Báo cáo khoa học nông nghiệp " Assessment of capacity improvement within IPSARD/CAP: Baseline survey of knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) compared to end-of-project survey of KSA " docx

1
Assessment of capacity improvement within IPSARD/CAP:
Baseline survey of knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA)
compared to end-of-project survey of KSA

1. Introduction and method
A baseline survey of IPSARD/CAP staff was conducted in August 2007 at the
commencement of the project. The survey was designed to explore the baseline
knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) of the IPSARD/CAP researchers in areas
related to the research work and training that would be conducted during the project.
An end-of-project assessment using the same survey was conducted in April 2010.
The end-of-project survey is shown in Appendix I. The baseline survey was identical
except that it did not include the introductory Questions 1, 2 and 3, or Questions B14
and B15. Table 1 shows the distribution of respondents within IPSARD/CAP who
answered the baseline and end-of-project surveys.

Table 1 Distribution of respondents within IPSARD/CAP completing the baseline
and end-of –project assessments for CARD Project 030/06 VIE

IPSARD/CAP area August 2007 April 2010
Information Centre 6 2
Policy and Strategy Department 4 4
Market and Commodity Department 6 7
Rural Development Centre 3 3
Center for Agricultural Policy 10 (10)
a

TOTAL respondents 29 16
a In April 2010, the 10 CAP respondents were already counted as members of Market Analysis Unit
and Rural Development Unit.

Respondents (16) who completed the end-of-project survey had worked on average
for IPSARD/CAP for 4.7 years (the median was 3 years), and it is probable that some
of those who completed the survey had not completed the baseline survey. There had
been staff turnover at IPSARD/CAP over the duration of the project, and staff
numbers were less at the end of the project than at the beginning. Several staff
members who had worked on the CARD project during 2007/08 had left the
organisation during 2009/10 (two of these however completed the end-of-project
survey).

Of the 16 respondents, three said they had been “very involved” in the project, two
had been “relatively involved”, three had been “somewhat involved”, three had been
“a little involved” and five said they had “not been involved”. Eleven respondents
said they had attended a CARD project training, and three others said they were
“unsure” if they had attended a CARD training. This is understandable in the context
of the long project duration and the many and varied training sessions in which
IPSARD/CAP staff participate.

The surveys aimed to assess capacity in knowledge, skills and attitudes in areas
directly related to the research work undertaken for the CARD project. Respondents
were asked to rate:

2
• their level of knowledge in 10 subject areas;
• their level of confidence to perform 15 specified tasks; and
• their attitude to 18 different statements about policy perspectives relevant to the
livestock sector.

The results are given in Sections 2, 3 and 4 of this report.
1.2 Extraneous factors affecting the capacity assessment

Although the sample is not exactly the same for the baseline and end-of-project
surveys, this can still be regarded as a valid assessment of changes in knowledge,
skills and attitudes (for subjects directly related to the CARD project) within
IPSARD/CAP over the duration of the CARD project.

Staff at IPSARD/CAP had been involved in many other projects during this period,
and these projects are likely to have had an impact on capacity. In particular, staff had
been involved in three other projects involved with the livestock sector. These were:
• ACIAR Project LPS/2005/063 “Improving the Competitiveness of Pig Producers
in an Adjusting Vietnam Market” from 2006 and on-going.
• HPAI insurance project with the Japanese Research Institute of Economy, Trade
and Industry in 2008. In this project CAP staff supervised a survey of 2,100
poultry and other livestock producers in four provinces but did none of the
analysis.
• Socio-economic impacts of HPAI outbreaks and control measures on small-scale
and backyard poultry producers in Asia – sponsored by the Canadian International
Development Research Centre (IDRC) between 2007 and 2009.
All these projects involved survey work in the livestock sector. However, none of the
other projects were specifically involved with the livestock feed production sector.
2. Changes in knowledge
In Section A of the survey, respondents were asked to rate their knowledge of 10
different subject areas. The average rating and mode scores for the baseline and end-
of-project surveys are shown in Tables 2 and 3. The rating scale used was: 1 = very
good, 2 = good, 3 = so-so, 4 = poor, 5 = none.
2.1 Overall comparisons of baseline and end-of-project results
Overall comparisons are shown in Table 2. Nine out of the ten assessed knowledge
areas had improved (based on the average rating score) or remained the same in the
end of project survey compared to the baseline. The exception was knowledge of the
“indicators of competitiveness of firms” (baseline 2.76, project end 2.81). This is not a
good result for the project as competitiveness was a focus of the research work, but

perhaps reflects the complexity of assessing competitiveness of SMEs in the livestock
feed sector. However, the remaining results indicate the likely positive input of the
project work in a number of knowledge areas that were key research areas for the
project.




