Nghia Dan Extension Services has been involved in training and providing support to the project This is the first time these technicians have been involved directly in an international Aid project

The NZ team have visited:-

a The Vinh City Nghe An provincial Animal Breeding & Research Centre

b The MART Animal Breeding Semen and Equipment Centre

c The Son Tay National Animal Breeding and Bull Centre

d Goat & Rabbit Research Centre, Son Tay, Ha Tay Province

e Nghia Dan Extension Office

All these visits and discussions assist in exposing staff to the project and international standards

The techniques of pasture assessment and cattle, body condition scoring has been introduced

to the region

Publicity

The local Nghe An TV company visited the project site and undertook a short segment on the project (19 September 2007)

The project appeared in the CARD newsletter in August 2007

The project support a Nghia Son Village mid-autumn children’s “Moon Festival” on the 25 September 2007

Project Management

The project management is working well; with excellent support from the project coordinator

Mr Toan and good support from the 19th May Company Mr Deip and administrative team

The NZ team is working well and Dr Michael Hare has provided very good input into the project at a cost effective rate (i.e being located in Thailand) The project is working within

its budget The fluctuation in the exchange rate between Australia – US – NZ- VN currency makes budgeting a challenge

Some savings have been made on semen, by sourcing all products within Vietnam at the local price AI equipment has also been sourced locally imported from China

The biggest concerns at present are:

¾ Assisting the 19th

May Company to develop an internationally accepted beef model farm without direct finance capital support

¾ The cost of international airfares and in-country transport costs

5 Report on Cross-Cutting Issues

Environment

Due to the difficulty of supply, silage making from cassava pulp and pineapple pulp waste has not been implemented other than one sample well liner Therefore it is hard to evaluate the longer-term reduction of waste bi-products at these plants Given the size of these two operations the issues of waste disposal may be better address through the development of a bio-fuel industry

Acid leaching from the silage “well liners” has been monitored and to date no leachates have been detected and there has been no waterways contaminated

Silage making is likely to have a positive effect on the environment; the ensiling process increases the digestibility of the crop residues and therefore improves the availability and utilisation and available as nutrients back into the soil

An increase in beef cattle numbers may increase green house gas admission, however, this is likely to be very small compared to industry expansion in Vietnam

Gender and Social Issues

Silage making to date has been making considered “mans” work with men doing the majority

of cutting and carrying of product

The operation of the machinery mainly involves men, however, it seems to be the women who feed the cattle and it is women who have commented on its suitability etc

To date no negative social issues have been detected that can be associated directly to the project The most positive social aspect has been the acceptance of the NZ team in the Nghia Son Village The NZ team live and work from the 19th May Company at Nghia Son

The children are very interested and they talk to the NZ team The local school teacher has used the opportunity to practice English

6 Implementation & Sustainability Issues

Issues and Constraints

The supply of pineapple pulp for silage making is unreliable as the factory lack raw product supply The Company also has some financial issues that may affect sustainability

The 19th May Company has had major issues with the cattle management This has been disappointing for the director (Mr Deip) how has worked hard to correct the situation; however, it has delayed purchase of the company’s nucleus herd This issue is slowly being resolved with cattle arriving in October 2007 However, the company still has to demonstrate that it has the ability to manage a modern nucleus herd of beef cattle

Communication with the key project farmers can be difficult at times; especially if the communication channel is through the village administration The project now has a full list

of farmers contact details

Intervention Options

The list of interventions (see intervention report) has highlighted a wide range of opportunities to develop the beef industry and benefit the small holders

Inter-planting between orange trees with legume based cover crops is likely to have beneficial effects and well worth evaluating

The introduction of Mulato II and Ubon Paspalum gives the small holder the opportunity to develop a seed/seedling base production system, and therefore growing and marketing the new pasture varieties within the district

The availability of crop residue is very high – especially cassava leaves over the autumn period Silage made from fresh maize stover (or elephant grass) and cassava leaf is looking very promising and could provide a good quality feed source over the dry period

Sustainability

It is important that the project evaluates as wide a range of crops and crop residue options for silage making If the cassava factory or other processors of crops change, the crop residue source could be lost If we can evaluate a range of alternatives the risk will be reduced

The risk of foot and mouth in Vietnam remains high The project would have a major set back if a foot and mouth outbreak occurred in the Nghia Dan District

Marketing of beef cattle is not well developed in the region and the project will have to evaluate this aspect in the future

7 Next Critical Steps

¾ Get the 19th

May Company nucleus herd established and managed effectively

¾ Organise a training trip to Ubon Ratchathani University in Thailand for 11 farmers and technicians to visit a tropical region that is using new varieties of pasture for beef production

¾ Complete collecting the last of the base data from all the farmers

¾ Evaluate the effectiveness of the AI programme for new beef sires Monitor conception rate and semen quality

¾ Obtain analysis of the silage made from a range of different products

¾ Undertake the first NZ Training trip in November 2007

¾ Complete all the reports for phase one of the project

¾ Arrange for the next visit to the project by the NZ Team in March 2008

8 Conclusion

The project is meeting its objectives and the introduction of new pasture species into Vietnam

is exciting The training programme for farmers and technicians is going well with over 70 hours of training so far, involving approximately 225 participants

Planning is well advanced for training in Thailand and in New Zealand and it is hoped that the difficulties in establishing the Nucleus herd within the 19 May Company can be over come by the end of this year