Project Progress Report: The development and implementation of new appropriate technologies for improving goat production and increasing small-holder income in the central region of Vietnam - MS3 " doc

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Project Progress Report
009/VIE05: The development and implementation
of new appropriate technologies for improving
goat production and increasing small-holder
income in the central region of Vietnam

MS3: SECOND SIX-MONTHLY REPORT
(July to December 2006)
8th February 2007

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1.

Institute Information

Project Name

The development and implementation
of new appropriate technologies for
improving goat production and
increasing small-holder income in the
central region of Vietnam (009/VIE05)
Working Title
Vietnam-Australia Goat Improvement
Project (2006-2009)

Vietnamese Institution

Goat and Rabbit Research
(GRRC), NIAH, MARD

Vietnamese Project Team Leader

Assoc. Prof. Dr Dinh Van Binh

Australian Organisation

The University of Queensland

Australian Personnel

Dr Barry W. Norton

Date commenced

April 1 2006

Completion date (original)

March 31 2009

Completion date (revised)

March 31 2009

Reporting period

July 1 – December 31 2006

Centre

Contact Officer(s)
In Australia: Team Leader
Name: Barry W. Norton
Position: Honorary Research Consultant
Organisation: The University of Queensland

Telephone: 61733651102
61732890260 (AH)
Fax:
61732890103
Email:

In Australia: Administrative contact
Name: Mr Kerry Johnston
Telephone: 61733657493
Position: Research Administration Officer
Fax:
61733654455
Organisation: University of Queensland Email:
In Vietnam
Name: Dr Dinh Van Binh
Telephone: 8434838341
Position: Director,
Fax: 8434838889
Organisation: Goat and Rabbit Research Centre Email:

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2.

Project Abstract

The development of goat production systems in Vietnam has been strongly promoted by
the Vietnamese government through the establishment and support for the Goat and
Rabbit Research Centre at Son Tay in the north of Vietnam. The initiatives developed at
this centre through both national and international R&D programs have been successfully
implemented on local farms in the north, and both the national and provincial
governments wish now to promote similar schemes in central and southern Vietnam.
While many of the technologies exist, the expertise and funding to apply these to small
holder farmers are limited. The proposed 3 year project aims to identify the limitations to
improving goat productivity and profitability on selected farms in Ninh Thuan, Binh
Thuan and Lam Dong provinces; and to train local Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development (DARD) staff , participating and other local farmers in goat production
systems and in the application of new and appropriate technologies (improved housing,
disease control, improved feed supply and quality, introduction of Bachthao bucks of
proven genetic merit). In this way the existing limitations to improving productivity will
be overcome, thereby improving the income and well-being of farming communities in
these areas.
The bbb
The following report presents information collected on the Goat Production Baseline
(Output 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3) and the progress made in the 2nd Six-Monthly Report (July –
December 2006)(Output 2.4), both reports being submitted to claim the August 2006 and
January 2007 payments due at this time. During this period, all farms were inspected for
progress and action plans developed to sustain production, an Advisory Board, Farmer
Forum and Field day meeting were held in Lam Dong province, and plans were made for

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the activities of 2007. Acquittal statements for UQ and GRRC expenditures are included.

