Project Progress Report: " A blueprint for sustainable smallholder pig production in Central Vietnam" ppt

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Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Project Progress Report
A blueprint for sustainable smallholder pig production
in Central Vietnam
CARD Project 004/05VIE

Milestone 13: FINAL REPORT

APRIL 2010

Figure 1: Creep boxes introduced on demonstration farms in Quang Tri province to keep
piglets dry and warm during the suckling period.

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Table of contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
1. INSTITUTE INFORMATION 3
2. PROJECT ABSTRACT 4
3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4
4. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND 5
5. PROGRESS TO DATE 6
5.1 IMPLEMENTATION HIGHLIGHTS 6
5.3 SMALLHOLDER BENEFITS 15
5.4 CAPACITY BUILDING 16
5.5 PUBLICITY 17
5.6 PROJECT MANAGEMENT 17

6. REPORT ON CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES 17
6.1 ENVIRONMENT 17
6.2 GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES 18
7. IMPLEMENTATION & SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES 18
7.1 ISSUES, CONSTRAINTS AND OPTIONS 18
7.2 SUSTAINABILITY 19
8. NEXT CRITICAL STEPS 19
9. CONCLUSION 19
10. STATUTORY DECLARATION 19


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1. Institute Information
Project Name
A blueprint for sustainable small holder pig production in
Central Vietnam
Vietnamese Institution
National Institute of Animal Husbandry (NIAH); Hue
University of Agriculture and Forestry (HUAF); National
Institute of Veterinary Research (NIVR)
Vietnamese Project Team Leaders
Dr Ta Thi Bich Duyen (NIAH); Professor Nguyen Quang
Linh (HUAF); Dr Cu Huu Phu (NIVR)
Australian Organisation
The University of Queensland/Victorian Department of
Primary Industry/South Australian Research and
Development Institute
Australian Personnel
Dr Darren Trott, Dr Ian Wilkie, Dr Colin Cargill, Dr Tony
Fahy

Date commenced
April 1st 2006
Completion date (original)
April 2009
Completion date (revised)
April 2010
Reporting period
April 2006 – April 2010
Contact Officer(s)
In Australia: Team Leader
Name:
Dr Darren Trott*
Telephone:

Position:
Associate Professor
Veterinary Microbiology
Fax:

Organisation
School of Veterinary Science The
University of Qld
*Now at the School of Animal and
Veterinary Sciences
The University of Adelaide
Email:

In Australia: Administrative contact
Name:
Melissa Anderson

Telephone:
61 7 33652651
Position:
Manager Research Projects Office
Fax:
61 7 33651188
Organisation
School of Land and Food
Email:


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The University of Qld

In Vietnam
Name:
Dr Do Ngoc Thuy
Telephone:
84 4 8693932
Position:
Senior Scientist
Fax:
84 4 8694082
Organisation
NIVR
Email:


2. Project Abstract
Small holder farmers in Central Vietnam predominantly raise pig breeds such as Mong Cai, Mini pig, and

SocHighland, which are well adapted to local conditions but have limited performance and economic efficiency.
Improving the genetics of local breeds by introduction of high performance Mong Cai lines for pure breeding and
exotic breeding programmes will result in significant benefits for small holder farmers if it can be aligned with an
integrated farrow-to-finish management plan (focusing on health, husbandry, housing and nutrition) to improve
production parameters and limit health problems. This holistic, continuous improvement plan (CIP) will be initiated
by appropriately trained Vietnamese veterinary and animal scientists, under the direction of Australian experts.
Through a train the trainers approach, the CIP will be extended to veterinary extension workers, commercial
piggery managers and selected small scale pig farmers for successful uptake of knowledge and skills.
3. Executive Summary
This project focused on improving smallholder pig health and production in the central provinces of
Vietnam (Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri) and began with six major objectives: 1. Train the
trainers; 2. Select the farms; 3. Adopt best practice; 4. Introduce new breeding stock; 5. Monitor
profitability; and 6. Sustain profitability. The project commenced with six early career Vietnamese
scientists being selected for high level training in Australia who would then develop and run the
remainder of the prject under the direction of Vietnamese and Australian experts. Following a
survey of over 200 farms in four provinces and a workshop to decide the major project intervention
strategies, it was decided to focus on Mong Cai (rather than exotic or cross bred sows) and to
introduce high-performance gilts at the same time as a holistic continuous improvement plan to
train farmers.

Project initiatives that had the most profound effect on uptake of knowledge and skills and
ultimately, increased production and overall benefit:cost included the following:
-Major modifications to housing and ventilation to control temperature and humidity.
-Introduction of the NIVR E. coli vaccine and creep boxes to improve piglet health and growth in
the pre-weaning period and reduce the incidence of diarrhoea.
-Accurate record keeping, increased awareness of pig diseases and strategic use of medications to
control diarrhoea and mange.
-Formation of farmer clubs following a key decision to focus training on demonstration farmers
rather than veterinarians and paraveterinarians.

The project culminated in the creation of a participatory training DVD where farmers from each of
the clubs designed and implemented the storyboards for nine chapters covering the major project
interventions. Successful farmers that adopted the project recommendations achieved production
figures of 16-22 pigs sold/sow/year and a benefit:cost ratio in the order of 2.2-2.5 compared 1.1
without interventions. Following project completion further funding will now be sought to expand
the model into neighbouring provinces as well as Laos and Cambodia.