3
Table 2 Comparisons of average and mode baseline and end-or-project rating scores
for ten knowledge areas. (Scale: 1 = very good, 2 = good, 3 = so-so, 4 = poor, 5 =
none.)

Avg/Mode Rating Score
Knowledge area Baseline
a
End
b

1. Principles of the economics of supply/value chains 3.21 (3) 2.50 (3)
2. The role of SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam 2.83 (3) 2.38 (2)
3. Indicators of the competitiveness of firms 2.76 (3) 2.81 (3)
4. The theory of transactions costs 3.38 (3) 3.38 (4)
5. Government policies affecting the livestock feed sector in
Vietnam 3.31 (3) 2.50 (3)
6. Principles of industrial organization in a market economy –
e.g. market power, monopolies, economies of scale/scope,
vertical integration 3.17 (3) 2.81 (3)
7. Implications for the livestock sector of Vietnam’s acceptance
into the WTO

3.28 (3) 2.69 (3)
8. Principles for designing survey questions to minimize bias 2.90 (3) 2.13 (2)
9. Survey sampling techniques 2.97 (3) 2.25 (3)
10. Testing data on perceptions obtained from Likert Scales
(discrete visual analog scales) for reliability and validity – the
use of Cronbach’s alpha 4.24 (5) 4.00 (5)
Note: Mode scores are shown in (in parentheses)
a Survey sample for the Baseline measure was 29
b Survey sample for the End-of-project measure was 16


Five knowledge areas improved on average overall by a score of more than 0.5,
including:
• Principles of the economics of supply/value chains;
• Government policies affecting the livestock feed sector in Vietnam;
• Implications for the livestock sector of Vietnam’s acceptance into the WTO;
• Principles for designing survey questions to minimize bias; and
• Survey sampling techniques.

A further two knowledge areas improved on average overall by a score of more than
0.3, including:
• The role of SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam; and
• Principles of industrial organization in a market economy – e.g. market power,
monopolies, economies of scale/scope, vertical integration.

Mode scores (i.e. the most commonly selected rating) were mostly the same for the
baseline and end-of-project surveys. The mode score improved from “so-so” to
“good” for two subject areas: knowledge of “the role of SMEs in the livestock feed
sector in Vietnam” and knowledge of “principles of designing survey questions to
minimize bias”. The mode score for knowledge of “theory of transactions costs”

decreased from “so-so” to “poor”.

4
2.2 Comparisons based on respondents’ level of involvement in
the project
A further comparison was made between respondents with different levels of
involvement in the project. Scores for those respondents who nominated themselves
as either “very involved”, “relatively involved” or “somewhat involved” were
compared with scores from respondents who said they were either “a little involved”
or “not involved”. The sample of 16 was evenly split between these two categories.
The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Comparison of average and mode rating scores for 10 knowledge areas:
baseline results and end-of-project results for those respondents involved and non-
involved in the project. (Scale: 1 = very good, 2 = good, 3 = so-so, 4 = poor, 5 =
none.)

Avg/Mode Rating Score
Knowledge area B/line
a
End- I
b
End-NI
c

1. Principles of the economics of supply/value chains 3.21 (3) 2.50 (3) 2.50 (2,3)
2. The role of SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam 2.83 (3) 2.00 (2) 2.75 (2)
3. Indicators of the competitiveness of firms 2.76 (3) 2.38 (3) 3.25 (3)
4. The theory of transactions costs 3.38 (3) 3.50 (3,4) 3.25 (4)
5. Government policies affecting the livestock feed sector in

Vietnam 3.31 (3) 2.38 (3) 2.88 (3)
6. Principles of industrial organization in a market economy
– e.g. market power, monopolies, economies of
scale/scope, vertical integration 3.17 (3) 2.75 (3) 2.88 (3)
7. Implications for the livestock sector of Vietnam’s
acceptance into the WTO
3.28 (3) 2.63 (3) 2.75 (3)
8. Principles for designing survey questions to minimize
bias
2.90 (3) 1.63 (2) 2.63 (3)
9. Survey sampling techniques 2.97 (3) 2.13 (2,3) 2.38 (3)
10. Testing data on perceptions obtained from Likert Scales
(discrete visual analog scales) for reliability and validity –
the use of Cronbach’s alpha 4.24 (5) 4.00 (5) 4.00 (5)
Note: Mode scores are shown in (in parentheses)
a Survey sample for the Baseline measure was 29
b Survey sample for the End-of-project Involved (End-I)measure was 8
c Survey sample for the End-of-project Not Involved (End-NI) measure was 8

