Luu Trong Hieu
Department of International Cooperation,
University of Agriculture and Forestry,
Ho Chi Minh city
At first, on behalf of the Coordinating Committee and all staff members participating in the project on “Intensifying livestock and fuel production in Viet Nam by making better used of local resources” at the University of Agriculture and Forestry of Ho Chi Minh City, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to all delegates attending the national seminar workshop on Sustainable Livestock Production on Local Feed Resources.
It is now 8 years since the first visit of Dr Preston to Viet Nam to assess the problems and set up a research proposal on increasing livestock and fuel production by making better use of local resources in activities embracing the National Institute of Animal Husbandry, the University of Agriculture and Forestry of Ho chi Minh City and Can Tho University.
The project was identified in October 1988, and submitted to SAREC for funding in April 1989. The project was approved in July 1989 and became operational in June 1990. The first phase of the project was successfully terminated by the organization of an international workshop on Local Feed Resources held in Ho Chi Minh City and in Ha Noi from 25 to 29 November 1991. Despite the limitation of laboratory equipment and the short time that the project has been in operation for the first phase, the success of the project is illustrated by publication of 16 papers in the international computerized journal of Livestock Research for Rural Development and in the impact of the first seminar in 1991 (22 scientific papers were presented by the junior scientists of the National Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, the University of Agriculture of Hue, the University of Agriculture and Forestry of Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho University.
Based on the research progress accomplished in the first two years 1990–1991, SAREC agreed to extend the project for two more years 1992–1993 and again for three more years 1993–1996. We are now at the end of this third phase of the project, funded by SIDA-SAREC.
The objectives of the project are to develop livestock production and integrated farming systems for small farmers in Viet Nam using locally available resources. In the short term the intention was to transfer newly developed systems for intensive feeding of livestock using sugar cane products, forage trees and aquatic plants. The other objective is to train Vietnamese researchers and technicians in research activities related to the technologies and develop the research capacity and facilities in Viet Nam.
There is good support for the SIDA-SAREC funded project within Viet Nam and it fits well with the national objectives of the government. It has potential application to the whole country and is seen as a valuable contribution both to agricultural development and scientific training.
In the second phase of the project, the main objectives has been to develop livestock production and integrated farming system for small scale farmer in Viet Nam using locally available resources. This involves the use of sugarcane, cassava, legumes trees, aquatic plants and agroindustrial by products as sources of feed for livestock within the integrated farming systems including tree-crop-livestock and fish and the development of on farm fuel production from manure using low cost plastic biodigesters.
The aim of third phase of the SIDA - SAREC funded project on “Integrated Livestock Based Farming Systems for Sustainable use of Renewable Natural Resources” is to carry out research on integrated livestock production systems, with a focus on alternative, ecologically sound, feeding and production systems.
The objectives of the MSc training programme is in the short term to train teachers and researchers to MSc degree in Viet Nam and to develop and evaluate pilot projects at village level in different tropical countries.
The long term objectives are to increase awareness and spread knowledge about ecologically suitable systems for small scale livestock production, to develop and evaluate methodologies and to strengthen the research and education capacity at universities. Also to create a critical mass of trained researchers in Viet Nam. Parallel to the training course, alternative production methods will be developed in close cooperation with the local extension services and with farmers.
Three countries have been involved in this project:
The project has been administered from Sweden through Dr. Brian Ogle at the Swedish Agricultural
Sciences University, Uppsala and involved other staff members including Professor Hans Wiktorsson,
Dr. Peter Uden, Dr. Inger ledin and Dr. Jan Lindberg of the Department of Animal Nutrition and
Management.
Within the resources available, the project has been well administered from Sweden and sensible
application of funds has been made to improve animal facilities, laboratory equipment and chemicals,
books, computers and vehicles. There is good working relationship with the Swedish scientists. The
project has been well administered within the country. A large number of scientists and extension
officers from the National Institute of Animal Husbandry, from the University of Hue, from Can Tho
University and from the University of Agriculture and Forestry of Ho Chi Minh City have become
involved and it has generated enthusiasm and activities throughout the country.
In the first two years of the project, the research activities included the evaluation of the most
promising techniques and systems, for example: the cultivation and utilization of sugar cane, cassava
and multipurpose leguminous tree leaves as sources of animal feed; the use of sugar cane juice for
pigs; molasses for pigs and ducks; urea-treated rice straw for cattle and buffalo; multi-nutritional
blocks for dairy cattle and buffalo; establishment of low cost plastic biodigesters; establishing of the
simple nutritional evaluation techniques based on the principle of the animal as living laboratory
which requires rumen-fistulated cattle and development of the “in sacco” nylon bag method for
measuring the degradabilities of dry matter and protein in feed.
As well as the research achievements there has also been considerable success in technology transfer.
Each of the four participating institutions in Viet Nam has started comprehensive extension programs
aimed at disseminating information about the livestock systems and techniques. This is being achieved
through on-farm research and demonstration trials, distribution of molasses urea blocks, construction
of plastic biodigester and holding farmer field days.
