Improving Livelihood and Food Security of the People in Lower Mekong Basin through Climate Change Mitigation

The MEKARN program (http://www.mekarn.org/Mekarn II/Mekarn-1.html), a regional network on sustainable agriculture in South East Asia, financed by Sida, has provided the means for incubating agricultural technologies through its core activities including research, research training, and exchange and dissemination of information in the countries in the Lower Mekong Basin (Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand). The aim has been the improvement of rural livelihoods through more efficient utilization of local resources, with emphasis on the role of livestock in the farming system and recycling of organic waste through biodigesters. All achievements are results of research performed by students from Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos at Master or PhD level.

In the present proposal the programme focuses on the transfer of technologies from the previous MEKARN program as its main activities to various levels including smallholder farm families, medium and large farms. The overall objective of the program is to improve livelihood and food security of the people and environment in the lower Mekong basin through sustainable management and use of available resources. The program will continue to build capacity of researchers especially in Cambodia and Laos but the main effort will be on the capacity building of extension workers and women groups. The important components of this proposed programme will be: (i) increased production of livestock and fish from locally available resources; (ii) reduction of greenhouse gas emission from agricultural activities; (iii) reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from livestock and aquaculture; (iv) use of prebiotics and probiotics as replacement for anti-microbial drugs in feeds for livestock and aquaculture; (v) adapting farming systems to climate change; (vi) promoting use of renewable sources of energy through biodigesters, gasification and solar voltaic panels; (vii) production of biochar as the by-product of power generation in downdraft gasifiers and in family cooking with gasifier stoves; and (viii) use of the biochar as soil amender, a sink for carbon, a filter for removal of pollutants in waste water and as an additive in diets for livestock.

Overall guidance of the program activities will be the responsibility of a Steering Committee, composed of representatives from target countries, the coordinators and representatives of the major collaborating organizations and stakeholders. Regional program activities will be coordinated from Nong Lam University in HCMC, Vietnam with the exception of the PhD training component which will be coordinated by SLU, Sweden. Women will be selected to serve on the steering committee as well as on the other committees.

Program general information

Title: Improving Livelihood and Food Security of the People in Lower Mekong Basin through Climate Change Mitigation (MEKARN II Program)

Coordinator: Dr. Duong Nguyen Khang

Nong Lam University

LinhTrung Ward, Thu Duc District,

Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

E-mail: duongnguyenkhang@gmail.com

Tel:84-089390179

Applying institution: Nong Lam University

LinhTrung Ward, Thu Duc District,

Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

Duration of the programme: January 2014 to December 2017

Collaborating institutions:

- The Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of AgriculturalSciences, (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden

- Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

- An Giang University, Viet Nam

- Center for Livestock and Agriculture Development (CelAgrid), Cambodia

- National College of Agriculture, Prek Leap, Cambodia

- Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

- National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (Nafri), Laos

- Nabong Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos

- Champasack University, Laos

- Souphanouvong University, Laos

Background

The MEKARN program (http://www.mekarn.org/Mekarn II/Mekarn-1.html), a regional network on sustainable agriculture in South East Asia, financed by Sida/SAREC, had as its core activities, research, research training, and exchange and dissemination of information in the countries in the Lower Mekong Basin (Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand). The program, managed by Nong Lam University in Vietnam, was initiated in 2001 with the first phase ending in December 2003, and the second phase in December 2007. In 2007, the achievements of the program were evaluated and endorsed by the Sida Evaluation Committee; and a phase from 2008 to 2011 was recommended and subsequently approved by Sida. The activities in this phase were concentrated on institutions in the poorer countries – in Laos and Cambodia - and in An Giang University in Vietnam, which had recently been established.

The thrust of the MEKARN program has been the improvement of rural livelihoods through more efficient utilization of local resources, with emphasis on the role of livestock in the farming system and recycling of organic waste through biodigesters. The aim has been to improve the overall use of local resources by considering livestock as fundamental components of environmentally friendly integrated farming systems. The goals have not been on maximizing yields of livestock products but rather how livestock can play a role in the more efficient use of local resources with special emphasis on their effects on the environment.

Some of the achievements have been: identification and use of tree and crop foliages as protein sources for goats, sheep and cattle; development of feeding systems for pigs and ducks based on rice bran supplemented with locally-grown vegetative plants especially those of the Aracaceae family (Taro species); development of low-cost tubular polyethylene biodigesters to produce biogas for cooking and effluent for fertilizing crops and fish ponds;installation of HDPE (High density polyethylene) biodigesters in cassava processing factories and in abattoirs; use of downdraft gasifiers for electricity production and of updraft gasifiers as cook stoves; demonstrating the use of the biochar residue as a soil amender, a sink for carbon andpotential to reduce enteric methane emissions through incorporation in feeds for livestock; manipulating the rumen fermentation in ruminants with nitrate salts which act as a sink for enteric hydrogen, thereby reducing methane emissions.

All achievements are results of research performed by students from Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos at Master or PhD level. Five MSc programs were completed in the period 2001-2012 with a total of 65 students. On average 36% of the students were female. To date 17students from the region have completed the requirements for a PhD and have received their degree from SLU. Eight students will defend their PhD thesis during 2012. Many of the former students have today positions at ministries, as heads of research institutes/departments at universities or work as researchers of which the development principles and strategies of MEKARN have been shared to students and other researchers.

Country analysis

Cambodia

The Cambodia National Strategic Development Plan (2006-2010) has set the priorities for agricultural and rural development to enable the eradication of extreme poverty by 2015 (RGC 2003). These among others include redirecting resources to increase access of the rural poor to education, training, research and agricultural extension services and reducing the weather dependence of agriculture.

Cambodia has one of the fastest growing and youngest populations in the region. The population has increased from an estimated 6.5 million in 1980, to 10.8 million in 1993 to 13.8 million in 2005 and is expected to reach 15 million in 2010. It is possible that a better education leads to higher incomes, but it may also be simply that increasing wealth enables households to educate their children in a way that is not possible for poorer households. If the economy is unable to respond to this increased supply of skilled individuals, they will remain underutilized and the economy will continue to perform below its potential. Low levels of human development—that is, poor health and limited education—are both cause and effect of poverty as measured in terms of per capita income or expenditure (WB 2006).

The country still faces many challenges on the economic front over the next decade. A major challenge is for the economy to absorb the large numbers of young job seekers entering the labor market. It is estimated that around 250,000 new job seekers enter the Cambodian labor market each year considering as an agrarian country. The Government, development partners and other stakeholders recognize that Cambodia will need to diversify its economic base if it is to sustain high rates of economic growth over the next decade. The need for economic diversification has important implications for Cambodia’s education system and its labor market, in terms of the supply and demand of the right skills needed to take Cambodia forward. Diversification will require a more relevant and responsive higher education system, where institutions offer courses in disciplines that are demanded by employers and provide curricula that equip students with the specific skills needed to become productive members of the workforce.