The average ratings were lower (i.e. better knowledge) for the involved group
compared to the non-involved group in seven of the ten knowledge areas. The score
difference was lower by 0.5 or more in four areas:
• The role of SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam
• Indicators of the competitiveness of firms
• Government policies affecting the livestock feed sector in Vietnam
• Principles for designing survey questions to minimize bias
These are all knowledge areas very relevant to the CARD project.

The mode scores for those involved and not-involved in the project were also different
in a number of cases. These were:

5
• Principles of the economics of supply/ value chains. The non-involved group had
a bimodal score of “good/so-so” compared to the mode of “so-so” for the involved
group.
• The theory of transactions costs. The involved group had a bimodal score of
“poor/so-so” compared to the mode of “poor” for the non-involved group.
• Principles of designing survey questions to minimize bias. The involved group had
a mode of “good” compared to “so-so” for the non-involved group.
• Survey sampling techniques. The involved group has a bimodal score of “good/so-
so” compared to the mode of “so-so” for the non-involved group.
3. Changes in skills
In Section B of the survey, respondents were asked to rate their confidence to perform
15 specified tasks. The average rating and mode scores for the baseline and end-of-
project surveys are shown in Tables 4 and 5. The rating scale used was: 1 = very
confident, 2 = confident, 3 = somewhat confident, 4 = a little confident, 5 = not
confident.
3.1 Overall comparisons of baseline and end-of-project results
Overall comparisons are shown in Table 4. All the assessed skill areas were rated as
improved in the end-of-project assessment compared to the baseline. Two areas
(“Design a database in Access” and “Use Stata for data analysis”) were not included
in the baseline, but were assessed in the end-of-project survey as work/training had
been done in these skill areas. The results indicate the likely positive input of the
project in a number of skills which were key components of the project.

Four skill areas improved on average overall by a score of more than 0.7, including:
• Investigate the supply chain for a product;
• Design a survey to map/describe a supply chain;
• Produce descriptive statistics from survey data; and
• Estimate the competitiveness of a firm operating in the livestock feed sector.

This last skill area (“estimate the competitiveness of a firm”) which is rated by
respondents as being considerably improved is contrary to the result obtained in
Section A, where respondents did not rate their knowledge in this area as improved.

A further three skill areas improved on average overall by a score of more than 0.5,
including:
• Develop a testable hypothesis for a research problem;
• Write a policy brief (given that you have knowledge of the subject of the brief);
and
• Investigate perceptions held by people on a particular subject.

There were a number of clear improvements in mode scores, including:
• Work in Excel;
• Conduct and write a literature review on the role of SMEs in the livestock sector
in Vietnam;
• Develop a testable hypothesis for a research problem;
• Write a policy brief (given that you have knowledge of the subject of the brief);
• Collect data to estimate a demand function for a product; and
• Design a survey to map/describe a supply chain.

6
Table 4 Comparisons of average and model baseline and end-or-project rating scores
for capacity to perform 15 specified tasks. (Scale: 1 = very confident, 2 = confident, 3
= somewhat confident, 4 = a little confident, 5 = not confident).


Avg/Mode Rating Score
Skill Baseline
a
End

b

1. Work in Excel 1.90 (1,2) 1.44 (1)
2. Use Solver in Excel 2.90 (2) 2.69 (2)
3. Investigate the supply chain for a product 3.21 (3) 2.38 (3)
4. Conduct and write a literature review on the role of SMEs in
the livestock sector in Vietnam 2.52 (3) 2.38 (2)
5. Develop a testable hypothesis for a research problem 3.10 (3) 2.56 (2)
6. Write a policy brief (given that you have knowledge of the
subject of the brief) 2.69 (2,3) 2.13 (2)
7. Collect data to estimate a production function for a product 3.07 (2) 2.69 (2)
8. Collect data to estimate a demand function for a product 3.17 (3) 2.88 (2)
9. Design a survey to map/describe a supply chain 3.10 (3) 2.13 (2)
10. Build a mathematical model to describe the livestock feed
supply chain 3.66 (3,4) 3.31 (4)
11. Produce descriptive statistics from survey data 2.69 (2) 1.81 (2)
12. Investigate perceptions held by people on a particular
subject 2.62 (2) 2.00 (2)
13. Estimate the competitiveness of a firm operating in the
livestock feed sector 3.14 (3) 2.44 (3)
14. Design a database in Access 2.69 (2)
15. Use Stata for data analysis 2.25 (2)
Note: Mode scores are shown in (in parentheses)
a Survey sample for the Baseline measure was 29
b Survey sample for the End-of-project measure was 16