3. Executive Summary
The following report presents information on the initiation of activities for the CARD
project The improvement and implementation of new appropriate technologies for
improving goat production and increasing small-holder income in the central region of
Vietnam (009/05VIE) in Vietnam during the period July to December 2006. The project
was initiated by the visit of Dr Norton to Vietnam (April 19 – May 4 2006) when it was
decided that the working title of the project will be “Vietnam-Australia Goat
Improvement Project (2006-2009)”, and this title will be used in all official future
reports. The Introduction and background, project objectives, approach methodologies
and means of implementation of methodologies remain the same, and the following
report present the progress made to December 2006. During this period, the planned new
technologies were introduced onto 27 farms in the Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan and Lam
Dong provinces, these concrete aprons under each goat house to collect manure,
vaccination of all goats against enterotoxemia, and goat pox, in some cases, treatment
with ivermectins to control internal parasites and the planting of small areas (0.20 ha) to
pasture grasses, legumes and fodder trees. A review of each farm after these introductions
indicated variable success on some, and excellent results on others. A plan of action was
developed for each farm to correct any deficiencies, and the success of these plans will be
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reviewed again when visiting Vietnam next in March 2007. During this time, an
Advisory Board meeting was held in Dalat, Lam Dong, and provided a means for project
staff to get feed-back from DARD officers on any problems that arose. A Farmers Forum
was also held in Dalat, offering an opportunity for project staff to explain the purpose of
the project, and to invite any questions on the operations of the project. Similar meetings
will be held in 2007 and 2008. A further 30 farms in these areas were surveyed so that

progress on the project farms can be judged against those on which no technologies have
been applied.

4.

Introduction & Background

Goat production in Vietnam has rapidly expanded in the north with the introduction of
new knowledge for disease control, feeding management and the introduction and
selection of both local (Co, Bachthao) and exotic (Boer, Saanen, Jumnapari etc) breeds of
goats to village systems. These initiatives have been lead by the Goat and Rabbit
Research Centre (GRRC) at Bavi, from which an expanding milking and meat goat
industry is being developed. While goat meat is not a common commodity in the markets
in Vietnam, economic returns for goat farming are high and are attracting many farmers
to add goats to their farming enterprises. Goats are particularly important for poor
farmers, providing good returns for little investment. The project proposal which has
been developed and successfully funded by AusAID under the CARD program was
specifically aimed at providing poor farmers in the central provinces of Vietnam (Ninh
Thuan, Binh Thuan, Lam Dong) with some of the new technologies which have been
developed by GRRC in the north. This aim is reflected in the project title “The
improvement and implementation of new appropriate technologies for improving goat
production and increasing small-holder income in the central region of Vietnam”. This
is a program which includes elements of farm survey, strategic planning for improving
health and nutrition of goats, as well as training of key farmers and Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) staff in these new technologies. Extension
of these activities to the wider community will be achieved by conducting field
days/workshops for local farmers using demonstration farms. The following report
describes the outcomes of the first official visit to Vietnam during which time strategies
for project implementation and management were developed, as well as recording the
progress made to date in achieving project objectives and plans for activities the coming

six-monthly period.
Objectives and Outputs of Project: The Project has proposed a list of 7 objectives
which it plans to achieve over the 3 year period 2006 to 2009. These are as follows:

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1. Identification and characterisation of target farms
2. Training and Information Dissemination
3. Provision of improved housing and health care for goats
4. Improve the availability and quality of feeds and forages for goats
5. Provide local and introduced Bach Thao bucks of proven genetic merit for
breeding
6. Economic evaluation of impact of new technologies on goat productivity
7. Support for pilot meat processing facilities at the Ninh Hai Goat Research Centre,
Ninh Thuan
Within each objective there are a series of activities associated with expected outputs,
and these plans are shown in Table 10, (Project Logframe) which is the same table
shown as Table 3.1 in the Final Project Design document approved by CARD for
implementation. With the exception of Objective 7, parts or all of the above objectives
have been achieved in this first 6 month period.
Approach and Methodology
The information provided below is the same as that presented in the Project document
and agreed to as appropriate to the objectives outlines above.
General approach. The project will be located in the Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Lam
Dong provinces which are located in the south central coast of Vietnam, 334 km from Ho
Chi Minh city and some 1400 km from Hanoi. The local people are mainly Kinh, Cham,
Ede and are amongst the poorest in Vietnam (US$45-65 income per annum). The
traditional farming systems vary from rice cropping in the river deltas in Ninh Thuan to
upland farming systems based on cassava, root crops, fruit and forest trees and livestock.