Laos

Despite its low per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the economy of the Lao PDR has shown healthy growth over the past several years that was stimulated by a program of economic reform initiated by the government in 1986 called the New Economic Mechanism (NEM). The NEM emphasized "reorienting the economy away from central planning and its emphasis on public ownership towards a market-oriented economy led by a vigorous private sector" (World Bank, 1994). While the shift to a more market-driven economy has not been without its problems, especially in financial institutions where the shift away from total government control has been difficult, considerable progress has been made.

The population of the Lao PDR represents a rich and interesting mix of ethnic groups constituting a significant asset in the country’s human resource base. Government of Lao PDR policy and strategy documents acknowledge that underpinning economic development there is a requirement for substantial reform to the national education system. In implementing social and education sector activities, the Government has ensured that poor and vulnerable groups and ethnic populations have equal access to basic social services, thus supporting opportunities for employment and participation in economic activities. Despite good progress in education reform there are some fundamental weaknesses to be addressed by the education system of Lao PDR. Around 80 percent of the population are still dependent on rural livelihoods and poverty is widespread.

The main vehicles of financing education are the central and provincial authorities. In general the education sector in Laos suffers a lack of fund for salaries of teachers, schooling facilities and resources, it is also recognized that a lack of qualified personnel and sort of issues mentioned above are viewed as a big challenge to the country. Regarding this, it is addressed in the country’s National Poverty Eradication Program Strategy (NPEPS) that the government is committed to increasing the resources available for the education system, in recognition that improved education is fundamental to eradicating poverty (National Poverty Eradication Program Strategy of Lao Government, 2004).

Proposal justification

The number of undernourished people in the world was close to one billion in 2010, with a large proportion in Asia. Even though the proportion of undernourished people has decreased in Vietnam as a whole (11%), it is still a problem in poor rural areas. In Cambodia and Laos as a whole malnutrition is still high, in particular for children, and the number of people living below the poverty line is high with an estimated proportion of undernourished people amounting to 22 and 23%, respectively.Poor people in rural areas in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam lack the means to sustainably support their livelihood. Effects of climate change will certainly make the challenge of achieving food security even harder. There is a need to gain an understanding of the challenges to find ways to adapt and improve food security. Moreover, there is minimal access to affordable sources of clean energy in rural areas. Without access to electricity and sustainable energy resources, communities have problems to achieve food security. These problems can be alleviated by providing access to, and training in the use of, technologies that will increase sustainable feed, food and energy production.

Currently, livestock is one of the fastest growing agriculture sectors in developing countries. Increasing urban populations are indeed changing the patterns of food consumptions, (i.e. increased demands for milk, meat, fish and eggs) and thusare creating real opportunities to reduce poverty through livestock production and marketing. Farm animals also tend to be more equitably distributed among the poor people than land and this means that growth in the livestock sector benefits the poor, especially women, more than growth in the crop sector. FAO believes that there are opportunities for small-holders, particularly mixed crop-livestock farmers, to continue increasing their productivity and improve access to the rapidly expanding livestock product markets. However, integration and transfer of existing and developing knowledge from research to the field is seen as a major bottle-neck. Hence, capacity building for academics and extension services to transfer advice on sustainable intensification of livestock management is a key to meet future needs.In developing countries, livestock plays an important role in the livelihood of women. In order to strengthen the situation for women in the target areas, one of the aims of this program is to actively involve women in technology design and testing, and in the dissemination process.

Professionals with skills that are founded on science-based knowledge will have the capacity for informed decision making necessary for driving agricultural development. Such professionals will have the ability to aid small-scale farm families and other actors throughout the value chain, and will be able to solve local-level problems to increase productivity, raise family incomes, and to build systems that are resilient to climate change. Thus, investment is needed in higher education, to produce trained personnel at Master and PhD level in the agriculture area, in order to support development.

Food security and livelihood

Livestock make a necessary and important contribution to protein supplies, and animal production and marketing can help to stabilize food supply and also act as a buffer to acute economic problems. However, livestock productivity in many of the traditional management systems in the region is low and requires a high labor input. Women especially use much of their daily time collecting and preparing feed for animals. Thus women and their families will be the main beneficiaries of improved feeding systems for livestock. Shortage of feed for animals and low nutritive value of the feed, especially protein, are the major production constraints in small-holder systems, leading to animals with poor body condition and thus more susceptible to diseases. Purchase of feeds is not an option formost poor households, and there is still a lack of knowledge on how to make better use of feed resources that already exist locally, such as by-products from food crops, or by growing more nutritious forages. Animal health is an important tool to improve the productivity and alleviate poverty. In order to prevent diseases, good management of animals is crucial and thus improvements must be done in management practices. By improving livestock health and productivity more marketable products will be made available securing livestock assets and providing a viable way out of poverty for women.

Crop production is limited by soil fertility and lack of fertilizers. In particular on acid soils, fertility can be markedly improved by raising pH and increasing the humus (organic matter) content. Addition of biochar to soils has been shown to be a viable and low-cost way to do this ( http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd24/2/siso24026.htm).There is also a need to improve cropping and farming systems. This includes better management and diversification of cropping systems, more efficient fertilizer application, especially recycling of organic manures, more economicproduction of livestock through better use of local feed resources, and development of links between livestock producers and the market.

Fish production has traditionally been integrated with small livestock (poultry, pigs) in SE Asia and the practice has spread to more commercial and larger scale systems throughout the region. The use of livestock wastes as fertilizer enhances the natural productivity of the pond, supporting production of herbivorous and omnivorous fish-based polycultures. Typically such systems are part of on-farm water storage strategies and fertile water is also used to produce crops nearby or used for other purposes. Fish is both consumed by the producer household and sold in local markets enhancing the supply of quality food locally. These systems contribute to low energy food production by reducing the need for industrially produced feed and fertilizers and increasing the recyclingof organic wastes at the farm and/or local levels.

In the recent national strategy plan from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam ( http://vukehoach.mard.gov.vn/chienluoc.aspx?id=37) it is stated that “Improved food security and livelihood of rural people should be obtained by increased growth in both agriculture and aquaculture”. This should take place in sustainable and environmentally friendly production systems, and with careful use of natural resources. Strong emphasis is put on developing the supply of clean energy by developing the use of bio-fuel. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia has a similar mission and they also emphasize the need of strengthen agricultural research and extension services ( http://www.maff.gov.kh/en/policy-a-planning/39-strategies/58-asdp2010.html ). Finally, one of the strategies for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Laos is to have a holistic concept in the development of agriculture and to support a transition into commercial small holder production .