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4. Introduction & Background
In response to the increased demand for pork, Vietnamese small holder farmers in the Central
provinces have intensified their production system, while others have attempted to continue to
produce pigs in older, poorly designed facilities. As intensification has increased, so too have
disease problems, particularly in the pre-weaning stage, so it is not surprising that enteric diseases
cause very substantial losses in this age group. While the diseases involved can usually be
controlled by a combination of good management and strategic vaccination, the sub-optimal
environment provided on many farms is also a major risk factor, especially in the farrowing and
weaning areas. Antibiotics, which add significantly to the cost of production, are used to overcome
these deficiencies and their indiscriminate use is probably contributing to the current high level of
multi-drug resistance in isolates from pigs in Vietnam. Expansion of small holder pig production in
Central Vietnam has the potential to improve the income generating capacity of poor families, but
is currently hampered by low profitability due to a combination of poor reproductive performance
and growth rates, lack of husbandry and management skills, poor nutrition and disease problems.
Based on the experience drawn from our existing CARD project (001/04VIE), the problems faced
by small holder pork producers in Vietnam include:

 Lack of on-farm recording to allow effective herd management on a day-to-day basis.
 Lack of written records on average daily gain, feed conversion efficiency and pigs marketed
/sow/year to determine whole-herd productivity and profitability.
 Failure to set and reach reproduction targets.

 Poor ventilation and cooling systems which limit the feed intake of progeny and breeders.
 Restrict feeding of all classes of stock from lactating sows through to finisher pigs.
 Lack of written data to assist resolving herd health problems-particularly mortalities, age
and cause of death.
 Incorrect vaccination strategies for those diseases for which there are effective vaccines.
 Lack of specialist veterinary and extension staff to instruct and advise farmers.
 Lack of model demonstration farms in each province to train the trainers.

To better understand the risk factors that are contributing to pig health problems, and limiting or
reducing production, it is proposed to survey a large number of small holder farms in Quang Tri,
Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam and Binh Dinh Provinces. Retrospective baseline data on production,
health, housing, environment and income will be collected and deficiencies in husbandry and
housing will be detected and assessed so that they can be prioritised. A representative sample of
small holder farms (defined as those with less than 10-15 sows) and small commercial farms (30 to
100 sows) in each province will be selected for the survey and audit process, which will be used to
assess the standard of production and competency of farmers and facilities. Prior to commencing
the survey, Vietnamese scientists will be trained to visit farms and interview the farmer and his/her
family and collect required data on production and facilities.

Following the survey of selected farms in the three provinces, a workshop will be held at Hue
University of Agriculture and Forestry to identify the key risk factors that are negatively influencing
health and production. A set of priorities will then be established for improving management,
husbandry and housing on farms. This will result in the development of suitable models for pig
production incorporating modified and improved designs for housing, as well as husbandry and
management techniques. Once the full modules have been validated, a series of field days will be
held in each district, with extension service personnel and local veterinarians as trainers. Selected
farmers will also be invited to participate in “train the trainer workshops” so that they can also
participate in training other farmers through “farmer-to-farmer workshops” in each area. The pig
production farrow-to-sale training workshops will be tailored for the needs and production systems
followed.

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Many of the poorer households use indigenous breeds of pig with the intention of crossing them
with exotic breeds to improve growth and performance in the F1 progeny. However, the local
breeds currently reared by small holder farmers perform very poorly. Of the three major breeds pure
Mong Cai have by far the best performance. High performance pure Mong Cai have been bred in
Bacgiang with an average litter size of 13-14 piglets (compared to 8-9 for the other indigenous
breeds) and a growth rate of 350-400g per day (compared to only 200-250g for the other breeds).
These results clearly show the robustness of the Mong Cai breed. Introduction of high quality, high
performance Mong Cai sows will provide the nucleus for a central coast pure Mong Cai breeding
zone collective. Pure Mong Cai gilts will be raised for downstream sale to other small holders for a
crossbreeding program using exotic breeds of boar. Hybrid vigour in F1 progeny will provide better
growth rates than the currently used indigenous breeds, but will be more adaptable to local
environmental conditions compared to exotic breeds of pig. This program will also maintain the
pure Mong Cai gene pool in the central coastal area.

5. Progress to Date
5.1 Implementation Highlights
Objective 1: Train the trainers
Output 1.1 Training programme for Vietnamese scientists. Following site visits to Australia by
the Vietnamese project leaders in early 2006 (to observe different pig rearing facilities in Australia
and plan the detailed training programme), six talented Vietnamese scientists were selected to
undertake a 2-month comprehensive training programme (June-July 2006) in an holistic approach to
pig health, production and epidemiology (detailed in MS2 and MS3 reports). The overall goal of
this programme was for each trainer to develop the capacity to conduct independent pig farm audits
(focused on nutrition, husbandry, housing, health and management), to identify major constraints to
profitable production. Vietnamese scientists passed all their competency assessments and received
certificates of training from The University of Queensland.
A major output of this high level training initiative was the production of a detailed questionnaire

(designed and assembled by the trainee scientists during the epidemiology component of their
training), to be used in Vietnam for the baseline survey of smallholder pig farms. Vietnamese
scientists therefore developed the skills and technical understanding to perform the first farm audits
and select the individual farmers to take part in the remainder of the project and form the nucleus of
the central coast breeding zone. The training mission provided the opportunity for close bonds to be
formed between the three Vietnamese institutes (collaboration between two government research
organisations and a University is unprecedented in Vietnam) and their Australian counterparts,
which formed the foundation for strong research cooperation during the remainder of the project.
The trainees have made strong contributions to achieving the project initiatives and milestones in
both research and extension capacities. Additional outputs detailed in MS3 and MS12 were the
design of an ideal shed for raising Mong Cai by Mr Bien (NIAH), the development of post-mortem
protocols for disease investigation by Mr Tuan (NIVR), the development and translation of
instruction labels for the administration of pig medicines by Ms Cam (NIAH) and the development
of a detailed research proposal for monitoring environmental conditions on demonstration and
control farms by Dr Duyet (HUAF).
Two additional Vietnamese young scientists received in-country training during the project
logframe and one of these (Mr Ho Ngoc Phuong) was subsequently selected for Research Masters
training at Utrecht University.