3.2 Comparisons based on respondents’ level of involvement in
the project
As for the earlier questions about knowledge, a further comparison was made between
respondents with different levels of involvement in the project. Scores for those

respondents who nominated themselves as either “very involved”, “relatively
involved” or “somewhat involved” were compared with scores from respondents who
said they were either “a little involved” or “not involved”. The sample of 16 was
evenly split between these two categories. The results are shown in Table 5.

Taking the average ratings, only in four areas were skills rated better by those
involved in the project compared to those not involved in the project. These were:
• Design a survey to map/describe a supply chain;
• Produce descriptive statistics from survey data;
• Design a database in Access; and
• Use Stata for data analysis.
In all other skill areas, those not involved in the project rated themselves as more
highly skilled. The four areas where those involved in the project rated themselves

7
higher were areas where those most involved in the project (often more junior
researchers) had done a considerable amount of work.



Table 5 Comparison of average and mode rating scores for capacity to perform 15
specified tasks: baseline results and end-of-project results for those respondents
involved and non-involved in the project. (Scale: 1 = very confident, 2 = confident, 3
= somewhat confident, 4 = a little confident, 5 = not confident):

Avg/Mode rating score
Skill B/line
a
End-I
b

End-NI
c

1. Work in Excel 1.90 (1,2) 1.50 (1,2) 1.38 (1)
2. Use Solver in Excel 2.90 (2) 2.75 (3) 2.63 (2)
3. Investigate the supply chain for a product 3.21 (3) 2.50 (3) 2.25 (3)
4. Conduct and write a literature review on the role of
SMEs in the livestock sector in Vietnam
2.52 (3) 2.38 (2) 2.38 (3)
5. Develop a testable hypothesis for a research problem 3.10 (3) 2.63 (2) 2.50 (2,3)
6. Write a policy brief (given that you have knowledge of
the subject of the brief) 2.69 (2,3) 2.63 (2) 2.00 (2)
7. Collect data to estimate a production function for a
product 3.07 (2) 2.88 (2,3) 2.50 (2)
8. Collect data to estimate a demand function for a
product 3.17 (3) 3.13 (3,4) 2.63 (2)
9. Design a survey to map/describe a supply chain 3.10 (3) 2.00 (2) 2.25 (2)
10. Build a mathematical model to describe the livestock
feed supply chain 3.66 (3,4) 3.75 (4) 3.00 (2)
11. Produce descriptive statistics from survey data 2.69 (2) 1.50 (1,2) 2.13 (2)
12. Investigate perceptions held by people on a
particular subject 2.62 (2) 2.00 (2) 2.00 (2)
13. Estimate the competitiveness of a firm operating in
the livestock feed sector 3.14 (3) 2.38 (3) 2.38 (2)
14. Design a database in Access 2.63 (2) 2.75 (1,2,3)
15. Use Stata for data analysis 1.75 (2) 2.75 (3)

Note: Mode scores are shown in (in parentheses)
a Survey sample for the Baseline measure was 29
b Survey sample for the End-of-project Involved (End-I)measure was 8

c Survey sample for the End-of-project Not Involved (End-NI) measure was 8


There was also some evidence of improvement in mode scores for those more
involved in the project, compared to those less involved. These were for the tasks
described by:
• Conduct and write a literature review on the role of SMEs in the livestock sector
in Vietnam;
• Develop a testable hypothesis for a research problem;
• Produce descriptive statistics from survey data; and
• Use Stata for data analysis.
We would consider the results for these skills, which were an integral part of the
project work, to show capacity improvement directly related to the CARD project.