Goat numbers in 2004 in Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong were estimated to be
93,930; 35,275 and 9309 respectively. Goats are largely managed by women and
children. Income from livestock forms 22 to 25% of total income from agricultural
production in this region. Three broad categories of farming systems (lowland high
rainfall, upland low rainfall and highland high rainfall) have been selected. The plan is to
develop 27 farms (15 in Ninh Thuan, 9 in Binh Thuan, 3 in Lam Dong) by firstly
surveying each enterprise and then providing new technologies (housing, health care,
nutrition, breeding bucks) as indicated. These participating farmers will be also trained in
a short course at GRRC and then on farm by DARD officers in the implementation of
these management skills. In each province, 2 farms will be selected as demonstration
farms which will be used to train other farmers in these techniques and as model of
progressive goat production systems. The selected farmers will have experience of goat
production, having between 50 and 100 goats and generally sufficient land to grow the
required forages. This holistic approach to the introduction of new technologies is
preferred to a more fragmented approach where only specific interventions (eg disease
control only) are made. This approach to development has been successfully applied in
north Vietnam and is expected to provide a rapid improvement in productivity in similar
systems in central Vietnam. An important new initiative for this project is the support for
a pilot meat processing plant at the new goat research centre to be built at Ninh Hai in
Ninh Thuan.
Staff and institutional gaps will be addressed by a comprehensive training program,
firstly, by training DARD staff at GRRC and linking them with specialist GRRC
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counterparts, and secondly by using the trained DARD staff to train district officers,
participating farmers and the local communities through the dissemination of information
through written materials, workshops and demonstrations. This approach will build
capacity in Australian collaborators, GRRC staff and farmers to work as interdisciplinary and inter-institutional teams, and foster a more holistic approach to
improving agricultural and animal production in these poor villages in central Vietnam.

The Australian partner contribution will be largely through the active participation of Dr
Norton in all matters relating to the development and introduction of the new
technologies, and will be complemented by the visit of 5 senior Vietnamese staff to
Australia, where they will visit goat production farms and processing facilities for meat
and milk, as well as inspecting a range of fodder conservation systems.
The training programs will have as a central aim the preparation of materials for
distribution to participating and other local farmers on the technologies available and
relevant to each farming system. Extension materials now available from GRRC for goat
farmers in the north will be modified to meet the particular needs of farmers in central
Vietnam. In the second year, demonstration farms will be used to train farmers not
currently involved in the project, with a view to spreading information about the new
technologies as widely as possible during the time of the project.
The project will depend on the continuous availability of a reliable vehicle and driver to
gain access to the villages, and particularly for some of the remote districts of Lam Dong
and Binh Thuan. Access to the participating farms could be compromised by poor roads
and weather, and the timing of all activities will be planned with these limitations in
mind. It is planned to introduce Bachthao bucks of proven genetic merit to replace those
currently used. With the continuous mating systems usually found, it is possible that in
the first year, few non-pregnant goats would be initially available for insemination by
introduced bucks. There is also a possibility that a disease epidemic such as foot and
mouth disease could compromise the outcome of this project. All the above risks (and
any others that arise) will be assessed during the survey, and implementation strategies
modified to meet any limitations. While it is recognised that natural disasters such as
disease, drought, flood, fire and typhoon could compromise the outcomes of this project,
there is little planning that can be done to avoid such calamities. The support and active
participation of farmers in the management of introduced goats and experimental
programs will be essential, and all farmers will be advised and supported by both local
(village and district) and provincial DARD officers in the implementation of all planned
strategies.
Implementation Methodologies. A key component of this project is the identification of

the resources available on the selected farms, and it is from this information that
management/intervention strategies will be developed by project staff to overcome the
perceived limitations to improved productivity. The first activity of the project will
therefore be to conduct a survey of each farm to provide the above information, and this
information will then form the baseline against which change will be measured. The
expert GRRC and Australian team will then devise strategies for each farm depending on
their circumstances. In some cases, a common strategy can be applied to all farms
(replace bucks, improve goat house, provide vaccines, drugs and recommendations for
use), in other cases, the strategy will be particular to each farm (improved feed and forage
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supply). It is recognised that local knowledge of feed resources and remedies must be
evaluated and incorporated wherever possible.