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Output 1.2 Survey questionnaire and farm audit
The survey questionnaire developed by the Vietnamese trainee scientists was rigorously audited by
Australian scientists (July-September 2006) and transformed into a web-based format with image
loading capacity by University of Queesland information technology staff (2006-2007). The website
can be accessed at A login name (AUSAIDCARD) and
password (pigproject) have been created for viewing the database without the ability to alter
records. The database and survey questions have been extensively modified over the life of the
project. Improvements include the option for a much shorter (monthly) audit version as opposed to
the more substantial (yearly) audit, Vietnamese and English versions, inclusion of Farm ID numbers
based on province to allow for easy expansion to other provinces and the inclusion of entries for

latitude and longitude co-ordinates for future spatial epidemiology functions. The website is both an
instructional tool for teaching and assessing farm auditors on their capacity to accurately determine
constraints to profitable production, as well as a repository of information regarding individual
farms, including those selected as demonstration units for future training initiatives. Due to a
number of factors, including difficulty accessing the web or slow connection speed in Vietnam and
several identified coding errors, the website has not been utilized to its full capacity by Vietnamese
scientists during the life of the project. Data export options into Excel, Access or SPSS have not
been explored in the current project, but are possible in future initiatives following appropriate
consultation with an epidemiologist. However, survey data obtained at the commencement and
conclusion of the project in addition to several yearly audits have been entered on the website, as
well as photos of demonstration farms and audit checklists.

Owing to a number of these difficulties, SPSS was used to analyse the data collected following the
baseline survey (MS4 and MS5 reports). Sow numbers ranged from 1 to 20 with a mean number of
sows of 3.5 and 84% using the Mong Cai local breed. A total of 93% of farms kept less than 11
sows (ie 1-10) and 89% had less than 6 sows (ie 1-5). Key demographic data included the fact that
98.4%, 80%, 35% and 7% of farmers had completed primary, high primary, secondary and post-
secondary education, respectively, but education level did not influence sow numbers. Interestingly,
all farmers had more than 5 years pig husbandry experience and 89% more than 10 years. Mean
number of pigs born live was 12.04 ± 1.63 with Mong Cai averaging 12.61 and exotic breeds only
9.95. Stillbirths (which includes early birth mortality from being squashed by the sow) averaged
15.9% overall (13.7% for Mong Cai and 32.8% for exotics). Mong Cai are very good mothers and
rarely require farrowing crates. Over 80% of litters were reported to have diarrhoea, with 12.2%
having greater than 55% of piglets in the litter affected. Factors that may predispose to diarrhoea
included poor housing and lack of temperature control, lack of E. coli vaccination, poor
management systems and hygiene, including the common practice of hosing out creep areas daily.
Key constraints to production included nutrition and general feeding levels (restricted vs ad lib
feeding of sows), poor housing and ventilation, lack of boar stimulation causing delayed and
inconsistent oestrus patterns and returns to service and lack of on-farm recording data meaning that
it was impossible to determine the number of pigs/sow/year produced.

Following a workshop held in Hue in September 2006 and the completion and analysis of the farm
surveys in September 2006-January 2007 in Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Thua Thien Hue and Binh
Dinh provinces, a major decision was made to focus on Mong Cai production rather than exotic or
crossbred sows as these would be more robust under the local conditions whilst not requiring
expensive farrowing crates. Farmers would inseminate with exotic breed boar semen to obtain F1
hybrids with high growth rate for meat production, or pure Mong Cai semen for local breeding
programmes. A second decision was made to concentrate demonstration units in two provinces only
(Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri) in close proximity to reduce travel costs. An action list of high-
priority project interventions was drawn up to begin the process of adopting the continuous
improvement plan (CIP) on farms selected for upgrade to demonstration units. These included: 1)
Modification and introduction of improvements to housing to improve ventilation, temperature
control and hygiene in pig sheds; 2) Modification and adoption of improved farrowing pen designs

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(Mong Cai do not need farrowing crates given they are provided with nesting material) and creep
boxes with increased temperature control for piglets; 3) Group housing of dry sows in pens with
feeding stalls or half stalls; 4) Written, complete, auditable records in regular use on farm; 5)
Develop and pass a diet audit if using local feedstuffs and have an ad lib feeding and water regime
in place; 6) Acceptable heat detection methods and optimal artificial insemination; 7) Vaccination
and treatment schedules in place and NIVR E. coli vaccine in use; 8) Mange eradicated; 9)
Introduction of new improved Mong Cai breeding stock accomplished; 10) Diagnostic surveillance
for preweaning diarrhoea initiated; 11) Introduction of sow litter cards; and 12) Strong
encouragement to build new pig facilities (rather than renovate old facilities) as knowhow is
developed and production improved to the specification designed by Vietnamese trainees. Some
features of the new housing design included:
 Tiled or fibro roof with ridge vent for air circulation, especially during summer. Cheaper
roofing options include iron (but must be cooled in summer, for example by covering with a
creeper) or thatch.
 Adequate cross ventilation