Renewable energy

Access to clean energy is a major constraint in Cambodia and Laos. In Cambodia 76% of total villages in the country remain un-electrified at year 2010. In Laos and Cambodia, and upland areas of Vietnam, fuel-wood, charcoal and animal dung are still the main sources of fuel for cooking. These fuels when used for cooking in open fires produce fine particles known as “Black carbon” – an important forcer of global warming ( www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/BlackCarbon_report.pdf) . Lack of access to clean energy is because of none existence of grid electricity and the high cost where it is available. Usually electricity consumption in rural areas is concentrated only in the evening. It is necessary to create daytime electricity use such as water pumping for drinking water supply and irrigation, ice making, agricultural products processing and other economic activities.

In Cambodia, under the Government development plan, the target is to achieve 100% level in village electrification by the year 2020 including battery lightning and 70% level household electrification by the year 2030 with grid quality electricity. It has been proposed that mini-grids based on renewable energy will be the appropriate option for rural communities. There is, therefore, a great need to increase the use of alternative energy based on sustainable, locally available natural resources. Besides providing inexpensive sources of energy these activities will increase local employment opportunities and allow rural people to participate in economic development.

The MEKARN program from its inception has been working on integrated farming systems with livestock as the epi-centre of the system and waste recycling through low-cost polyethylene plastic bio-digesters for production of both cooking fuel and good quality fertilizer for crops and fish ponds. More than 100,000 low cost plastic biodigesters have been installed and paid for by farm families in South Vietnam ( http://mekarn.org/procbiod/coverpage.htm).

More recent developments have been the promotion of downdraft gasifiers for production of electricity from tree and crop residues. With the support from the MEKARN program, Cambodia imported the first gasifier from India in 2004 ( http://www.mekarn.org/msc2003-05/theses05/phallacont.htm) for research purposes. Since then, the gasifier technology has spread considerably with close to 90 large and small units in operation, chiefly in rice mills.At present there are at least three local companies producing gasifiers for the demand of the market in Cambodia. So far, the production of gasifiers has been predicated on large capacity units for use in rice mills. There is a need to make this form of sustainable energy available for rural communities and this would contribute to the government plan for rural electrification. The use of gasifiers employing fibrous wastes as feedstock reduces dependency on imported petroleum for the production of electrical energy; counters the tendency of rural populations to migrate to cities by creating opportunities for value-added farm produced biomass and the sale of energy; and contributes to the global commitment to reduce emissions of GH gases through a carbon neutral energy production system.

The gasification technology has also been adapted for use in cook stoves ( http://www.mekarn.org/workshops/pakse/html/olivier.docx). Gasifier stoves produce a clean gas with no smoke, thus the technology directly benefits women and children as these are the major players in the process of collecting fuel wood and later its use for cooking usually in open fires. The negative impacts on women’s and children’s health as a result of cooking on open fires are well documented ( http://www.cleancookstoves.org/resources/fact-sheets/igniting-change.pdf ).

An important byproduct of gasification, whether in cook stoves or for electricity generation, is biochar. Research by MEKARN ( http://www.mekarn.org/workshops/GHG-CC/content.htm) has shown that biochar can be used for soil amelioration, supplementation of livestock diets, decontamination of waste water streams and for carbon sequestration, thus these activities have important implications for improving the environment, contributing both to mitigation of, and adaptation to, global warming, climate change and depletion of non-renewable resources. Dissemination of improved gasifier stoves for cooking will directly improve the health of women and children by reducing emissions of Black carbon ( www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/BlackCarbon_report.pdf) .

In this new program, major emphasis will be given to transfer to target groups of the technologies developed in the MEKARN program ( www.mekarn.org), and to continue creating opportunities for learning by farm families, potential advisers and researchers.

Environment and climate change

Livestock production has both positive and negative impacts on the environment. Inappropriate disposals of animal wastes are polluting air, water and soils in many areas. A growing livestock sector will also increase global warming (the sector already contributes 35-40% of the anthropogenic methane emissions). In SE Asia the majority of livestock production systems are small-scale but since they are so many they are a major source of producing animal wastes, polluting both water and air.

Ten planetary boundaries have been identified that must not be transgressed in order to prevent unacceptable global environmental changes. All planetary boundaries are tightly coupled, and each one is more or less directly affected by human activities. Three out of ten (i.e. climate change, rate of biodiversity loss and the nitrogen cycle) boundaries have already been transgressed, while others (i.e. the phosphorus cycle, stratospheric ozone depletion, ocean acidification, global freshwater use and change in land use) are coming close to being transgressed if the current global developments continue unchanged. Thus, in order to save the global environment for future generations, the development of food production has to take place within defined planetary boundaries. This can be accomplished by improved feeding schemes and by better use of nitrogen and phosphorous excreted in manure by livestock and by minimizing water pollution in aquaculture.

Climate change will affect livestock production in various ways. Climate variability has always been a source of disaster-related food insecurity which mostly affects the poor rural people. It will most likely affect women and men differently due to their different roles in ensuring their livelihood and it is in general agreed that women will be more severely affected since they rely more on agriculture and livestock production than the men do. This program will encourage women´s engagement in mitigation strategies since this would likely lead to improved outcomes. Global warming is scaling up the extreme weather events such as droughts and floods. Small-scale farm families, particularly poor female rural farm families, need support in adapting to climatic variation. At the same time, livestock production contributes in a large extent to the greenhouse gases (GHG) and the sector needs to be part ofthe strategy for reducing the emissions of GHG, especially methane. Besides acting directly as a GHG, methane is also a precursor of ozone in the troposphere which has negative effects on human health as well as contributing to global warming ( www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/BlackCarbon_report.pdf ).

Feeding nitrate salts to manipulate the rumen fermentation in ruminants is predicated on the role of nitrate as a sink for enteric hydrogen, thereby reducing methane emissions. Reduced methane emissions can also be achieved through incorporation in ruminant diets of feeds/foliages rich in tannins and saponins. Field burning of fibrous crop residues especially rice straw is a major source of “Black carbon”. Feeding systems for ruminants using rice straw as the basal diet have been developed but need to be improved and promoted in order to provide an economical alternative to field burning. Improving feeding and management practices, and use of biochar as a rumen additive ( http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd24/6/sang24103.htm), would mitigate CH4 emission per unit livestock product (milk and meat). There is also a large potential for mitigating CH4 emission from animal manures. There is a great need for extension services that provide advice and training to farm families on how to adapt farming systems to climate change.