8
4. Changes in attitudes
In Section C of the survey, respondents were asked to indicate their level of
agreement with 18 statements. Statements in Section C were designed to test whether
respondents’ attitudes to various policy aspects of the livestock feed sector changed
during the course of the project. In a sense there are no right or wrong answers to
these statements, but we would hope that the CARD project research would encourage
a more market-oriented policy perspective. The average rating and mode scores for
the baseline and end-of-project surveys are shown in Tables 6 and 7. The rating scale
used was: 1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = undecided or unsure, 4 = disagree, 5 =
strongly disagree.
4.1 Overall comparisons of baseline and end-of-project results
Overall comparisons between baseline and end-of-project results are shown in Table
6. Attitudes are often difficult to change, but some evidence of what we would
consider positive attitude changes were evident. Attitudes to three statements changed
by an average overall rating score of more than 0.5. These were:

• SMEs are unlikely to be competitive in the livestock feed sector. In the end-of-
project assessment, respondents were more likely to disagree with this statement:
i.e. they were more positive that SMEs could be competitive. This is consistent
with the findings from the project, which show that medium-size mills are
competitive, and that there is scope to supply niche markets and small
landholders. The breakdown of the scores is shown in Figure 1.
• SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive because they lack
modern technology. In the end-of-project assessment, respondents were more
likely to agree with this statement. This is consistent with the findings from the
project, which highlighted the technology differences between foreign-owned and
domestic firms. The breakdown of the scores is shown in Figure 2.
• Farmers do not pay enough attention to the quality of processed animal feeds. In
the end-of-project assessment, respondents were more likely to disagree with this
statement. This is consistent with the findings from the project, which indicated
that farmers were very concerned about the quality of industrial feeds, and
purchased foreign brand feeds because they perceived it was of better quality than
domestic brand feeds. The breakdown of the scores is shown in Figure 3.

Attitudes to a further five statements changed by an average overall score of more
than 0.3. These were:
• Vietnam agriculture should focus on growing the raw materials for processed
livestock feed rather than importing them. Respondents in the end-of-project
survey agreed more strongly with this statement. Although the research work was
unable to find significant price differences between domestic and imported raw
materials, there is still a very strong feeling amongst Vietnamese researchers and
policy makers that focus should be on improving the production of raw materials.
This is a difficult attitude to counter, and it has been exacerbated by the large
increase in imported raw materials in recent years.
• SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive because they tend
to operate at a small scale. Respondents in the end-of-project survey agreed more

strongly with this statement. This is consistent with the project findings that
indicated that, on average, small feed mills producing less than 10,000 tonnes
output/year did not make a profit in 2007.

9
• There are not enough distributors of livestock feed in Vietnam. Respondents in the
end-of-project survey disagreed more with this statement. The research work did
not make any conclusions on the number of livestock feed distributors, but in the
areas where the work took place there was evidence of many distributors in
operation.

Table 6 Comparisons of average and mode baseline and end-or-project rating scores
on level of agreement with 18 policy perspectives. Scale is: strongly agree (=1), agree
(=2), undecided or unsure (=3), disagree (=4), or strongly disagree (=5).


Average/Mode Score
Statement Baseline
a
End
b

1. SMEs are unlikely to be competitive in the livestock feed sector. 3.45 (4) 4.00 (4)
2. The government of Vietnam should support SMEs in the
livestock feed sector. 2.17 (2) 1.94 (2)
3. Vietnam would be better off importing processed livestock feed
rather than manufacturing it.
3.83 (4) 3.94 (4)
4. Vietnam agriculture should focus on growing the raw materials
for processed livestock feed rather than importing them. 2.55 (2,3) 2.19 (2)

5. SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive
because they tend to operate at a small scale. 3.00 (2,3) 2.63 (2)
6. SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive
because they lack modern technology.
2.86 (3) 2.25 (2)
7. SMEs in the livestock feed sector are important for providing
employment for rural people. 2.24 (2) 2.25 (2)
8. Foreign-owned companies operating in the livestock feed sector
get preferential treatment by the GoV. 2.69 (3) 2.44 (3)
9. Large foreign-owned and joint venture companies operating in
the livestock feed sector in Vietnam provide good employment
opportunities for rural people. 2.62 (2) 2.38 (2)
10. There are too many livestock feed companies operating in
Vietnam. 2.76 (3) 2.63 (3)
11. It is advantageous if livestock feed companies can provide
additional services to growers – e.g. nutrition advice, veterinary
services, grower contracts to purchase products. 1.83 (2) 1.63 (2)
12. There are not enough distributors of livestock feed in Vietnam. 3.45 (3) 3.81 (4)
13. Vietnamese SMEs operating in the livestock feed sector have
the capacity to adapt to changing market conditions. 2.97 (3) 2.88 (3)
14. The quality of processed livestock feeds in Vietnam is generally
good.
3.03 (3,4) 2.69 (2)
15. The quality of processed livestock feeds from SMEs in Vietnam
is not as good as that from larger foreign-owned companies. 2.45 (2) 2.25 (2)
16. Farmers do not pay enough attention to the quality of processed
animal feeds. 3.14 (3) 3.94 (4)
17. The production of livestock feeds in Vietnam needs better
regulation to ensure quality.
1.62 (2) 1.50 (2)