 Sloping floors to drainage gutters for easy cleaning and processing of dung to prevent
concrete floors staying wet
 Clean, dry creep areas for piglets with temperature kept at 30-32
o
C.
 Dry stalls for individual feeding of pregnant sows
 Separate dunging areas with limited drafts through side wall openings at pig level (a
common error in pig housing design in Vietnam).
Objective 2: Select the farms
Output 2.1 Selection of smallholder farms
Following analysis of the survey results, researchers chose the best 30 and 24 farms in Quang Tri
and Thua Thien Hue, respectively, to become candidate demonstration units. Criteria included the
receptiveness of the farmer and his/her family to receiving training and their capacity to invest 50%
in piggery infrastructure and breeding stock with the project covering the remainder of the costs.
During the life of the project, each of these farmers received basic training from Vietnamese
scientists and applied training during the Australian site visits (approximately three to four per
year). Following encouragement from Vietnamese scientists and farm visits by Australian team
members, continual improvements were made on these demonstration farms (some subsidised by
the project but mostly paid for by the farmers themselves). Step-by-step, farmers adopted the
majority of recommendations over the duration of the project, however, for some major project
interventions, farmers needed to be continually reminded of the best practice. One common
example was cross ventilation, with farmers often not willing to open side ventilation blinds during
hot weather because they did not realise the effect of heat stress on the sow, particularly during late
pregnancy and lactation. Conversely, during winter farmers were often unaware of the effect of
drafts at the pig level (old style housing with solid walls plus ventilation “holes”).
Output 2.2 Housing modifications in selected units (pre- and post-weaning for piglets and
sows).
Housing modifications included an abandonment of “lean to” pig sheds attached to the family home
for new housing orientated in the right direction on the most ideal site or improvements to existing
buildings. For example, in Quang Tri province, 9 farmers built new sheds according to Mr Bien’s

design specifications and the remaining 21 households performed modifications such as raising the
roof and installing ridge vents, providing more cross ventilation with easily adjustable blinds,

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installation of automatic water faucets and renovating pen floors, sow stalls and wastewater
systems. Some households built reservoir systems for effluent management and composting with
EM (Effective Microorganisms) product (a microbial biolytic that accelerates the composting
process), with 10 households installing new biogas systems for cooking and lighting.

Figure 2: New Mong Cai shed with adjustable blinds for regulation ventilation.
By far the greatest benefits were obtained through the introduction of nest boxes (80cm x 70cm x
60cm) for suckling piglets and introduction of the NIVR E. coli vaccine on all demonstration farms.
Nestboxes were first introduced in Quang Tri province during the 2007/2008 winter which was
particularly cold. Thirty creep boxes were paid for by the project with the demonstration farmers
building a further 18 boxes. Farmers that did not immediately adopt the creep box soon followed
the lead of their neighbours when their piglets suffered a severe growth check or died during a cold
snap whereas piglets supplied with nest boxes were kept warm and dry throughout winter and
achieved a higher weaning weight. This proved the principle that farmers will often not
immediately follow advice until they can observe a demonstrated improvement from the suggested
intervention.

Figure 3: Piglets born to a Mong Cai sow vaccinated with the NIVR E. coli vaccine. Colostrum
ingested at birth contains protective antibodies preventing neonatal diarrhea in the first week of life.

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Figure 4: New nestboxes introduced in the winter of 2007/2008 prevented piglet chilling.
Table 1: Capital improvements undertaken on demonstration farms in three communes in
Quang Tri province.
Intervention

Number
Households participating in the project
30
Households with newly built pig sheds
9
Newly built pig pens
106
Upgrading and repairing of existing pig pens
21
Households that built newly biogas system


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Installation of creep boxes supported from
the project


30
Creep boxes built from the farmer’s own fund
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Objective 3: Adopt best practice
Outputs 3.1 and 3.2: Training manuals, workshops and other training initiatives
Manuals and aids for the training of the six Vietnamese scientists in Australia were submitted with
the MS3 report. A major objective of 004/05VIE was to then filter this training through to
commune and district veterinarians and paraveterinarians, who would pass on knowledge and skills
to other farmers in the commune whilst the project team continued working with individual
demonstration farmers as capital improvements were undertaken on their farms. This model was
soon abandoned in 2008 as the paraveterinarians/veterinarians selected for training showed little
interest in further developing their skills, presumably because they could not see a financial gain or

benefit for themselves.
Training tools for smallholder farmers (presented in the MS8 report) included the following: 1) A
basic training course provided by each Vietnamese institute in 2007 (didactic lecture/discussions to
the entire group of selected farmers in each province); 2) Site visits and hands-on training
workshops provided to individual selected farmers by Australian experts and Vietnamese scientists
between 2007-2009; 3) Farmer to farmer training through formation of farmer clubs in 2008-2010

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(presented in the MS8 and MS10 reports and discussed further under Objective 6); 4) Creation of a
training DVD at the end of 2009/early 2010 in which members of the farmer clubs, through
workshops facilitated by Australian and Vietnamese scientists, developed and delivered chapters on
pig production covering the major successful project interventions.
Each of these training initiatives achieved different outcomes. It is important to also note that
training evolved from a top down to a bottom up approach as Vietnamese scientists developed
stronger relationships with demonstration farmers based on mutual trust and the Australian
management team redeveloped the project logframe to focus on farmer to farmer training activities.
The basic training course (2 days of theory) covered pig housing, pig breeding, pig nutrition and
disease control and prevention. Such passive training exercises are useful introductions for
demonstration farmers, but by themselves, often do not result in major or lasting improvements in
smallholder farmer knowledge, skills and profitability.
The on-farm training exercises facilitated by Australian and Vietnamese scientists covered herd
monitoring and record keeping, effect of creep boxes on piglet health, pig housing and
environmental conditions, pig nutrition and feeding and control and prevention of pig diseases.
Each participant received an official Certificate of Participation (Equivalent to a Certificate 4
training level). These training exercises were more successful in the development of the CIP
compared to didactic lectures, but required a great deal of energy and organisation from Australian
and Vietnamese stakeholders and ran the risk of repeating the cycle of short term visits by experts
visiting the same farms and pointing out the same problems (eg inadequate ventilation) rather than
empowering farmers to be the instigators of sustainable change.
Without doubt, the introduction of the farmer club concept in Quang Tri province by Dr Duyen

