Forage growing as an incentive to improve smallholder beef production in Cambodia

Abstract

A major challenge for large ruminant improvement projects in developing countries is smallholder farmer engagement that promotes the value of knowledge in informed decision making. Most large ruminant smallholder farmers in Cambodia are considered to be livestock keepers and will become livestock producers only if they recognise the production and financial benefits from improved health and management practices. The benefits of growing and feeding five introduced forage species was investigated as a potential entry point for smallholder farmer engagement in southern Cambodia. The mean chemical composition, digestibility and estimated metabolisable energy (ME; MJ/kg DM) of introduced forages at 30 days after first harvest were comparable to published values. An initial establishment of 52 fodder plots covering 2.6 ha in 2008 expanded to 1306 plots covering 45 ha, including non-project farmers from surrounding areas. The establishment of forage plots in high-intervention project villages provided an improvement in average daily liveweight gain of cattle and saved farmers up to 2 h labour per day. This strategy provided a platform for increased uptake and adoption of livestock health and production interventions.