18. Research done by CAP can influence government policy in the
livestock feed sector. 2.45 (2) 2.06 (2)
Note: Mode scores are shown in (in parentheses)
a Survey sample for the Baseline measure was 29
b Survey sample for the End-of-project measure was 16



10
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Strongly
agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
disagree
Percent of respondents
Baseline
Project end

Figure 1 Breakdown of respondents’ scores comparing baseline and end-of-project
assessment for the statement “SMEs are unlikely to be competitive in the livestock feed
sector.”

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Strongly
agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
disagree
Percent of respondents
Baseline
Project end

Figure 2 Breakdown of respondents’ scores comparing baseline and end-of-project
assessment for the statement “SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive
because they lack modern technology.”

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Strongly
agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly

disagree
Percent of respondents
Baseline
Project end

Figure 3 Breakdown of respondents’ scores comparing baseline and end-of-project
assessment for the statement “Farmers do not pay enough attention to the quality of
processed animal feeds.”

11
• The quality of processed livestock feeds in Vietnam is generally good. The
respondents in the end-of-project survey were more likely to agree with this
statement. The research team visited many feed mill businesses that were
operating in a highly technical and clean environment, and comparable with
businesses visited in Thailand. Despite concerns raised by the project results about
the quality control of domestic mills, the respondents seem positive about the
general quality of livestock feeds produced in Vietnam.
• Research done by CAP can influence government policy in the livestock feed
sector. Respondents in the end-of-project survey agreed more strongly with this
statement. This is a good result indicating that CAP staff are more positive about
their knowledge and skills in this area, and capacity to influence policy, than they
were two and a half years ago.

Mode scores illustrate clearly that that respondents now have more definite attitudes
to many statements. In the baseline survey the mode score was “3” (undecided or
unsure) for nine statements, compared to three statements for the end-of-project
survey. At the end of the project, the mode score had moved from “undecided” to
“agree” for the statements:
• Vietnam agriculture should focus on growing the raw materials for processed
livestock feed rather than importing them;

• SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive because they tend
to operate at a small scale;
• SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive because they lack
modern technology; and
• The quality of processed livestock feeds in Vietnam is generally good.

The mode score had moved from “undecided” to “disagree” for the statements:
• There are not enough distributors of livestock feed in Vietnam; and
• Farmers do not pay enough attention to the quality of processed animal feeds.
4.2 Comparisons based on respondents’ level of involvement in
the project
As for the earlier questions about knowledge and skills, a further comparison was
made between respondents with different levels of involvement in the project. Scores
for those respondents who nominated themselves as either “very involved”,
“relatively involved” or “somewhat involved” were compared with scores from
respondents who said they were either “a little involved” or “not involved”. The
sample of 16 was evenly split between these two categories. The results are shown in
Table 7.

Average overall scores that differ by 0.5 or more between involved and non-involved
respondents include:
• Vietnam would be better off importing processed livestock feed rather than
manufacturing it. The non-involved respondents tend to agree more with this
statement.




12
Table 7 Comparison of average and modal rating scores for level of agreement with

18 policy perspectives: baseline results and end-of-project results for those
respondents involved and non-involved in the project. Scale is: strongly agree (=1),
agree (=2), are undecided or unsure (=3), disagree (=4), or strongly disagree (=5).

Average/Mode Score
Statement B/line
a
End-I
b
End-NI
c

1. SMEs are unlikely to be competitive in the livestock
feed sector. 3.45 (4) 4.13 (4) 3.88 (4)
2. The government of Vietnam should support SMEs in
the livestock feed sector.
2.17 (2) 2.13 (2) 1.75 (2)
3. Vietnam would be better off importing processed
livestock feed rather than manufacturing it. 3.83 (4) 4.13 (4) 3.63 (4)
4. Vietnam agriculture should focus on growing the raw
materials for processed livestock feed rather than
importing them.
2.55 (2,3) 2.13 (2) 2.25 (2)
5. SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are
uncompetitive because they tend to operate at a small
scale.
3.00 (2,3) 3.00 (2,4) 2.25 (2)
6. SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are
uncompetitive because they lack modern technology. 2.86 (3) 2.88 (2,3) 1.75 (2)
7. SMEs in the livestock feed sector are important for