(NIAH) in November 2008 had the most profound effect on uptake of skills and knowledge by
demonstration farmers. Following this initiative, Australian scientists began to see marked
improvements in understanding about disease, sow and piglet management, ventilation and hygiene
during their field trips and Quang Tri farmers leap-frogged their counterparts in Thua Thien Hue.
The success of the clubs led the project team to consider the novel idea of producing a participatory
training video, with the farmers developing the storyboard for each chapter (focused on the major
project interventions) based on their own experiences under guidance from Australian and
Vietnamese scientists.
The DVD project was managed by a veterinary science undergraduate student from The University
of Queensland (Ms Tarni Cooper). Ms Cooper has been volunteering on the project over a four year
period during her summer vacation from The University (Nov-Feb) and contributed to improving
the quality of the electronic farm audit database and yearly farm audits. She successfully obtained a
highly competitive summer research scholarship from The University of Queensland in 2009 to
work on the DVD as well as continuing to conduct research throughout 2010 as a final year
elective. The DVD production was achieved in four phases: initial concepts (November 2009),
farmer preparation, training and storyboarding (December 2009), filming of each chapter (January
2010) and post production and editing (February 2010). The chapters of the DVD covered housing
and ventilation, hygiene and waste management, integrated farming systems, feed formulation and
local feed sources, record keeping, gilt selection and breeding, sow and piglet management, farm
biosecurity and common pig diseases. The DVD galvanised the formation of farmer clubs in Thua
Thien Hue which have continued into 2010 and created strong bonds, confidence and cohesion
among the demonstration farmers. The DVD has been distributed to all participating farmers and
used extensively in monthly farmer club meetings. It has been sent to district veterinarians in Quang
Tri and Thua Thien Hue and recently was used in a livestock development project in northern
mountain areas of Vietnam.


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Figure 5: Farmers work on their storyboards for the participatory DVD.

Objective 4: Introduce new breeding stock

Output 4.1 Safe arrival of breeding stock to Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue co-operatives

Thua Thien Hue: One hundred and twenty five high performance pure Mong Cai breeding gilts
(125 Mong Cai, 10 exotic) were introduced to demonstration farms in Thua Thien Hue in early to
mid 2007. Unfortunately, a 12.5% mortality rate was reported (mainly due to an outbreak of
haemorrhagic septicaemia due to improper observation of quarantine period by some of the
farmers). All gilts were artificially inseminated with exotic boar semen and vaccinated with NIVR
E. coli vaccine and the first gilts farrowed in November 2007 (83 farrowings). The average litter
size was 7.6 pigs/gilt and the average number of piglets weaned was 6.4 (gilts normally produce
less pigs on their first farrowing). The price of weaners at the time of sale was 47,000/kg, the
average weight of weaners sold was 7 kg so the total benefit (minus input costs) was approximately
91,932,000 VND.



Figure 6: High performance Pure Mong Cai replacement gilts approaching target weight to be
artificially inseminated with exotic boar semen.

In 2008, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus (colloquially known as “Blue
ear disease”) spread into Central Vietnam and had a severe effect on the project, with the deaths of
32 Mong Cai sows (from suspected PRRS) and 19 sows destroyed due to clinical signs of PRRS in

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the five Thua Thien Hue communes (the majority of sows being on their second or third parity).
Farmers were compensated at a rate of 20,000 VND per kg for their losses, but this was at a critical
time in the project with the imminent birth of at least 45 litters. Demonstration farmers who lost
sows were in a very good position to begin production again with weaned pig prices remaining high

(70,000-80,000 VND per kg). The new creep boxes were extremely effective, especially during the
cool season and reproductive efficiency was excellent with an average of 13.1 liveborn piglets per
sow, 11-12 piglets weaned and only 3 sows unsuccessfully mated.

Quang Tri: Final delivery of 68 high performance pure Mong Cai gilts from North Vietnam to
selected farmers was scheduled for 2007 but had to be delayed until the 1
st
May 2008 due to an
outbreak of FMD in central Vietnam, with increased costs borne by the project associated with
higher purchase costs as well as feeding and housing of the stock in quarantine. To make matters
worse, this coincided with the outbreak of PRRS virus in central Vietnam. Fortuitously, the pure
Mong Cai breeding stock were all vaccinated against PRRS and FMD whilst they were in
quarantine and were able to be quickly put into production at a time when many other sows in
Quang Tri province either died or were destroyed. By the end of 2009, the number of sows being
monitored by the project had grown to 172.



Figure 7: PRRS virus outbreak (A) Slaughtered pigs being buried (B) Project sow that died due to
suspected PRRS (C) Post mortem lesions in the lung (acute pneumonia)

Following these early setbacks, weaned pig prices stabilised to 25,000-35,000 VND per kg in 2009
and Mong Cai sow production was able to be effectively monitored on the demonstration farms
through accurate recordkeeping. However, the outbreaks of disease in 2008 in addition to the
typhoon that hit central Vietnam in 2009 which caused damage to housing and some stock losses
effectively put the project behind schedule by 12 months and a project extension until April 2010
was requested so that Objectives 5 and 6 could be achieved.

Objective 5: Monitor profitability

Output 5.1 Profitability and production reports
In 2009, cessation of the PRRS epidemic and stable pig prices coincided with major advancements
in farmers’ knowledge and skills base so that it was possible, through accurate record keeping to
determine the number of pigs sold/sow/year. The majority of farmers sold their weaners at 6-8
weeks of age at 25,000-30,000 VND/kg. A final survey of randomly selected control and
demonstration farms was completed in Dec-Feb 2009. In addition a high priority intervention
checklist was submitted as an attachment with each electronic record. Compared to controls, project
farms had a higher number of sows (2.8-3.6 compared to 1.8) and progeny and greater and more
stable income generating capacity from the sale of pigs. For the control farms, it was almost
impossible to obtain accurate figures apart from the observed number of pigs in each age class at
the time of the survey, as no records were being kept on control farms and farmers’ answers on
number of pigs sold/sow/year are often inflated without accurate records. Control farms only
satisfied one or two of the 15 key performance criteria, whereas demonstration farms scored highly,
averaging 9.3/15 for demonstration farms. The best demonstration farms in Quang Tri and Thua