Public health issues will become increasingly important in the future. These includes concerns associated with the use of antibiotics in animal production and residues in food. Already in 1997, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that all sub-therapeutic medical antibiotic use in livestock production should be stopped. It was further proposed that treatments with growth promoters should be phased out. Antibiotics as growth promoters were prohibited in the EU in 2006 and due to good feeding regimes and management routines the animal productivity did not decline. The development and spread of antimicrobial resistance has become a global health problem and there are already pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to all known antibiotics. Scientists are in agreement that any use of antimicrobial agents can result in resistant microorganisms and further promote dissemination of resistant bacteria. It is also clear that the resistance genes do not respect geographical or ecological borders. That is, the use of antibiotics in for example aquaculture can have an impact on the resistance pattern in human medicine. And the problems can be spread from one country to another. It is of great importance that future livestock production and aquaculture systems should not depend on the use of antimicrobials as feed additives or as sub-therapeutic medicines to animals kept under bad management and feeding regimes. Measures to prevent diseases should instead include good husbandry and feeding practices. Consumer concerns for food safety and quality will continue to increase and it is important for poverty reduction that small-scale farm families produce products that can be sold at a premium in the market.

Human Resources Development

On the basis of the analysis of the participating countries, it is apparent that poverty eradication is strongly linked with the human resources development. This must be in the direction of the market demand and the participating countries have indicated that agriculture is their economic backbone for economic growth. Strategy and policy documents of the Government of Lao PDR acknowledge that underpinning economic development there is a requirement for substantial reform to the national education system. In Cambodia annually 250,000 young people will join the labor force. Although education is the key factor for poverty alleviation, resources committed by the government of these countries is still limited. There is a great opportunity to share and expand experience from MEKARN within the collaborating institutions/countries. The achievement of MEKARN in terms of human resources development can be found at http://www.mekarn.org.

The MEKARN Program has greatly contributed to the development of human resources in these countries especially the most recent 2010-12 MSc program that was executed entirely within the region that reduced cost per student significantly. Training locally would thus allow more students in the region to participate. Human resources development will not be limited to the training of the MSc and PhD students. The new program will also focus on the community training and extension so that the beneficiaries will equally benefit from the MEKARN activities. The aim of continued training at MSc and PhD level is to create human capacity with the use of appropriate technologies in responding to the challenge of the needs of the people for the present and the future. These will be local human resources that will carry on the program objectives.

Objectives

The overall objective of the program is to improve livelihood and food security of the people and environment in the lower Mekong basin through sustainable management and use of available resources. The specific objectives are:

1. Increase profitability and sustainability of small-holder farming systems in the lower Mekong basin through management and better use of local feed and animal genetic resources.

2. Reduce environmental pollution and promote production and use of energy from renewable resources by smallholder farmers and agro-processing plants in the project target area.

3. Promote the use of biochar to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from mixed farming systems in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

4. Promote alternatives to anti-microbial drugs as feed additives in livestock and aquaculture

5. Increase the capacity of farming communities, potential teachers and researchers to respond to the challenges of environmental pollution and climate change, sustainability of small-holder farming and better use of local feed and animal genetic resources.

Activities and related outputs and results

The MEKARN II Program will have two main components –Technology Transfer Component and Capacity Building and Research Component. Under the Technology transfer there are 4 specific objectives (1-4) and under the Capacity Building there is only one specific objective (5). To attract interest of more donors to join MEKARN II Program initiative, the five program implementations will strongly focus on the transfer of technologies that have been developed in the previous MEKARN program. However the long term sustainability of this initiative, namely, capacity building of involved stakeholders and beneficiaries is obvious.

Activities of the program

Technology transfer component

During the previous phase of MEKARN, several technologies have been developed by researchers of the collaborating countries and some of them have been scaling up in the countries by the private sector. For example, in Vietnam more than 100,000 units of low-cost biodigesters have been installed. In Cambodia, after the first gasifier unit imported from India funded by MEKARNI for research purpose, this technology is now widely adopted by several local companies in Cambodia for small and large gasifier units. There is still the potential for these technologies to be introduced to communities and the private sector for more widespread adoption. Therefore in MEKARN II program, focus is also given to technology transfer. The potential technologies proposed by the MEKARN II program for validation and technology transfer are as below:

1. Installation and management of Down-draft gasifiers (10 to 300 KW capacity) for production of power (heat and/or electricity) and biochar in rural communities and agro-processing plants

2. Installation of gasifier stoves in rural areas for production of gas for cooking with biochar as a by-product.

3. Incorporation of biochar in feed to reduce methane emissions and improve production in livestock.

4. Addition of biochar to soils to increase production of crops, forages and trees, to sequester carbon and improve soil fertility

5. Incorporation of biochar in filters to decontaminate wastewater and gas streams (and more importantly to recover valuable fertilizer nutrients otherwise lost to the sea)

6. Use of cassava root by-products as energy source and of cassava foliage as bypass protein supplement to intensify feeding systems for meat and milk production by cattle and buffaloes

7. Promotion of feeding systems for intensive rearing and fattening of male calves from the dairy herds

8. Use of ensiled foliage of Taro spp as protein supplement for rice bran in feeding systems for pigs and ducks

9. Use of biodigester effluent and duckweed in natural pond systems for raising Tilapia in monoculture or polyculture systems with other fish species

10. Waste recycling with tubular polyethylene biodigestersfor family farms and rural dwellings

11. Installation of HDPE film biodigesters for large scale livestock units and agro-processing facilities

12. Use of forages with known bypass protein characteristics (cassava, mulberry, Sesbaniagrandiflora, Sesbaniasesban, Meliaazedarach, Gliricidiasepium, Mimosa pigra,, Jackfruit) as supplements or sole diets for goats

13. Enrichment by fermentation of carbohydrate-rich crop by-products to produce protein-rich supplements for pigs, ducks and chickens

The selection of the sites and farm families will depend on the needs and interests of the communities through the discussion with local partners, authorities and farm families. The participatory rural appraisal methods and techniques will be used for this assessment.

With the consultation and assistance from the Program Management Committee, the country coordinator will select at least 3 sites for the technology transfer and companies that are interested in the list of technologies above. In the communities, farm families will benefit from demonstration of such technologies of interest and from the training. The support for these activities will be from MEKARN II program for the training while the demonstration and scaling up will be from the projects and country partners for their interest. The MEKARN II program will provide technical assistance to the companies that are interested in the technologies listed above but the companies will pay for the cost of equipment required.