5.

Progress to Date

The progress made in the period July to December 2006 will now be reported under
Implementation Highlights (5.1) against the Project Logframe providing the means of
verification listed as proof of delivery of the services planned. The first Output
Milestone 3 relevant to this report is shown in Table of Milestones, Annex 1 of Schedule
2, Scope of Services for CARD Project 009/05 VIE was listed as Logframe Reference 3
(Outputs 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3) and titled “Goat Production Baseline” listing the following
deliverable outcomes as the verification for payment: “Physical, financial and social
status of 27 target farms, physical and financial status of 30 farms outside project and
survey of existing structure and farming practices of goat farmers in target provinces”.
Milestone 4 is the second output relevant to this report (Project Logframe Output 2.4,
Activity 2.4.3) described as “Collection and collation of six-monthly accounts, outputs

from project activities” for the Second 6-monthly report including progress in this period
for activities listed under Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Delivery and acceptance of this
completed report which also includes the report of Goat Production Baseline is expected
to return a payment of A$66,442 (August 2006 ($33,221) and January 2007 ($33,221)) to
the University of Queensland for this period.
Evidence of completion of these activities will be presented in the body of this report and
supported by attachments as appendices and larger files presented on a CD.

5.1 Implementation Highlights
Objective 1. Identification and characterisation of target farms
Output 1.1 (Collection of general information on existing systems of goat production
Activities 1.1.1 and 1.1.2) and Output 1.2 (Collection of specific information from
selected farms in year 1, Activities 1.2.1 and 1.2.2) were reported as completed in the
previous report, and Activity 1.2.3 (Collation and summary of survey data) has now also
been completed in this current period. An additional activity not listed in the Objectives
but included in Milestone 4 was to collect information from 30 additional farms to the 27
elected for study. This extra survey activity has taken more time than expected, and was
only completed in late December 2006. The remaining activities in Objective 1 (Output
1.3) will be undertaken in Year 3 and reported at the appropriate time.
Output 1.2, Activity 1.2.3. Collation and Summary of Survey Data
The collection of information on the goat-farming systems is an on-going
study, and a comprehensive understanding of this system will only be available at the end
of this project when comparisons can be made of the gains in productivity that were
achieved. The initial baseline survey has provided a snap-shot view of 27 farms in 7
districts in 3 southern Provinces of Vietnam, and data is still being collected on the
incidence of disease, reproductive performance, live-weights and economics of goat
raising in these areas. The baseline survey was followed by the application of the
technologies proposed, viz, ie improved housing, preventative disease control and

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provision of better nutrition through the provision of on-farm forages. CD Appendix 1
presents tables and brief summaries of data collected for 27 “project” and 30 “other”
farms in the areas under study. This report is presented as evidence of completion of
Milestone 3 as listed above. This data will be later condensed and summarised in the
coming year, and integrated with additional quantitative information on “farm
productivity”, leading finally to a comprehensive document at the end of the project
which will include the final outcome of the technological innovations on the productivity
and well-being of Vietnamese goat farmers in these areas.
Objective 2. Training and Information Dissemination
Output 2.1 (Train provincial DARD officers at GRRC) Activities 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 were
reported as completed in the First Six-monthly report. Output 2.2 (Preparation of
demonstration and instructional materials for use with participating farmers) will be
completed in the next 6 month period during which time a training workshop for other
local non-participant farmers (Output 2.7) will be undertaken. Output 2.3 (Train
participating farmers in the application of new technologies) Activities 2.3.1 and 2.3.2
have been completed in this period although this is an on-going process of visit and
review. CD Appendix 2 shows reviews and recommendations for action on each farm
following the first inspection and discussion with farmers and project staff in November
2006. Further instruction was provided to some farmers who attended a Farmers Forum
in Da Lat, Lam Dong (see later), and had an opportunity to discuss their problems further
with DARD and project staff.
Output 2.4 Presentation of six-monthly reports and review of project progress
Activities 2.41 (Annual meeting of collaborators to review progress and plans for the
following year, 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 were completed in this period. Appendix 1a and 1b shows
the membership and agenda in English and Vietnamese respectively for the First
Advisory Board meeting of the Vietnam-Australia Goat Improvement Project (20062009) which was held in Dalat Lam Dong Province on 25th November 2006. This
meeting was held in the morning, and was restricted to senior DARD staff, GRRC and
UQ project counterparts. In the afternoon, a Farmers Forum was held in which all