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Thien Hue achieved 16-22 pigs sold/sow/year. The majority of piglets were of uniform size with
excellent growth rates. Poorly fed sows with chronic mange do not breed as well and need to be
replaced whereas healthy high performance Mong Cai have higher conception, birth and weaning
rates. In addition, the successful encorporation of biogas production for cooking, composting with
earthworms, effluent disposal, integrated farming practices and overall increased knowledge and
skills through being an active member of a Farmer Club, provided farmers with many intangible
benefits and increased profits. The CARD programme management unit performed a draft
benefit:cost analysis for a smallholder farmer keeping 5 sows based on interviews with farmers
during a project validation visit in April 2010 and concluded that the project interventions had
increased the ratio from approximately 1.1 to 2.2-2.5. By far the greatest benefit was prevention of
preweaning diarrhoea by vaccination using the E. coli vaccine, treatment of 3-5 day-old piglets with
a single treatment of toltrazuril for coccidiosis (Baycox) and provision of a clean, dry and warm
creep area and eradication of mange.

Output 5.2 Accurate disease surveillance with emphasis on preweaning mortality

Data from 2008 was presented at the Australasian Association of Animal Production Conference in
Hanoi. Compared to control farms, improved housing and management on demonstration farms in
Thua Thien Hue resulted in significant increases in liveborn piglets (11.1±2.6 vs 9.5±1.5; P <0.01)
and the number of piglets weaned (9.3±1.1 vs 7.1±1.4; P <0.01). In addition, young piglets raised in
improved housing showed a significantly increased growth rate from birth to weaning (126.3±19.5g
per day vs 107.4±15.4g per day; P < 0.05). Significant improvements were also obtained in Quang
Tri province by adopting the new systems including numbers of liveborn (11.5 vs. 10 piglets/litter)
and weaned pigs (10.5 vs. 9.5 piglets) as well as a significant decrease in pre-weaning mortality rate
(2.1% vs. 8.6%).

Interviews with commune and district veterinarians in November 2009 revealed that preweaning
diarrhoea, mange, postweaning diarrhoea and oedema disease were the most common diseases
observed on smallholder operations in both provinces. A major achievement of the project was the
eradication of mange on demonstration farms by two repeat treatments of ivermectin or moxidectin
supplied by the project to all stock.

Specific surveillance for individual preweaning diarrhoeal diseases is detailed in the final report of
001/04VIE.

Objective 6: Sustain profitability

Output 6.1 Establishment of training networks

The formation of farmer clubs in Quang Tri in 2008 and their spread to Thua Thien Hue in
2009/2010 has contributed to the formation of a strong smallholder farmer training network. Each
farmer club meets monthly has 10-15 members who pay a joining fee and a leader. The project has
sponsored a small library including agricultural journals and provided training posters for the
meeting room. The University of Queensland also donated $1000 worth of pig medications to each

club following the typhoon occurring in central Vietnam in 2009. Each club has also established an
insurance fund but no further initiatives such as a future investment fund to expand production or
purchase bulk feed or medications have been made at this stage. As these initiatives occurred
towards the end of the project, there is an urgent need to sustain the clubs throughout 2010,
establish the rules and regulations for club establishment and operations and encourage their
expansion. An application for further CARD extension funds has been made in order to continue to
fund sustainability of the farmer clubs model for the remainder of 2010.

Output 6.2 Breeding zone sponsored workshops

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The entire DVD production process can be regarded as an extremely successful training workshop,
especially as several new farmers who had not been originally selected as demonstration farms took
part in the process and benefited from interactions with project farmers. Each successful farmer has
also been working with their neighbours to share the knowledge and skills gained during the
project.

Output 6.3 Survey results 2
nd
questionnaire

This has been discussed already under Output 5.1.

Output 6.4 Formation of breeding zone collective

The breeding zone collective was not achieved during the project. However the farmer clubs will
now form the nucleus of the breeding zone which will be a clear issue for sustainability (Section 7).
It has been extremely rewarding to observe uptake of the continuous improvement model on
demonstration farms and the increased knowledge and skills developed by farmers.

5.3 Smallholder Benefits
Smallholder farmers have been the direct recipients of the following major project interventions:

 A 50% subsidy on the cost of buying and introducing new high performance Mong Cai gilts
into their herd.
 Assistance, advice and subsidies on building new Mong Cai pig houses or remodelling
existing housing to suit the introduction of new Mong Cai gilts (installation of dry sow
stalls, farrowing pen modifications and creep areas, improved ventilation, heating and
cooling systems, reducing drafts, separate dunging areas and prioritising of cleaning systems
to improve dryness of the pen floors and hygiene).
 Basic training on the care and management of Mong Cai sows and crossbred piglets.
 Specialist on-farm training by Australian and Vietnamese scientists on the care and
management of Mong Cai including advice, assistance and investigation of disease problems
during regular farm visits.
 Design, implementation, building and receipt of creep boxes (1 per farmer) with immediate
success noted in both Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces.
 Development of a shortened on-line version of the survey questionnaire to assist farm audits
and verify the success of the CIP on demonstration piggeries.
 Provision of free, locally produced E. coli vaccines for prevention of neonatal colibacillosis.
 Advice and assistance on correct disposal of effluent, supply and use of the EM microbial
product to enhance composting. Installation of biogas systems on selected farms.
Development of a questionnaire to identify constraints to more farms developing biogas.
Assistance with the development of integrated farming activities such as aquaculture.
 Advice and instruction on the correct use and schedule of vaccines, antimicrobials for
enteric and respiratory disease and antiparasitic medications.
 Treatment and eradication of mange.
 Introduction of a simple and accurate record keeping system.
 Advice on correct heat detection, optimal AI and gilt selection and breeding
 Advice on optimal feeding using cheap, locally available foodstuffs.
 Introduction of simple biosecurity procedures such as quarantining all newly introduced

stock, provision of lime pits for disinfection on entry to the pig house and safe effluent
containment and disposal.
 Resources, guidance and encouragement to form collective units (farmer clubs) to advise on
smallholder pig production in the region.