providing employment for rural people.
2.24 (2) 2.25 (2) 2.25 (2)
8. Foreign-owned companies operating in the livestock
feed sector get preferential treatment by the GoV. 2.69 (3) 2.50 (2,3) 2.38 (3)
9. Large foreign-owned and joint venture companies
operating in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam provide
good employment opportunities for rural people.
2.62 (2) 2.50 (2,3) 3.00 (2,4)
10. There are too many livestock feed companies
operating in Vietnam. 2.76 (3) 2.75 (3) 2.63 (2)
11. It is advantageous if livestock feed companies can
provide additional services to growers – e.g. nutrition
advice, veterinary services, grower contracts to purchase
products. 1.83 (2) 1.75 (2) 1.38 (1)
12. There are not enough distributors of livestock feed in
Vietnam. 3.45 (3) 4.00 (4) 3.88 (4)
13. Vietnamese SMEs operating in the livestock feed
sector have the capacity to adapt to changing market
conditions.
2.97 (3) 2.75 (3) 3.00 (2,4)
14. The quality of processed livestock feeds in Vietnam
is generally good. 3.03
(3,4) 2.75 (2) 2.50 (2)
15. The quality of processed livestock feeds from SMEs
in Vietnam is not as good as that from larger foreign-
owned companies. 2.45 (2) 2.38 (3) 2.38 (2)
16. Farmers do not pay enough attention to the quality of
processed animal feeds.
3.14 (3) 4.13 (4) 3.75 (4)
17. The production of livestock feeds in Vietnam needs

better regulation to ensure quality. 1.62 (2) 1.63 (2) 1.25 (1)
18. Research done by CAP can influence government
policy in the livestock feed sector. 2.45 (2) 2.13 (2) 1.88 (1,2)
Note: Modal scores are shown in (in parentheses)
a Survey sample for the Baseline measure was 29
b Survey sample for the End-of-project Involved (End-I)measure was 8
c Survey sample for the End-of-project Not Involved (End-NI) measure was 8





13
• SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive because they lack
modern technology. The involved respondents also agree less with this statement,
perhaps indicating the project perspective which investigated multiple aspects of
competitiveness.
• Large foreign-owned and joint venture companies operating in the livestock feed
sector in Vietnam provide good employment opportunities for rural people. Those
involved with the project agree more with this statement, but the mode score
indicates that the uninvolved are split equally between agreement and
disagreement.

The mode scores differ between involved and non-involved respondents for a number
of statements. Those that differ clearly (i.e. not including bimodal scores where one of
the scores is the same as the other group) include:
• There are too many livestock feed companies operating in Vietnam. The majority
of involved respondents remain “undecided” on this, whereas the majority of non-
involved respondents agree. The project research did tend to indicate that niche
markets could be exploited by smaller companies.

• It is advantageous if livestock feed companies can provide additional services to
growers – e.g. nutrition advice, veterinary services, grower contracts to purchase
products. Although both groups agree with this statement, the majority of non-
involved respondents strongly agree.
• Vietnamese SMEs operating in the livestock feed sector have the capacity to adapt
to changing market conditions. The majority of involved respondents remain
undecided, whereas the non-involved are split evenly between agreement and
disagreement.
• The quality of processed livestock feeds from SMEs in Vietnam is not as good as
that from larger foreign-owned companies. The majority of involved respondents
remain undecided on this, whereas the majority of non-involved agree.
• The production of livestock feeds in Vietnam needs better regulation to ensure
quality. Although both groups agree with this statement, the majority of non-
involved respondents strongly agree.

For a number of these responses above, we might have hoped that the scores might
have been reversed: for example, with those more involved in the project agreeing
more strongly that “the production of livestock feeds in Vietnam needs better
regulation to ensure quality”, as this conclusion was clear from the project research.

5 Conclusions
The results of this analysis support the idea that CARD Project 030/06 VIE has had a
positive impact on capacity of staff at IPSARD/CAP.

Over a 2.5 year project, in a group such as IPSARD/CAP which is exposed to
multiple influences that can change capacity, it would be expected to be difficult to
show changes specific to any one intervention. This analysis has attempted to show
changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) as a result of CARD Project 030/06
VIE. Results from a baseline and end-of-project survey are compared, and the end-of-
project results include a comparison of respondents more involved in the project

compared to those less involved in the project.