Capacity Building and Research Component

Under the capacity building and research component, there will be two activities: (i) the training of communities, extension workers and researchers; and (ii) the postgraduate training (Master and Doctoral studies) and research. These training activities will be implemented by all partners in collaboration except the Master training that is executed in the region while Doctoral training will be done partly in collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and partly in the region with Nong Lam University.

Training of communities, extension workers and researchers

There will be a strong orientation of extension services and education to the needs and work cycles of women. Besides the training, extension materials will be produced in the local languages and recorded on DVD disks (most rural families have television sets with DVD recorders) and to be broadcast in the national television program.

Extension workers training

The extension workers from government and non-governmental organizations and projects of the selected sites in each collaborating countries will provide the training of trainers on extension approaches/techniques and technologies that MEKARN II program will be introduced. After this training they will become the core trainers who will organize training for the target communities. Field visits inside the countries or in any collaborating countries will be organized for extension to expose to particular technology of the interest.

The field-based outputs and best practices will be presented to extension workers and technical staff in the agricultural sector. The key subjects of the training proposed for the MEKARN II program will include the use of biochar in mixed farming systems, reduction of environmental pollution, the use of renewable energy and management and better use of local feed and animal genetic resources and the use of alternatives to anti-microbial drugs as feed additives in livestock and aquaculture.

The training and extension activities will be implemented during the entire period of the program. The training of the extension workers will start at the beginning of the program implementation as MEKARN II will use them as the trainers for the farm family training later on. The extension workers will be trained by persons with experienced in the selected subjects and by persons with experience in the farmer field school approach.

Community training

The Farmer Field School approaches and techniques will be used for the communities training. The number of farm families per training course will be 25-30. In each site of the training course and according to the relevant technologies, a minimum of 3 demonstrations will be established and used for the training purpose. At least 30% of women will be encouraged for the participation in the training.

Researcher training

Researchers require new knowledge that will serve to motivate them to work in the right direction to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to help communities to rise out of the poverty trap. The training will focus on the strategy and direction which are proposed under the activities of the MEKARN II program. Experienced senior scientists and third world development experts will be invited to share their experience.

Postgraduate training

The underlying themes for both Master and Doctoral studies will focus on sustainable use of local resources for food, feed and energy sovereignty, and on mitigation of, and adaption to, climate change. MEKARN II program also plans to support candidates to either continue their Post-Doctoral study at SLU or other universities in the region that have expertise of relevant interest to the MEKARN II program.

In the previous MEKARN program, the last Master training course was organized at Cantho University. Students were mostly from Lao PDR, with a few Vietnamese students and one Cambodian (the Vietnamese paid for their participation except the research cost was provided by MEKARN). They were trained mostly by local experienced people and conducted their experiments in their own institutions. In the MEKARN II program, it is planned to organize the Master course in the same direction in the region. The organization of the master course ensures cost efficiency and thus the program will be able to recruit more students with the same budget plan. Within the 5 years' program, it is planned to organize 2 master courses. Potential students are from institutions in Lao PDR and Cambodia, students from some recently established universities in Vietnam, and perhaps from an agricultural university in Myanmar

The Doctoral study will be organized at the Department of Animal Nutrition and Management of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. To begin the PhD course, candidates will be selected from the previous MEKARN 2010-12 Master course graduated students and also other potential candidates from collaborating institutions or others within the target countries who are interested in the proposed subjects of study. The candidates should meet the criteria required by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences including English proficiency. As a "MUST" students for doctoral study are contracted with their own institutions to return home and commit to work in these subjects at least 3 years after their return.

Research

The output of new knowledge in the previous MEKARN program (more than 300 papers published) was made possible by the availability of a research fund. Researchers from partner institutions of the collaborating countries applied for funding for their research projects in a yearly call for proposals. The research subjects should meet the criteria required by the program which is intended to develop technologies for the needs of the communities. The research fund will be administered by the Steering Committee of the program. Similar support is envisioned in the new program as this will ensure that the necessary research, to support the technology transfer component, is ongoing.

Administration issues in relation to training and research

The competitive research proposals will be called once a year while the training is organized by the regional office in one of the collaborating countries. The research proposals will be from individual researchers in the collaborating partners/countries that will be submitted to the countries' coordinators and the proposal for the training course will be from a collaborating institution/country. Both proposals will be submitted by countries' coordinators to the Program Management Committee. All proposals will be compiled by the MEKARN regional office (Regional Coordinator) to make them available for the Research Evaluation Group. This group is composed of independent individuals/scientists who have experience in these areas.

After the approval by the Steering Committee, the implementation of research and training programs will be coordinated and supervised by the countries' coordinators. In addition they will be monitored by the assigned independent consultant or MEKARN Advisors and regional coordinator. Reports of the research results and training will be submitted to the regional coordinator for the MEKARN Steering Committee to comment. The reports of the research results and reports and training reports will be uploaded into the MEKARN website for public access. However some of the research results will be used by students for Bachelor, Master and Doctoral degrees.

The Outputs and outcomes of the program

The outputs of the program will be:

Improved food and energy sovereignty for people specifically the small-holder farm families and rural communities;
Reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and of carbon footprints;
Dissemination of relevant information through web pages, online publications and extension messages through video programs developed for transmission via DVD disks and “smart” phones;
Improved capacity for self-reliance at all levels through increasing capacity to use the vast store of information available through the Internet system.
Decision makers are informed for policy development.

Target groups and beneficiaries

The target groups are: (i) small-holder farm families; (ii) model villages and rural communities; (iii) potential agricultural advisers and researchers; and (iv) agro-processing enterprises. Local designers and constructors of agricultural equipment will be involved in promoting construction of gasifiers for power, heat and electricity production and of gasifier stoves for “clean” cooking.

For small-holder farm families there is a need for appropriate technology to enhance production of crops and livestock and optimize the use of all wastes and by-products that they produce. The proposal puts major emphasis on transfer of technologies that have been developed in the region ( www.mekarn.org/Mekarn II/Mekarn-1.html), and on appropriate training at all levels (farm families, advisers, researchers).The target groups will be engaged in on-site testing of recently developed technologies, in order to validate them in relation to existing procedures.Several participatory tools will be used for the transfer to farm families of the new technologies and in the training of advisers and researchers. This will enable rural communities to be more effective in the management of their own development and make institutions more responsive to farmers’ needs and be more effective in meeting them. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methodologies and techniques will be used to assess the need of the identified villages and farm families groups for the validation of technologies. Other extension methods, such as Farmer Field School approaches will be used to validate and disseminate technologies mentioned above. The Farmer Field School has proved to be an excellent approach for capacity building of rural families. Other tools such as cross visits, field days and Village Learning Activities will be used in scaling up the technologies so as to reach many more famer families. .