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 Continued farmer to farmer training initiatives through production of the DVD.
 Above all, the confidence to borrow money from the collective unit to expand production
and be successful and profitable following conclusion of the project.
 As a consequence, project farmers are keeping more sows with plans to expand in the future
5.4 Capacity Building
Holistic training of Vietnamese scientists: The successful training of a total of 8 Vietnamese
scientists in a holistic approach to small holder pig production has been a major achievement in
capacity building. Most of the scientists have previously specialised in certain aspects but have not
had the opportunity to “put the whole package together.” Scientists

Adoption of a continuous improvement model: A large problem in previous projects has been the
difficulty of measuring sustained performance and improvement over time. We wanted to avoid the
situation of repeated project visits by Australian scientists covering the same ground, making the
same recommendations, without adequate uptake of skills and knowledge. Our experience with our
first CARD project was that some farmers were unwilling to adopt the changes we were suggesting
and we were continually pointing out the same problems on successive visits, such as poor
ventilation and cooling. The model we are developing is designed for continuous improvement and
is centred on two main themes.

Creation of systems for accurate data recording: Secondly the creation of the web based recording
system allows Australian Scientists to monitor the situation at first hand in real time. For example it
will be possible for us to provide advice and encouragement to the Vietnamese teams by viewing up
to date photos of improvements and records. We can remotely assess the ability of Vietnamese
scientists to recognise the major production constraints. We can advise on the best locations to

situate new housing facilities to take advantage of prevailing weather conditions. The aim is to
streamline our site visits so that more time can be spent on planning and development rather than
repetitive and exhaustive farm visits covering the same problems first identified.

Improved research capacity: The project has provided dataloggers, laser thermometers and post
mortem kits to assist with obtaining data/investigating causes of illness and mortality on individual
farms. Dataloggers currently are being used in a year-long project developed by Dr Duyet and
funded by The University of Queensland to monitor environmental conditions on test and control
farms over the course of a year (due to finish in August 2010).

Formation of farmer clubs: A strong initiative in Quang Tri to form a collective of experienced,
knowledgeable farmers (three groups formed in Hai Phu and Hai Thuong communes) was
commenced in late October 2008, with the first farmer meetings held in late November. The
farmers were able to advise each other on the types of diseases they were experiencing and were
then able to engage the district veterinary office to obtain samples from diseased pigs for laboratory
diagnosis. The farmer collective were then trained in the use of the EM product with moderate
success. The farmer collective can actively engage in marketing their products and continue to
develop issues of sustainability and profitability through the sale of pure Mong Cai breeding stock
and integration of additional farming systems.

Creation of the training DVD: This DVD provides a lasting training legacy for sustainability of the
farmer club system. The DVD is an excellent initial tool for the recruitment and basic training of
smallholder farmers, but it must be realised that farmers will soon grow beyond its initial concepts.
It does provide a blueprint for successful participatory film making and could be the first in a series,
each increasing in complexity.



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5.5 Publicity

1) CARD Newsletter: Over the course of the project, three articles were submitted and published.

2) Several University news stories on training and development were published during the first two
years:

a) The University of Qld:
This story was picked up by The Veterinarian and Gatton Lockyer Brisbane Valley Star (attached)

b) The University of Sydney


3) The University of Queensland prepared an article on Ms Tarni Cooper’s research in Vietnam in
2008/2009 (

4) Seven posters were presented by Vietnamese scientists at The Asian Australasian Association of
Animal Production Biennial Scientific Congress in Hanoi in September 2008.

5) The Australian ambassador Mr Alastair Cox will visit the project farms in July 2010.

5.6 Project Management
Operational project management was shared between six institutes; three in Australia (The
University of Queensland, Victorian Department of Primary Industry, South Australian Research
Development Institute) and three in Vietnam (National Institute of Animal Husbandry, Hue
University of Agriculture and Forestry and National Institute of Veterinary Research). HUAF was
directly responsible for implementation of the CIP in Thua Thien Hue and NIAH likewise for
Quang Tri province. NIVR was responsible for providing E. coli vaccines for the project and
providing advice and assistance on disease investigation and surveillance through laboratory
diagnosis. The proximity of these provinces to each other allowed for close interactions between
Australian and Vietnamese scientists, with numerous opportunities for scientific exchange. The
original Vietnamese project leader Dr Coi was seconded to another position and replaced by Dr

Duyen in 2007, but continued to play an advisory role for the project.
6. Report on Cross-Cutting Issues
6.1 Environment
Waste management: If pig production doubles in Vietnam due to increased numbers of sows being
kept by smallholder farmers, environmental pollution could be a serious problem. Therefore the
project initiatives to maintain environmental sustainability through integration of animal health,
healthy meat production and safe conversion of effluent into a valuable resource had a significant
impact on the environment as well as improving smallholder livelihoods and financial benefits. The
number of farmers using biogas expanded during the project, with gas used for lighting and cooking
(both for the family as well as the pigs). Many farmers have introduced separate dunging areas in
their pig houses, channels for effective removal piggery waste (often to the biogas unit) and readily
adopted rapid conversion of waste to compost using EM microbial compost accelerator, thereby
reducing runoff into creeks and streams, odour, flies, mosquitoes and potential infectious diseases.
Several farmers had successfully integrated aquaculture with pig farming, thereby diversifying their
income streams.