14
From the overall comparisons between the baseline and end-of-project results of KSA
of IPSARD/CAP staff it is clear that capacity has improved in many areas. The
comparison of staff more involved in the project compared to those less involved
shows some knowledge and skill areas directly related to the project research where
more improvement among the involved group suggests that the project has been
directly responsible for this capacity improvement. In the exploration of attitudes, the
non-involved respondents tend to have made more progress. These respondents tend
to be more senior staff, and it is likely that they have been exposed during the last 2.5
years to the project results (as well as many other policy discussions), and perhaps are
better able to realise policy implications.


Sally Marsh and Donna Brennan
University of Western Australia
June 2010



15
Appendix I


CARD Project 030/06 VIE

Developing a strategy for enhancing the competitiveness of rural small and medium
enterprises in the agro-food chain: the case of animal feed

End of project survey of knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices – April 2010


NAME …………………………………………………………

Kindly answer these following questions before coming to the main survey.

1. How long have you worked in IPSARD/CAP? _____ years

2. How involved were you with the work for CARD project VIE 030/06?

1 = very involved, 2 = relatively involved, 3 = somewhat involved, 4 = a little
involved, 5 = not involved

3. Did you attend a training course of the CARD project?

1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unsure

Section A: Please rate your knowledge of the following subjects (1 = very good, 2
= good, 3 = so-so, 4 = poor, 5 = none)

Subject Rating
1. Principles of the economics of supply/value chains

2. The role of SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam

3. Indicators of the competitiveness of firms

4. The theory of transactions costs

5. Government policies affecting the livestock feed sector in Vietnam

6. Principles of industrial organization in a market economy – e.g. market power,
monopolies, economies of scale/scope, vertical integration

7. Implications for the livestock sector of Vietnam’s acceptance into the WTO

8. Principles for designing survey questions to minimize bias

9. Survey sampling techniques

10. Testing data on perceptions obtained from Likert Scales (discrete visual
analog scales) for reliability and validity – the use of Cronbach’s alpha



16
Section B. Please rate your confidence to perform the following tasks (1 = very
confident, 2 = confident, 3 = somewhat confident, 4 = a little confident, 5 = not
confident):

Skill Rating
1. Work in Excel
2. Use Solver in Excel
3. Investigate the supply chain for a product
4. Conduct and write a literature review on the role of SMEs in the livestock
sector in Vietnam

5. Develop a testable hypothesis for a research problem
6. Write a policy brief (given that you have knowledge of the subject of the brief)

7. Collect data to estimate a production function for a product
8. Collect data to estimate a demand function for a product
9. Design a survey to map/describe a supply chain
10. Build a mathematical model to describe the livestock feed supply chain
11. Produce descriptive statistics from survey data
12. Investigate perceptions held by people on a particular subject
13. Estimate the competitiveness of a firm operating in the livestock feed sector
14. Design a database in Access
15. Use Stata for data analysis




17
Section C. Please state whether you strongly agree, agree, are undecided or
unsure, disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statements (please note
that there are no right/wrong answers for this section – we are just seeking your
opinion):


Statement SA A U D SD
1. SMEs are unlikely to be competitive in the livestock feed
sector.

2. The government of Vietnam should support SMEs in the
livestock feed sector.

3. Vietnam would be better off importing processed livestock feed
rather than manufacturing it.

4. Vietnam agriculture should focus on growing the raw materials
for processed livestock feed rather than importing them.

5. SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive
because they tend to operate at a small scale.

6. SMEs in the livestock feed sector in Vietnam are uncompetitive
because they lack modern technology.

7. SMEs in the livestock feed sector are important for providing
employment for rural people.

8. Foreign-owned companies operating in the livestock feed
sector get preferential treatment by the GoV.

9. Large foreign-owned and joint venture companies operating in
the livestock feed sector in Vietnam provide good employment
opportunities for rural people.

10. There are too many livestock feed companies operating in
Vietnam.

11. It is advantageous if livestock feed companies can provide
additional services to growers – e.g. nutrition advice, veterinary
services, grower contracts to purchase products.

12. There are not enough distributors of livestock feed in
Vietnam.

13. Vietnamese SMEs operating in the livestock feed sector have

the capacity to adapt to changing market conditions.

14. The quality of processed livestock feeds in Vietnam is
generally good.

15. The quality of processed livestock feeds from SMEs in
Vietnam is not as good as that from larger foreign-owned
companies.

16. Farmers do not pay enough attention to the quality of
processed animal feeds.

17. The production of livestock feeds in Vietnam needs better
regulation to ensure quality.

18. Research done by CAP can influence government policy in
the livestock feed sector.