More than 1000 low cost plastic biodigesters were installed in the peri-urban area of Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Hue, Can Tho, Long An, Song Be, Tay Ninh, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Lam Dong, Thanh Hoa, Bac Thai, and Tuyen Quang.
In association with the Woman's Union on-farm projects on the use of sugarcane for swine production were established in Tuyen Quang, Bac Thai, Thua Thien, Cao Bang provinces. In association with the farmers' association, pilot projects on the urea-treated rice straw for dairy cattle and buffalo were established at Long An, Song Be, and Ho Chi Minh City.
There is also good international cooperation with other countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, India, Japan, Laos, Philippines, Sweden, Tanzania and United Kingdom. The FAO project VIE/TCP/8954, the GCP/RAS/143/JPN and IFAD agricultural credit program at Tuyen Quang Province are directly related to feed resources and there has been close collaboration with the SIDA-SAREC project.
The success of the project to date is best illustrated by the list of publications and reports presented:
at the International and National Workshops on Feed Resources held in Ha Noi, Hue, Ho Chi Minh
City and Can Tho; in China; in Indonesia; in Laos; and in Denmark. Since 1990, 30 papers have been
published in the International Journal Livestock Research for Rural Development.
Two SIDA funded MSc programs in “Integrated livestock based systems for sustainable use of
Renewable Natural Resources” have been organized in Sweden and in Viet Nam since 1992. Twenty
five graduate students from three continents Latin America, Africa, Asia including 5 Colombians, 1
Nicaraguan, 5 Tanzanians, 3 Ethiopians, 2 Cambodians, and 9 Vietnamese have benefited from the
MSc training programs. All the trainees found that the training experience had markedly benefited
their ability to operate as a professiona, and had gained new insights into research methods. Three
Vietnamese MSc. students had the opportunity to work in Tanzania and in Colombia and had their
horizons considerably widened, whilst the fact that all had become proficient in the English language
had resulted in them becoming more aware of scientific developments in countries outside of Viet
Nam.
After the training, the trainees have returned to their institutions and several now hold important positions as head of department. Some of them not only pursued research in their home country but also were invited as short term consultants by FAO in China and by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh like the case of Mr. Bui Xuan An, Mr. Antonio Solarte and Ms. Lylian Rodriguez.
The objectives of the project are appropriate and the contributions of SIDA and SAREC are directly
in line with both needs and policy of Viet Nam. Furthermore, it will be shown that the project has
been extremely successful in achieving results during the seven years of operation and this has
received favorable comment from national and international sources.
The success of the project is a positive reflection of the interest of the Vietnamese government and
its institutions, researchers and farmers in developing livestock technologies using local resources in
production systems, which integrate crops and animals. The outstanding achievement in the project
is the degree of cooperation between Viet Nam and many other countries and international
organizations. The cooperation North-South and South-South is one special feature of this project,
as witnessed by the successful implementation of the regional SE Asia project on “Better use of
locally available feed resources in Sustainable Livestock based agriculture” executed by FAO on
behalf of Japan in Cambodia, China, Laos, Philippines, and Viet Nam.
On this occasion we sincerely thank SIDA, SAREC, FAO and IFS who have supported this project.
Especially many thanks tho Dr. Thomas R Preston and Dr. Brian Ogle, Project Consultant and Project coordinator for their valuable contribution in the human resource development for the universities and research institutes in Viet Nam. Their unselfish sharing of knowledge and experience in the field of Animal Science is highly recognized and appreciated. We also thank Dr. BoGohl, Dr. Goran Bruhn, Dr. Rene Sansoucy, Dr. Hans Wiktorsson, Dr. Peter Uden, Dr. Inger Ledin, Dr. Jan Lindberg, Dr. Andrew Speedy, Dr. Kenji Sato, Dr. Frank Dolberg, Dr. Bjorn Lundgren and Dr. Christina Arosenius … who have given their full support to this project in both spirit and material.
We have highly appreciated the participation of many of our dear international friends from Cambodia, Colombia, Japan, Sweden, Thailand and United Kingdom in this workshop.
We sincerely thank the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment for their precious assistance. Especially many thanks to Prof. Vo Tong Xuan, to Dr. Le Viet Ly, to all of the junior scientists of the National Institute of Animal Husbandry, the University of Agriculture and Forestry of Ho chi Minh city, and Can Tho University participating in this project for their great effort to overcome all the difficulties and for their implementation of this project.
Dear friends and colleagues :
Eight years passed since the first visit of Dr. Preston to prepare the project proposal. This is a good
time for us to work together, to understand each other, a good time for us to share and to bear, to
tear and to heal, to cry and to smile, a good time for us to debate and to reconciliate, a good time for
cooperation and better understanding. Our ultimate goal is to do research into integrated livestock
production systems with a focus on ecologically sound production systems to assist the poor farmers
in the countryside to increase their income, to improve their living standard on the small farm to make
it at least as desirable as life in the town to keep them away from exodus to big cities. There are many
alternatives to reach this goal. All the ways go to Rome and we try to choose the less expensive way.
In order to reach this goal we need to learn more, to work harder, to be patient, to have a great heart,
to forget ourselves and think of the others, we shall have more opportunities to serve our farmers,
and our people.