participants in the Project were invited to comment on the aims and outcomes of the
Project so far. CD Appendix 3 reports the details of these meetings which were both well
received by all involved and provided valuable feedback on the progress of the Project to
date. On the following day, a field day for all participants was held on Mr Lungs farm
where all of the new technologies were well demonstrated. Activity 2.4.3 is designated as
the presentation of this current report.
Objective 3. Provision of improved housing and health care for goats
Output 3.1 Improved housing for goats on each selected farm
Activities 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 were largely completed in the previous period, and a review of
these activities is provided in CD Appendix 2 above. Some further minor modifications
have been recommended to improve the quality of housing provided.
Output 3.2 Control of all disease to improve health of goats on all farms.
Activities 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 were planned to be completed in this period, but could be only partially
implemented for a number of reasons. In Binh Thuan province, despite assurances that our

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program could be carried out, no vaccinations were made against any of the diseases suggested
to be important, and reasons are being sought as to why this program was not conducted. In other
areas, vaccination against Enterotoxemia and goat pox was undertaken, but it was not thought
relevant to vaccinate against FMD. The goat pox vaccine was produced in Vietnam, and it is not
clear yet how effective the vaccine is. Dr Norton has requested experimental evidence on the
efficacy of this vaccine, but to date no information is available. While there is no doubt that goat
pox is a serious disease of goats in Vietnam, there is little information available in its
epidemiology or treatment. Further information needs to be collected to clarify this matter. It was
also considered important to use ivermectins to treat all goats in the study to control external and
internal parasites. However, this treatment was left to the judgement of the farmers who were
asked to pay for the treatment, and as a consequence, few farmers treated all animals with
ivermectins, and intestinal parasites are still likely to be a major problem in these goats. It is

imperative that all goats be treated soon, and that the project meets the costs of all drugs
recommended. This aspect of the study needs more attention if we are to provide the disease free
conditions essential for improving productivity in these goats.

Objective 4. Improve the availability and quality of feeds and forages for goats
Output 4.1 Provision of improved forage supply to participating farms
Activities 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 were completed with the establishment of small
plots (0.2 ha) of mixed legume/grass pastures in June/July 2006 before the wet season
had begun However, as mentioned in the reports on individual farms, some plantings
were done too late in the wet season, and waterlogging caused many pasture plots to fail.
Recommendations were made during this current period for some replanting to be done,
but not until the beginning of the wet season (May), and exercising a better choice of
location. Dr Ross Gutteridge will be coming to Vietnam to further advise on pasture
establishment in some of these difficult areas, and it is hoped that all farms will have
well established pastures by the end of the next wet season (October 2007).
Objective 5. Provide local and introduced Bach Thao bucks of proven genetic
merit for breeding
These activities will be developed in the coming year (2007) after suitable sources of
BachThao bucks have been identified.
Objective 6. Economic evaluation of impact of new technologies on goat
productivity
Output 6.1 Economic data on goat productivity
Activity 6.1.1 has been completed with the collection of income and expenditure data for
each farm being studied. The analysis of this data will be undertaken in the coming
period, and will be used as the baseline against which we will compare economic returns
before and after the introduction of the new technologies.