The program will work through local government, Non-governmental organizations and project extension services and agricultural universities to implement activities in the selected program sites. Special attention will be given to include different women’s’ organizations in program activities. The universities and local government extension services will participate in establishing demonstration farms, organizing Farmer field schools and in carrying out applied research under the guidance of the program management. Knowledge capacity will be built at post-graduate level by further supporting the recently established international Master program focused on integrated livestock-based farming systems (Can Tho and An Giang Universities and/or other universities in the region). The graduate training will be directed to development of farming systems that respond to the existing and future constraints imposed by global warming, climate change and depletion of non-renewable resources. The local governments will lead the planning and implementation of the program activities related to energy supply with community members or beneficiaries. In return, this will ensure the ownership and sustainability of this activity. Local suppliers of gasifiers will participate in the initial meeting with the local government and beneficiaries to explain and discuss the implementation plan and therefore the operation and maintenance of the equipment.

Allocation of the budget between Technology Transfer and Core Activities

The technology transfer component of the program will be financed entirely by the users of the technologies. The core activities will be devoted to training and research, preparation of the extension messages to be used in the process of technology transfer, and reaching out to the communities, institutions and commercial entities that are the potential users of the technologies already available and those that will be developed as a result of core activities ongoing in MEKARN II. .

Users of the technologies will provide detailed records of the inputs and outputs of the activities and the associated financial costs and returns relating to the particular technology that has been transferred. These data will form the basis of the reports of the activities carried out by the users of the technologies and will be incorporated in the annual reports of the MEKARN II program.

Balance of activities among countries and among donors

Training and research

This will depend on the particular activity in question. Thus for MSc and PhD training there will be greater participation from students from Lao PDR and Cambodia than from Vietnam. This reflects the demand (Three new universities were established in Lao PDR during the last 5 years) and the positive results obtained with Lao students in the 2010-12 MSc program in MEKARN I. Cambodia would be second in priority with An Giang and Tai Nguyen Universities meriting continued support in Vietnam. If it is decided to include a University from Myanmar in the program then they would also rate top priority along with Lao PDR. Support for research would be closely linked with post graduate training as experience in MEKARN I showed that it was generally more cost-effective, with more tangible results, when research funds were linked to post graduate training as compared to being allocated to researchers in established research institutions and universities.

Technology transfer among countries

It is expected that Vietnam will offer most opportunities for technology transfer as the agriculture and especially agro-industries are much more advanced in Vietnam than in Lao PDR and Cambodia. If Myanamar were to be included in the program then their participation in the technology transfer component would probably be limited to promotion of biodigesters and gasifier stoves.

Risks and risk mitigation

-Natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes can affect the possibility to achieve the goals in the program. .

-Extension workers are lacking knowledge in many different areas, for example in climate change challenges. The program will work closely with extension officers and will make specifically approaches to female extension workers and involve them to participate in workshops and training activities.

-Extension messages do not always reach farmers and this can be especially true if the farm is headed by a woman. The program will address this by having many different ways of outreach: for example, farmer field schools, and use of different media, and targeting specifically women farmers.

-Convincing extension officers of the potential benefits to farm familiesf rom the new technologies. There will be frequent contact between the program management team and the extension services. Research activities are limited to publication and degree award. The proposed programme as mentioned in its core activities will oblige researchers to develop extension messages in addition to published papers.

-Changes in Government priorities and policies and country insecurity could affect the execution of the program. Close links will be established between the program and grassroots organizations.

-Sustainability of the programme beyond the funding period and also finding other donors apart from Sida. The program management team will continue the networking in the region in order to attract both regional and global donors as well as support from the private sector.

Sustainability of the program

The sustainability of the program will be ensured with the participation and commitment of the leadership from the collaborating institutions/countries. This sustainability will be achieved by: (i) adoption of the results from MEKARN II into university curricula; (ii) research oriented toward environmental friendly technologies; (iii) graduated students with appropriate knowledge to address community needs; and (iv) adoption of the technologies by the commercial sector. At national level, the political commitment for ensuring transfer of the technologies proposed by the program is in its early stage. However, in Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR the local politicians are interested and this will help to ensure the financial sustainability of the program. Involvement of local government authorities in the implementation of the program will help to ensure the sustainability of the program.

The sustainability of the MEKARN II program will be promoted at several layers – regional, national and community. At the regional level, the program will continue to strengthen the existing networks and use them as the vehicles for the implementation of the program and also for influencing policy makers. At the national level, the collaborating institutions will adopt in their agenda the strategy of MEKARN II for research and development and this includes the revision of university curricula (e.g. renewable energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation) to meet development needs. At the community level, local authorities will take the ownership of the activities. More important will be the community assessment using Participatory Rural Appraisal tools and techniques which will allow the planning process to be fully participatory, where beneficiaries will express their needs, problems and opportunities so that the complexity of livelihood activities are well understood before introduction of MEKARN II program activities.

The MEKARN II program will also work closely with medium and large enterprises by introducing technologies which help them to be even more productive but responding to the government regulations in terms of controlling pollution and recovering resources from waste streams. The adoption of the technologies by the commercial sector will help to ensure the sustainability of the MEKARN II program.

The leadership of the MEKARN II program is based on the model developed during the previous MEKARN I project, and which has proved to be effective and efficient, and has been fully supported by the administration of Nong Lam University. The MEKARN I project is regarded as a project with a transparent management with no corruption and this was indicated in the Evaluation Report (Sida) in 2007.

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E)

M&E as a management and planning tool – it is common for aid interventions to have specific staff responsible for M&E and for preparing M&E reports. This often means that M&E is not seen as a team responsibility. This is further exacerbated by the preparation of separate M&E frameworks that are seen as operating independently of the activity’s logical framework matrix. MEKARN II will embed M&E into activity management so that it becomes a team responsibility and will ensure that program and country coordinators are using results to identify both successful initiatives and problem areas, and to adjust management arrangements and plans accordingly.

Input monitoring

MEKARN II program will require each country or program networks to report quarterly on activity status to the program coordinator. The program coordinator will review the reports to identify completed activities and to check that an appropriate record is on file. The review will also note which activities are behind schedule according to the annual plan and seek clarification if none is contained in the quarterly reports. Country reports should show a management strategy for any activity behind schedule. A standard template will be used for this M&E.

Six-monthly workshops and/or meetings of the Steering Committee will be undertaken to review the collection of performance data and to identify any areas where particular problems or successes are evident.

