Blueprint Pig Production Development in Small Households In Central Region, Vietnam (Sub-component implemented in Quang Tri provinces) " pptx

Based on requirement of selected farmer households and technical staffs in the Livestock Division, Department of Agriculture and rural Development, Mong Cai herds in Quang Tri province s

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Project Progress Report

SIX-MONTHLY REPORT (Jan to June 2008)

1 Institute Information

Project Name Blueprint Pig Production Development in Small

Households In Central Region, Vietnam

(Sub-component implemented in Quang Tri provinces)

Vietnamese Institution National Institute of Animal Husbandry

Vietnamese Project Team Leader Dr Ta Thi Bich Duyen

Australian Organisation Dr Darren Trott

Australian Personnel Dr Colin Cargill

Date commenced

Completion date (original)

Completion date (revised)

Reporting period Jan to June 2008

Contact Officer(s)

In Australia: Team Leader

In Australia: Administrative contact

In Vietnam

Name: Dr Ta Thi Bich Duyen Telephone: 84 4 22411195

Organisation National Institute of Animal

Husbandry

Email: Ta_bichduyen@yahoo.com

1 Results obtained in 2007

1.1 Investigation and interview:

270 households were investigated and interviewed After analysing the investigated data, 30 households in Hai Thuong and Hai Phu communes, Hai Lang district were selected to participate in the project Each selected household has about from 3 to 15 Mong Cai sows All selected households like to raise pigs, learn and share technical knowledge in pig production

1.2 Training:

Two training courses on raising Mong Cai (MC) sows were conducted in March and June,

2007 in pilot province with 30 selected farmers Three trainers are researchers of National Institute of Animal Husbandry They provided trainees with background knowledge and skill

in sow production Main contents of a training course consisted of 3 parts:

- Raising techniques (Dr Duyen)

- Pig house design (Mr Bien)

- Veterinary: disease prevention and treatment (Dr Tuyên)

Training method: using participatory training approaches: get leaner-centered, raise questions

cause the brainstorming to the trainees and group discussion

1.3 Consulting and supporting for pig house design and building at households

The researchers of NIAH along with the farmers to evaluate current status of each pig shed Since then the researchers consult the farmers to repair, upgrade or build new pig premise according to the standard: the lighting, the ventilation, size and environmental sanitation Pig sheds in each farmer household are designed 3 pen types for lactating sow, pregnant sow

or farrowing sow and fattening pig Each pig pen type has different size The number of pig pen in each selected farmer household depend on number of sows, fattening pigs that farmers intend to raise

1.4 Consulting and supporting for Mong Cai gilt

Based on requirement of selected farmer households and technical staffs in the Livestock Division, Department of Agriculture and rural Development, Mong Cai herds in Quang Tri province should be improved by importing Mong Cai gilt from Mong Cai’s hometown in Northern parts of Vietnam

The researchers of NIAH signed a contract with Mong Cai breeding Cooperative in Tang Tien district, Bac giang province in May 2007 to buy Mong Cai gilts with high quality Due

to foot and mouth disease occurred in Quang Tri province from June to September, the planning to buy Mong Cai gilts in 2007 delayed until the earlier of 2008

2 Work content conducted during the first 6 months of the year 2008

2.1 Consulting and supporting creep boxes for piglet

In January, 30 creep boxes were delivered to 30 selected farmer households to warm up piglets Creep boxes were provided for farmer households at the coldest time of the year, so they have positive effects on piglets After suckling, piglets lied on inside creep box; therefore they were not affected by environmental temperature, leading to decrease diarrhea and piglet abortion Some farmers who have more than one piglet litter made creep boxes by themselves followwing the creep box design of the project

2.2 Consulting and supporting for shed design and build at farmer households

For up to now, 30 households participating in the project (12 households in Hai Phu commune and 18 households in Hai Thuong commune) were consulted and supported fund

to repair, upgrade or build new pig houses in order to meet certain requirements regarding the lighting, the ventilation, the size of pig houses and environmental sanitation Currently, 6 households have built new pig sheds by the shed design of the project officers (please see attached file: Pig house design in QT) That is households follow as:

- Phan Dinh Trang, Thuong Xa village, Hai Thuong commune

- Phan Dinh Quy, Thuong Xa village, Hai Thuong commune

- Le Thi Hoa, Thuong Xa village, Hai Thuong commune

- Tran Luong Cuong, Thuong Xa village, Hai Thuong commune

- Dao Dan, Dai An Khe village, Hai Thuong commune

- Le Dinh Danh, Phu Hung village, Hai Phu commune

- Nguyen The, Phu Hung village, Hai Phu commune

2.3 Consulting and supporting for buying Mong Cai gilts

In March 2008, 50 Mong Cai gilts were selected at Mong Cai breeding Cooperative in Tang Tien district, Bac Giang province All Mong Cai gilts were vaccinated not only for the popular diseases stipulated by the law of Animal Health in Vietnam, but also for the Foot and Mouth disease (type O2), PRRS disease with 20 days saved in Bac Giang province They were then transferred to Quang Tri province and raised in 20 days before distributing to selected households on 1st May 2008 The total costs incurred during 20 days saved in Bac Giang province to wait for vaccination effects and 20 day - raising in Quang Tri before distributing to selected households are AU$ 6080.5.(see attached file: Costs of maintain

selected MC pigs)

Unfortunately, in 50 Mong Cai pigs bought in April 2008 there were four pigs was died and culled up to now: a pig died due to nerve disease (go round, effervescent edges then died) and a pig sick so blood outside the skin 2 sows have been coughed for long time, so they would be culled

Currently, 34 of total Mong Cai gilts that were moved to Qung Tri in May 2008 have been mated the first litter and they have gotten pregnancy Of which, four pigs gave the first litter with NBA is 8 piglets/litter and some other Mong Cai gilts have prepared to give birth

Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) occurred in the last 6 months in 2007 in Quang Tri province

+ Transferring pigs to Quang Tri was postponed, causing slow project progress

+ After ending FMD, the price of Mong Cai gilts increased while budget for purchases have been approved from the beginning of the year Therefore, the number of pigs bought reduced from100 (under the original plan) to 68 and was divided into 2 purchasing batches because there was not enough Mong Cai gilts at the same time

+ The additional costs due to the raising waiting time for the vaccine effect before distributing Mong Cai gilts to farmers

After the pigs were moved into and for households more than 1 month, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) has been occurred all over the Hai Lang district, of which Phu Hai and Hai Thuong communes (the project implementation pilots) were the most serious damage communes (Please see attched pictures). The fact is that some selected households had many pigs died or all pigs died due to PRRS, exception of Mong Cai gilts that supported by the project This can be explained that Mong Cai gilts were vaccinated all diseases

2.4 Consulting and supporting for the caring and nursing of Mong Cai pigs

NIAH researchers changed over to households to check the care and feeding management of sows and advised to farmers about the caring and nursing, sheds, environmental improving, etc Moreover, they also consulted to farmers to formulate feeding ration in order to meet nutritional requirements based on available local feed resources such as rice, maize, rice bran, cassava meal, fish meal, sweet potato vines…

Selected households have signed a commitment to implement the caring and nursing of Mong Cai sows in accordance with techniques that they have been training as well as advisory opinions of the NIAH scientists At the same time, farmers had to record and update data daily on the notebook supplied by the NIAH researchers in order to manage and analyse the data The prior results show that the average weight gain of Mong Cai gilts was 10 kg/head/month and the first mating age that Mong Cai gilts got pregnant was 7 – 8 months with 55 -60 kg average body weight/head

2.5 Checking and monitoring the project implementation

Ms Tarni went to Vietnam and worked for the purpose of completing websites to data (see detailed reports of Tarni)

In June 2008, Australian expert on animal health and specialist on pig house design (Dr Tonny and Dr Cholin), who worked as the foreign technical experts and officials operating the project, and Vietnamese specialists organised the training course on pig shed in accordance with farmer group Each farmer group included 6 farmers concentrated in the farmer household that was chosen to conduct the evaluation of current status of pig sheds, hygiene and environment Based on that the specialists touch farmers how to improve the premises, breeding, feeding and disease prevention (see detailed reports of Tony and Cholin) The training courses were very necessary and useful for farmers Through the training courses, along with foreign experts, farmers shared their experiences and learned a lot of

knowledge about new technological advance in livestock production At the same time they received the dedicated guidance of experts how to raise pigs with better performance through pig shed improving regarding to the ventilation in summer, the warm in winter and ensuring good environmental sanitation and effectively disease prevention and treatment

3 Activities in the last 6 months of the year 2008 and early 2009

To improve the content of the proposed plan implementation of the project in 2008, some activities have been implemented in the last 6 months in 2008 and early 2009 as follows:

3.1 Consulting and supporting for Mong Cai breeding

18 Mong Cai pigs including the 14 MC gilts and 4 MC boars were transferred to Quang Tri province in October 2008 With the aim of making fresh blood of Mong Cai pigs in Quang Tri, 18 MC pigs were selected from Trang Due Mong Cai breeding farm in Hai Phong province located in the Northeast of Vietnam Quang Tri has just experienced PRRS, so the vetarinary requirements were very strict The time for waiting the vaccine effect in Hai Phong and raising in Quang Tri before distributing to households was 30 days The additional costs for the second raising in Quang Tri before distributing to households were