5.2 Smallholder Benefits
There have already been clear benefits to small-holder goat farmers in the central regions
of Vietnam. Those that have been supplied with vaccines and medicines have found a

greatly reduced mortality in their animals, resulting in better growth and a greater pool of
animals to select from for sale or breeding. The improvements made to the goat houses

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have provided a cleaner environment for both the animals and their carers, as well as a
source of manure for use on crops and pastures. Many farmers were surprised at how
much manure could be collected in this way. We have also provided bucks to households
without males to enable the herd to continue breeding. The provision of pastures has been
well received by farmers who recognise the need for good quality feed for their animals
in the dry season. In the coming year, some farms in each district will be selected as
demonstration farms on which other local farmers can be instructed in the application of
the new technologies to improve the productivity of their goats.

5.3

Capacity Building

The major focus of the project at this stage has been the training of DARD officers from
Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong provinces in goat husbandry and management,
in the conduct of surveys and the acquisition of expertise to act as goat production
specialists in their provinces. The initial training of 14 DARD officers at GRRC has had a
flow on effect, in that, when farms were selected for inclusion in the project, one DARD
officer, one local government officer and the commune (village) head was involved in all
stages of the process, from interview to implementation. This has the effect of creating
awareness of project activities and the new techniques being applied to goat production in
each area. There has also been individual training of farmers when the new technologies
were being implemented, and each farmer will have an increased knowledge of the
prospects and limitations to goat production on their individual farms. It has been noted

that there is already a significant flow-on effect in each area, where other farmers are
implementing some technologies, eg collecting pasture seeds from project farms for
planting on their own farms, improving the hygiene of their goat houses, and actively
seeking vaccines to treat their stock, particularly vaccines for goat pox.

5.4

Publicity

The survey created local awareness of the aims and activities of the project, and at the
present time, farmer manuals for goat management are being prepared. It is not known
how this information has been reported by the local press, but in the coming 6 months,
signs will erected at each farm describing the project activities, demonstrations will be
organised on selected farms for inspection by other local farmers, a workshop will be run
in each area during April/May 2007 to encourage the adoption of the techniques which
have been applied to the “demonstration” farms, etc. Publicity will follow once we have
established farms which are successfully applying our prescribed technologies. When it
was first suggested that the project introduce new technologies in the goat production
systems of Lam Dong province, we were told that previous work had shown that this
environment was not suitable for raising goats. However, it is now clear that where
appropriate management strategies are applied, goat production in Lam Dong province
can be a successful and profitable enterprise.

5.5 Project Management
Dr Mui and Dr Binh have provided strong leadership and support for the implementation
of this project in central Vietnam. Technical staff from GRRC have been essential for the

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conduct of the survey and the application of the planned technologies on each farm. Each
visit to Vietnam by Dr Norton is planned to coincide with the planning and
implementation of new initiatives, and with only one year of the project completed, many
of the planned objectives have been achieved. A comprehensive report of the outcomes
and decisions taken during each visit is prepared by Dr Norton for circulation among
project staff. It is hoped that this report will provide an on-going record of the discussions
and decisions taken so that there is no dispute about what has been planned. However,
communication between Vietnamese and Australian management has sometimes been
poor, will need to improve to bring this project to an effective outcome. Clear guidelines
have been provided on matters such as the disbursement of funds to UQ and GRRC, but
there remains a problem with the timely acquittal of expenditure by GRRC on this
project. Once disbursed to GRRC, it is their responsibility to acquit the expenditure in
line with the planned budget in the Project document. In this context, Australian
management has no way of determining where the Vietnamese funding is being spent, or
on the extent to which these funds are under- or over-spent. This matter will be taken up
with Vietnamese staff when Dr Norton next visits Vietnam in March 2007.

6.