Donors to MEKARN II program will conduct a separate peer review of progress through an independently contracted Program Monitoring and Review Group. That group will provide a peer assessment of output and outcome level progress and make recommendations on future directions.

Partnership

The project will collaborate with several universities and research institutes in the region. In addition, there are opportunities for linking with related research and development projects in the region, following the experiences developed during MEKARN I. Project activities will include partnerships with private enterprises (eg: in design and construction of downdraft gasifiers for electricity production and of updraft gasifier stoves for cooking). Besides the existing collaborating countries of the previous MEKARN I program, Myanmar can be the country with the potential to benefit from the MEKARN II program.

Program management and governance

The Program Management and Governance will be the responsibility of the Steering Committee, supported by the Program Management committee, the Technical Working Group and the Research Evaluation group (see Diagram 1).

Regional program activities will be coordinated from Nong Lam University in HCMC, Vietnam with the exception of the PhD training component which will be coordinated by SLU. The coordinators will have ongoing contact and discuss via e-mail or Skype whenever it is needed to solve any problem that might occur but also on the ongoing training.

Steering committee

Overall guidance of the program activities will be the responsibility of a Steering Committee to ensure the accountability and transparency of the program.

The steering committee will include representatives from collaborating countries, the coordinators and representatives of the major collaborating organizations and stakeholders, and chair persons from the program management committee and technical groups. Representatives from women’s organizations will be included in the steering committee to ensure gender equality in the program. MEKARN II program will produce a gender policy with the consultation of gender expertise and Sida. A representative of the funding agencies supporting the program will be invited to the steering committee meetings.

The steering committee will meet twice a year to review the progress of country activities and approve the annual and semester work plan submitted by the regional coordinator. In addition the Steering Committee will respond to requests by the regional and country representatives.

Program Management Team (PM)

A program management team is established in the coordinating centre (Nong Lam University) and will comprise the Regional Coordinator and a financial and administrative assistant. This team will execute the tasks assigned them by the Steering Committee.

These tasks will include day to day management activities such as dispersement of funds to collaborating institutions in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam, coordination of visits by auditors and consultants, and arrangement and organization of meetings and conferences. At this stage it is anticipated that the PMC will include 1-2 program leaders from each of the targeted countries. The PMCs will be in frequent contact with each other to develop work plans and budgets and to monitor progress. The members of the PMC will be identified by the steering committee.

Technical working groups (TWG)

Groups with partners from each of the participating countries will be formed as required around the objectives. It is planned to have two technical working groups of which TWG1 will be responsible for the objectives 1, 2 and 5 and TWG2 will be working on objectives 3, 4 and 5 (see Log Frame). The TWGs will have representatives from the collaborating countries and they can be 5-10 people with interest in the subject but they will be led by an experienced person. The TGW will meet to discuss once to twice annually through face to face meeting but they can also discuss through teleconference. The TWG will help to ensure that the technologies introduced in MEKARN II program will meet farmers’ needs and therefore would led to the adoption and sustainability of the program

Research Evaluation Group

This group will meet for the evaluation of the research proposals once a year. This group is composed of independent individuals/scientists who have experience in these areas and have interest for this task. Researchers in the region can apply for funds from the program for their studies and experiments. The application for funds will be made once each year.

Accountability and Transparency

An independent auditing company will be hired annually for the financial audit. The auditing company will audit the regional office of MEKARN II program and the offices of participating institutions in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. The annual financial audit report of the program will be transmitted directly from the auditing company to Sida for approval.

The MEKARN II program will conduct a mid-term review and final evaluation. These reviews will be done by independent individuals or consulting firms. The donors will assign or select the consultant (s) to carry out the above tasks.

The MEKARN II program will carry out annual monitoring and evaluations of the activities of participating institutions and present this to donors in the form of annual reports.

Organizational structure of Mekarn II Program (Diagram 1)

Log frames – MEKARN II Program

I. Climate change and environment

Outputs	Outcomes	Performance indicators	Source of data	Means of obtaining data	Assumptions
Objective 1.
500 farm families (30% women headed households) and 100 agricultural extension workers (20% women) trained by 2016.	Capacity of human resources to control pollution and use renewable energy increased by 2017.	Number of farm families learned and aware of the pollution and understand the important of renewable energy by 2017. Number of extension workers are able to multiple their knowledge by training more farm families.	Survey reports; Training reports.	Program archives. Program website.	Awareness of benefits. Willingness to participate. Government interest in fighting the climate change
500 farm families in the program area installed biodigesters, and/or solar panels and/or gasifier stoves by 2017.	Biodigesters, solar panel and gasifier stoves adopted by local policy makers in their development plan by 2015.	Number of households adopted and applied the technologies for their household uses by 2017.	Survey reports;	Program archives. Program website.	Incentives from Government and Donor Agencies to promote renewable energy.
8 cassava processing factories installed HDPE biodigesters and 300KW gasifiers and biochar filters in the waste water stream by 2016.	Cassava processing factories in the collaborating countries adopted the technologies. Decision makers are informed.	Number of cassava processing factories in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos interested and applied the technologies by own cost.	Annual reports Survey reports	Program archives. Program website.	Government regulations controlling pollution caused by discharge of waste water to rivers. Factory owners agree to install the biodigesters and gasifiers.
16 Abattoirs installed HDPE biodigesters and biochar filters in the waste water stream by 2015.	Abattoirs in the collaborating countries adopted the technology. Pollution is reduced. Decision makers are informed the positive impact of these technologies.	Number of abattoirs in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos managed the waste and residues more environmental friendly.	Survey reports.	Program archives. Program website.	Government regulations controlling pollution caused by discharge of waste water to rivers. Abattoir owners agree to install the biodigesters.
4 units to produce electricity from biomass using gasifier-generators are installed in communities (Model villages) in the target countries by 2014.	Communities in the target countries have access to less expensive sources of electricity. Increased job opportunity and accessed to media.	Number of gasifier installed and functioned.	Program reports.	Program archives. Program website.	Many rural communities in the program target area have no access to electricity. Government policy favours rural electrification.
Objective 2: Promote the use of biochar to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from mixed farming systems in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
500 farm families (at least 30% women) and 200 agricultural extension workers (at least 30% women) are trained to produce and use biochar and effective micro-organisms by 2014.	Increased capacity of human resources to promote use of biochar and effective micro-organisms.	Number of farm families participated and learned about biochar and effective micro-organism. Number of agricultural extension workers is capable to use this knowledge to further train farm families.	Survey reports; Training reports.	Program archives. Program website.	Awareness of benefits. Willingness to participate.
500 farm families applied biochar in livestock feeding systems in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam by 2014.	Reduced methane in the ruminant production Less feed required. Animal performance improved.	Number of farm families improved income with the use of biochar in animal feeding.	Survey reports; Country annual reports	Program web site; archives.	Interest of farmers to try the new technology. Farmers get easy access to biochar.
500 farm families in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam incorporated biochar in soils used to grow rice and other crops by 2014.	Crop yield increased. Cost of production is reduced. Soil fertility improved.	Number of farm families applied biochar for their crop production.	Survey reports; country annual reports	Program web site; archives.	There are adequate supplies of biochar. No natural disaster – flood, drought and diseases/insects
200 farm families (at least 50% women) applied biochar filters in waste waters from aquaculture 2015.	Reduced cost in exchange of water to the fish pond and fish grew better. Less pollution when discharged waste water into the river and streams.	Number of farm families adopted the biochar filters in aquaculture.	Survey reports; country annual reports	Program web site; archives	Farm families are willing to test the new intervention. Government regulations in discharging waste water into the open sources of water.
500 farm families (at least 30% women headed households) produced and used cultures of “effective microorganisms” for incorporation in soil 2016.	Reduced fertilizer requirements. Improved crop yields. Less dependence on the supply of agricultural inputs from ourside.	Number of farm families adopted the technology.	Survey reports; country annual reports	Program web site; archives	Farm families are receptive to the technology. Availability of biochar and biodigester effluent on the farm. Local authority supports the initiative to help the poor.