AU $ 1538.5 The total extra costs incurred of 2 purchasing batches were AU $ 7648 (details see files attached: Costs of maintain selected MC pig)

Two of four Mong Cai boars added have started producing the semen The four MC boars were assigned to the Long Hung farm of semen production by Mr Van Anh-owner A contract of the caring and nursing of Mong Cai boars was signed between project officials and farm owners with commitments as follow:

+ To care and nurse MC boars according to techniques they were trained as well as comments by the NIAH science consultants

+ To record and update information on daily caring and nursing and exploiting the semen

in a notebook supplied by NIAH officials to manage and analyse the data

+ The Long Hung farm of semen production provides free Mong Cai semen to all sows

of households participating in the project (173 sows), with 2 doses per one mating time - with dual mating

Because physiological development of the Mong Cai sows in the first litter is not yet perfect,

so all 64 Mong Cai gilts provided by the project would be inseminated artificially by semen

of exotic pigs (Landrace or Yorkshire) in the first pregnant to produce fattening pigs From the second litter, all 64 Mong Cai sows will be inseminated artificially by Mong Cai semen

to multiplicate Mong Cai breed

Foot and Mouth disease and PRRS were occurred all over Hai Lang district including Phu Hai and Hai Thuong communes where the projects have been implemented in 2007 and

2008 That is the reason why the project progress was slow Moreover, number of Mong Cai pigs was reduced in comparison with the original plan due to the price of Mong Cai gilts increased after ending diseases, while the fund for pig purchases was approved from the

beginning of the year The PRRS caused the heaviest damage at the households in An Khe village, Hai Thuong commune, with only remaining Mong Cai gilts of the project

Total numbers of Mong Cai pigs that have been monitoring by the project are now 177 (including pig’s head of the projects and pig's head of households), in which:

No Pig type Quantity (head) Note

5 Mong Cai boars 4

3.2 Participating in the Animal Science Congress of the Asian – Australian Association of Animal Production Societies (The 13th AAAP)

The 13th AAAP was organized at Hanoi from 22nd to 27th September, 2008 With fund supporting by AUSAID, 11 Vietnamese researchers participating to CARD project took part

in the 13th AAAP The list of participants is as follow:

- Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry (HUAF)

1 Nguyen Quang Linh

2 Ho Ngoc Phuong

3 Ngo Huu Toan

4 Ha Thi Hue

- National Institute of Animal Husbandry (NIAH)

5 Ta Thi Bich Duyen

6 Nguyen Que Coi

7 Dang Hoang Bien

8 Nguyen Nguyet Cam

- National Institute of Veterinary (NIVR)

9 Cu Huu Phu

10 Au Xuan Tuan

11 Nguyen Xuan Huyen

This is a conference with the subject "Livestock production and the role of small livestock farms in the global economy" The 13th AAAP was successful with more than 800 participants who are scientists, the farm owner and students from nearly 40 countries around the world The scientist group of the CARD-004/05VIE project also presented some reports

as well as scientific poster on the research results achieved by the project Unfortunately, Dr Cholin did not attend the conference, although his report was printed in the proceeding of the conference and arranged in the concurrent session of pig nutrition, feeding and management"

3.3 Establishment of farmer interested club of Mong Cai pig production

In recent years, pig production in general has faced many difficulties such as decreasing pig population, epidemic diseases occurred continuously (PRRS, foot-and-mouth diseases .) Therefore the farmers experienced difficulty to confront the market Livestock products are created with small amount and pressed output prices by business man when there are more products In addition, the hygiene and safety of food can not be controlled

With the goal of contributing to support farmers to transfer the economic structure in agriculture and creating the Mong Cai breeding region in Hai Lang district - Quang Tri province to meet the supply of Mong Cai breed with high quality for the farms in Hai Lang area as well as other regions, we have proposed to establish the farmer interested club of Mong Cai pig production

3 farmer interested clubs of Mong Cai pig production was established in October 2008 at An Khe, Thuong Xa and Phu Hung villages in accordance with the Decision of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Hai Thuong and Phu Hai communes Members of each group consist of households participating in the CARD-004/05VIE project in those villages When the farmer interested clubs work effectively, they can admit other members The leaders representing the Party Committee, People's Committees, Women's Association, the Farmer’s Association of Hai Thuong and Phu Hai communes and the NIAH researchers (Dr Duyen,

Ms Hoang and Mr Sang) involved and controlled the ceremony of the establishment of farmer interested clubs During the ceremony of the establishment of farmer interested club, members voted for 3 group leaders:

1 Mr Le Dinh Danh, group leader of the Phu Hung farmer interested club of Mong Cai pig production in Phu Hai commune

2 Mr Dao Van, group leader of the Dai An farmer interested club of Mong Cai pig production, in Hai Thuong commune

3 Mr Phan Dinh Trang, group leader of the Thuong Xa farmer interested club of Mong Cai pig production in Hai Thuong commune

The leaders of these clubs are responsible for the connection between the club members and project staffs to share experiences and learn new technological advances in pig production as well as help each other to develop sustainable pig production

To create initially operational expenditure for the farmer interested clubs, CARD-004/05VIE project supported around AU$ 6500 for the activities:

+ Risk fund for 173 sows;

+ 3 bookshelves for 3 clubs (including books on pig raising techniques, daily agricultural newspapers and information technology with a volume/2 weeks) These bookshelves have been placed in the leader’s home;

+ Fund for supporting member’s activities

After the farmer interested clubs were established, the spirit of farmers participating in the project was excited As recently experienced 2 stages of heavily epidemic disease damages, with the support of money as well as their knowledge of new breeds, feeding, hygiene and disease prevention, the farmer interested club’s activities encouraged farmers to have more confidence in the pig production development

3.4 Consulting and supporting for waste treatment, hygiene and disease prevention

Developing sustainable livestock production without affecting the health of human beings and animals is one of those issues that are concerned and implemented The NIAH officers have been deploying to guide farmers in the waste treatment with the most effective methods and in the best measures for disease prevention The methods of waste treatment and disease prevention have to be suitable for small and medium pig farms in Hai Lang district, Quang Tri province in order to minimize disease, environmental pollution environment, with the detailed contents as follows:

- To consult farmers the negative impacts, effects of environmental pollution around the pig shed on the health of human beings and animals and the benefits of the implementation of the waste treatments to reduce environmental pollution

- To instruct farmers how to make composting container to kill the germs in the manure and increase the effective use of manure and how to improve waste drainage to limit environmental pollution The project will support the farms with large scale to construct biogas systems that will be deployed in early 2009 after ending the rainy season

- To guide the farmers how to prevent and treat normal pig diseases, especially destroy scabies in pigs

- To monitor, treat and record the pig epidemic diseases occurred as well as implement waste treatment to reduce environmental pollution

3.5 Consulting and supporting for caring and nursing Mong Cai sows and piglets

- Artificial insemination for all Mong Cai sows of the project;

- Monitoring and evaluating the use of hugging compartments

- Guiding farmers to record and update data on the notebook provided by NIAH officers

- Selecting and building demonstrated model for other household study

- Monthly, if farmers do perform well the application of technological advances and record and update data fully, they will be supported labor cost

3.6 Checking and controlling the project implementation

- To organize the meetings of the farmer interested clubs of Mong Cai pig production with rich contents, exchanging information on pig production and consumption of products

- To end the supporting to upgrade and build new pig sheds

- To continue checking and evaluating the project implementation

4 Advantages and difficulties during the project implementation

4.1 Advantages

- The NIAH officers participating in the project have experiences in implementing projects, transferring the technological advances to farmers and using farmer participatory training approach

- Quang Tri province has consumption market of pigs to Laos, so the development of Mong Cai sows producing pig breeds is the necessary need of farmers

Despite the farmers in Quang Tri province are poor, they prefer to learn new knowledge about animal husbandry and have aspirations to develop pig raising effectively Project fund

is a very big help for farmers implementing their aspirations

4.2 Difficulties

- Not all the households participating in the project are of the same academic level and pig raising experience

- Although the project has fund to support for pig shed improving and upgrading, it is very difficult to convince them to build a new pig shed following the pig shed design of the project because most households lack of capital

- Foot and mouth disease and PRRS continuously occurred in the last 6 months in 2007 and the first 6 months of the year 2008 in Quang Tri province did not only damage the economy

of the farmer households but also slow the pace of the project implementation Number of pigs also reduced after ending epidemic diseases, so it should require more time to recover the pig herd

5 Recommendations

Foot and mouth disease and PRRS continuously occurred in the last 6 months in 2007 and the first 6 months of the year 2008 in Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue do arise some costs as a result of the vaccine for 2 above diseases and Mong Cai gilt raising time in Quang Tri before distributing to farmers and do slow the pace of the project implementation Therefore, we have some recommendations:

- To approve and support additional expense due to Mong Cai gilt raising time in Quang Tri before distributing to farmers with the total amount of AU$ 7648 as soon as possible

- Australian and Vietnamese project management board should consider the project to extend more than one year compared to the initial plan (2010)

The above are the work contents conducted by officers participating to CARD-004/05VIE project We hope to get comments from the experts as well as officials assessed so that we can complete the project well

Reporter

Ta Thi Bich Duyen