Report on Cross-Cutting Issues
6.1 Environment
There have been no issues which have significantly impeded the progress of the
project, even the advent of the wet season and its effects on implementation were
anticipated to some extent by choosing farms which had “all-weather” access by
DARD officers. However, some pastures were only poorly established due to
planting too late in the wet season, these problems will be avoided for this years
planting.

6.2 Gender and Social Issues
There have been no gender or social issues which have affected the implementation

of the project as planned. Two farmers have withdrawn from the project, both
wishing to concentrate more on other farming enterprises than goats.

7.

Implementation & Sustainability Issues

7.1 Issues and Constraints
There have been no major issues which have impeded the implementation of the
project
as planned, with excellent access and collaboration being gained on all 27 farms being
studied, and with eager participation in the application of the technologies proposed. It
should be noted that this is a complex organisational exercise, requiring the co-operation
of many individuals, and this complexity has so far been expertly managed by Dr Mui
and her team. There is no doubt that some issues will arise as we progress further into the
project. There is one issue that does deserve comment, and that is associated with our

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plan to introduce selected (and superior) Bachthao bucks to improve the genetic
background of this breed in the region. As noted above, many owners did not actually
have adult breeding bucks, having sold them in previous season. It is not clear what these
farmers were going to do in the coming breeding season, perhaps borrow or buy a new
buck. Dr Binh plans to identify in each province a large goat enterprise which has
“superior” Bachthao bucks, to buy these bucks and circulate then around the project
farms (and others) over the period of the project. The issue here is determining the extent
to which they are superior, it is not sufficient to select on body weight (size) alone, since
this may simply be “environmental” (single born, good nutrition) and not necessarily
genetic (as determined by progeny performance). While we have ensured that all farms

will have bucks to breed with in the coming season, the selection of “superior” bucks for
the longer term remains a contentious issue. It was at first suggested that “proven”
Bachthao bucks from GRRC could be used, but the transport to and possible
compromised performance of these bucks in the south suggests that this plan is not a
good one. This issue will be subject of some debate at the next meeting of the Project
committee in Vietnam in November 2006.

7.2 Options
The plan of the project allows for various options to be taken to achieve the desired
outcomes. At this time, there has been no need to change the original plans and so no
decisions need to be made about options for alternative activities.

7.3 Sustainability
Since the project has just begun, there are no current issues that we see that threaten the
longer term sustainability. These issues will be discussed in future reports as they arise.

8.

Next Critical Steps

The plans for the next stage of the project have been listed in the Project Logframe (Item
10), and will consist of reviewing the success of the new technologies being applied, and
will include re-vaccination of some goats for Goat Pox, treatment with ivermectins to
control internal and external parasites, and the development of extension materials
relating to the control of disease, the construction of goat houses, the planting of pastures
and their use to improve the nutrition of goats on each farm. Demonstration farms will b
selected for use in training workshops on improving goat productivity in each district,
and these workshop will involve the use of previously trained DARD officers to teach the
new technologies. Some of the pastures were not well established, and each farm will be
visited and their current pasture productivity assessed and new pastures planted when

necessary. Dr Ross Gutteridge will provide expertise in this area. It is also hope to
introduce some more advanced technologies on the demonstration farms eg chopping and
ensiling of forages, worm farms and provision of new and improved bucks for breeding.
The next visit to each farm should consolidate the gains made in the past year, and
provide some quantitative information on animal weights, condition and reproduction.
Any new farms interested in applying the technology will need to make their own

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investment in the resources needed, since project funding was only restricted to the
original 27 farms surveyed.

9. Conclusions
Substantial achievements have been made in the first 9 months of the project, during
which time a training workshop for DARD officers was completed at GRRC, a survey
questionnaire was developed and applied to 57 selected farms in Ninh Thuan, Binh
Thuan and Lam Dong provinces, a review of deficiencies on each farm undertaken and
intervention strategies devised and applied to each farm before the wet season limited
access to these farms. The success of the strategies applied will be assessed in the March
2007 visit, and alternative recommendations made to accommodate any deficiencies
observed in the system.

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