Outputs	Outcomes	Performance indicators	Source of data	Means of obtaining data	Assumptions
Objective 3: Promote alternatives to anti-microbial drugs as feed additives in livestock and aquaculture
500 farm families of small and medium scales livestock keeping and 200 agricultural extension workers are trained to use prebiotics and probiotics by 2014.	Increased awareness of farm families and extension workers of the importance of prebiotics and probiotics as alternatives to anti-microbial drugs.	Number of farm families and agricultural extension workers trained in consequences of anti-microbial drugs and the important of prebiotics and probiotics.	Training reports.	Program archives. Websites	Awareness of benefits. Willingness to participate.
200 agricultural extension workers organized training for more farm families of the important of prebiotics and probiotics by 2015	The subject of prebiotics and probiotics is incorporated into the regular extension training.	Number of agricultural extension trainings that incorporated this subject.	Government agricultural extension reports, Field survey reports	Government and project archives.	Government and concerned departments see the important of this technology.
500 farm families applied prebiotics and probiotics in diets for pigs and poultry by 2015.	Reduced use of anti-microbial drugs Reduced the application of anti-microbial drug in animal feed and feeding.	Number of farm families adopted this technology.	Survey reports; country annual reports	Program web site; archives	Government support for the initiative.

II. Food security and livelihood

Outputs		Outcomes	Performance indicators	Source of data		Means of obtaining data	Assumptions
Objective 4: Increase profitability and sustainability of small-holder farming systems in the lower Mekong basin through management and better use of local feed and animal genetic resources
500 farm families (at least 30% women headed households) used locally grown forages and water plants to feed pigs and ducks by 2016.	Costs of production reduced. More opportunities for women to generate income.		Number of farm families feed their animals with local grown forages and water plants.		Survey reports. Country and program reports	Program web site. Program archives.	Prices increase of imported feed ingredients. Increasing demand for livestock products. No major disease outbreaks.
500 farm families (at least 30% women headed households) produced and used microbial protein-enriched feed supplements for pigs and poultry by 2016.	Reduced dependence on purchased feed supplements. Opportunities for women to generate income.		Number of farm families adopted the technology.		Survey reports. Country and program reports.	Program web site. Program archives.	Increasing demand for livestock products. No major disease outbreaks.
500 farm families (at least 30% women headed households) fatten cattle and buffaloes with rice straw and other crop residues supplemented with protein-rich forages by 2016.	Increased income for farm families that raise cattle and for those that fatten them. Reduced field burning of straw and therefore less negative pressure in the environment.		Number of farm families that benefit from this feeding improvement.		Survey reports. Country and program reports.	Program web site. Program archives.	Increasing demand for beef. No major disease outbreaks. Land is available to grow protein-rich forages. .
500 farm families (at least 30% women headed households) fatten male dairy calves using cassava byproducts by 2017.	Increased income for farm families. Opportunities for women to generate income.		Number of farm families that adopted the feeding system using cassava byproduct for fattening their male calves.		Survey reports. Country and program reports.	Program web site. Program archives.	Male dairy calves are available to the farm families. The cassava factories collaborate Government policy toward exporting fattened cattle. Cassava leaves are available at farms
500 farm families fatten goats and sheep on tannin-rich tree foliages by 2017	Increased income for farm families especially women. Use of anthelmintic drugs decreases.		Number of farm families especially the indigenous mountainous people profit from raising with tannin-rich tree foliages		Survey reports; Country and program reports	Program web site. Program archives.	Increasing demand for meat from goats and sheep. Goats and sheeps are common animals for indigenous people. Good market for goats and sheep meats.
500 farm families raise fish in ponds fertilized with bio-digester effluent and use locally grown plants as feed supplements by 2016.	Increased protein from fish available for home consumption. Farm families' income from fish production improved. Inputs for fish production reduced by using biodigester effluence and locally grown plants.		Number of farm families adopted the technology		Survey reports. Country and program reports.	Program web site. Program archives.	Prices of naturally raised fish are higher than those fed with purchased feeds. No natural disaster – flood and drought

III. Post graduate training and research

Objective 5: Increase the capacity of farming community, potential teachers and researchers to respond to the challenges of environmental pollution and climate change, sustainability of small-holder farming and better use of local feed and animal genetic resources

16 PhD theses and 24 MSc graduated;

144 Scientific papers and proceedings submitted for publication;

More human resources available to disseminate knowledge contributing to objectives 1 to 4

Number of PhD theses submitted and graduated.

Number of scientific papers submitted for peer review journals and published.

PhD theses and MSc theses; Scientific papers. Conference proceedings. Program reports.

Library services; Journal online website.

Program web site

Program archives

Candidates with adequate English are available.

Increase demand for jobs on climate change and sustainable agriculture.

100 researchers submitted their research proposals for research fund by 2016.

150 scientific papers submitted and published by 2017.

More human resources available to carry out research related to objectives 1 to 4.

Solutions to problems encountered in the implementation and improvement of technologies in objectives 1 to 4

Number of researchers awarded fund for researches.

Number of scientific papers submitted and published.

Scientific papers and program reports. Minutes of peer reviews on proposal evaluation.

Library services; Program web site