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Biosecurity: Issues of biosecurity and general disease awareness were addressed following the
PRRS outbreak in 2008, giving farmers greater control over the disease status of their herds. Many
farmers introduced lime pits at the entry to their pig houses. A situation to be avoided (but observed
quite regularly on project farms) is the co-housing of chickens and pigs as this will give rise to the
potential opportunity for influenza virus recombination.
Antibiotic usage and antibiotic resistance: Introduction of the NIVR E. coli vaccine and preventive
treatment with a coccidiostat has significantly decreased the use of antimicrobials to treat
preweaning diarrhoea (of which the most popular choice was enrofloxacin, a top-shelf antibiotic
normally reserved for serious infections in other countries). Instruction on the correct and strategic
usage of medications and greater awareness of diseases and treatments together with improvements
in husbandry and hygiene has decreased overall usage and reliance on antimicrobials.

Figure 8: New biogas system installed in a demonstration farm.

6.2 Gender and Social Issues
It was interesting to note that in Thua Thien Hue the majority of farms selected for upgrade were
run by women, whereas in Quang Tri, the gender ratio was skewed towards men. However, no
gender or social issues impeded the progress of the project and uptake of skills and knowledge was
similar between males and females.
7. Implementation & Sustainability Issues
7.1 Issues and Constraints
1) Outbreaks of FMD and PRRS in 2008 and typhoon damage in 2009: These issues severely
delayed project objectives in both provinces. PRRS resulted in the loss of 30-40% of project
sows that were due to farrow in Thua Thien Hue and both diseases fortuitously delayed the
introduction of new Mong Cai sows into Quang Tri
2) In 2008 when it was evident that CIP was not occurring on farms fast enough according to
the project logframe as attempts to train paraveterinarians were unsuccessful.




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7.2 Options
1) Extension of the project by one year to April 2010 ensured that all outputs were achieved
according to a revised project logframe.
2) The project focused on training the demonstration farmer and forming farmer clubs which
had immediate benefits and fast-tracked knowledge and skills. The production of a training
DVD further strengthened and improved project outcomes.
7.3 Sustainability
Major issues of concern to the sustainability of the project to be addressed in 2010:
1) Farmers are consistently producing F1 crossbred weaned pigs for sale at 8 weeks. To date,
farmers have been unwilling to breed their own replacement stock using pure Mong Cai
semen. This is mainly due to the poor price for male Mong Cai pigs. There is a danger that
farmers will buy replacement sows of inferior genetic stock if this aspect is not carefully

managed. Farmers therefore need to be encouraged to take the next step and form the
breeding zone co-operative (some of the commune vets have expressed an interest in
becoming suppliers of breeding stock).
2) The farmer club concept needs to be actively encouraged and promoted. The training DVD
is an excellent first step towards enhancing positive outcomes. However, farmers will soon
outgrow the benefits. One strategy to maintain sustainability is to sponsor a workshop where
farmers from Thua Thien Hue visit Quang Tri and vice versa in order to further develop the
procedures and rules for operating farmer clubs into the future.
3) In order to by sustainable beyond the current project life, the NIVR E. coli vaccine must be
registered by the end of 2010 now that it has been proven to be safe and efficacious.
8. Next Critical Steps
1) An application for CARD project extension funds has been made to continue promoting project
sustainability for the remainder of 2010.
2) This will form the background for a large, multi-disciplinary application to Atlantic
Philanthropies to be made in 2011 (budget ~$5.0 million) to continue the model in other provinces
and possibly into Laos and Cambodia, employing project farmers as trainers.
9. Conclusion
A blueprint for successful Mong Cai pig production by smallholder farmers in Central Vietnam has
been created through a novel collaboration between three institutes Vietnam and their Australian
partner institutes. Vietnamese scientists were trained to adopt a holistic, continuous improvement
plan on farms selected by survey to upgrade and improve all aspects of pig production following
introduction of improved breeding stock. Smallholder pig farmers managing demonstration units
are now accurately recording production figures equivalent to many commercial operations
elsewhere in the world, processing their effluent as a by-product and improving their livelihoods
and aspirations for the future. The project has left a strong legacy that needs to be further developed
through more networks of farmer clubs and greater opportunity for farmer to farmer participatory
training. In addition the project is also a model for future successful collaborations between diverse
research organisations in Vietnam.
10. Statutory Declaration

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STATUTORY DECLARATION
COLLABORATION FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
CARD Project Title: - A blueprint for sustainable small holder pig production in Central Vietnam
CARD Project Number: - 004/05VIE
We the undersigned hereby declare that during the period 01/01/2009 to 21/04/2010 we have
delivered the following inputs to assist in implementation of the above project.
1: PERSONNEL INPUTS

Australian Personnel
Provided (Name)
Days in
Vietnam
Days in
Australia
Trips to
Vietnam

Dr Darren Trott

21

20

2
Dr Kit Parke
43
5
1
Ms Tarni Cooper

43
12
1
Total
104
37
4

Vietnamese Personnel
Provided
Days in
Vietnam

Dr Ta Thi Bich Duyen

30
Mr Dang Hoang Bien
30
Dr Cu Huu Phu
8
Dr Do Ngoc Thuy
10
Mr Au Xuan Tuan
30
Dr Nguyen Quang Linh
Dr Hoang Nghia Duyet

16
22

21
2: EQUIPMENT AND OTHER SERVICES

Equipment & Other Services Description
Budget Limit
3 x Laptop Computers
$ 3,300
1 x Digital Camera
$600













Signed for the Australian Institution by a duly
authorised officer in the presence of witness

Signature of Witness
Dr Darren Trott
Insert Name and Title



Insert Name and Title
3; EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES HANDOVER
This is to certify that the above personnel inputs have been delivered and the equipment and
services identified above provided has been handed over to the Lead Vietnamese Institution

Signed for the Vietnamese Institution by a
duly authorised officer in the presence of
witness



Signature of Witness


Insert Name and Title



Insert Name and Title

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