Assessment of available pig feeds and adoption of recommended feeding practices by farmer households in central Vietnam

Nguyen Thi Loc, Le Duc Ngoan, Nguyen Thi Hoa Ly, Du Thanh Hang,
Truong Thi Thuan and Le Dinh Phung

Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract

A survey was done in 50 to 58 households in each of 4 communes in Thua Thien Hue province to obtain information on available pig feeds, characteristics of adopters, and reasons for adoption or non- adoption of feeding practices. The aim was to use the data as the basis of a strategy to identify problems and constraints that require research before developing research and extension programmes on pig production.

Pig populations showed a gradual increase annually, from 5078 head in 2000 to 7121 in 2002. Sows also increased in number, from 456 to 827. The proportion of farmers that had heard about the new technologies in pig raising ranged from 0 to 46% for sugar cane juice, 16 to 58% for molasses, 92 to 100% for ensiled cassava roots, 82 to 98% for ensiled cassava leaves, 16 to 50% for ensiled groundnut leaves, 18 to 88% for ensiled shrimp heads and 0 to 92% for Trichanthera gigantea leaves. The highest proportions were in the communes where on-farm research was first initiated. The ratio of farmer households still applying ensiling of cassava roots is highest (40 to 98%), followed by those still ensiling cassava leaves, with the lowest proportion ensiling groundnut and using Trichanthera gigantea leaves. The highest proportion of farmers applying recommended feeding practices was in Huong Van commune. Comparable data for the proportion of farmers wishing to adopt the technologies were: 3 to 6% (sugar cane juice), 3 to 8% (molasses), 92 to 96% (ensiled cassava roots), 30 to 98% (ensiled cassava leaves), 2 to 79% (ensiled groundnut leaves), 6 to 65% (ensiled shrimp heads) and 2 to 74% for Trichanthera gigantea leaves.

In all the communes, the Women’s Union played a very important role in the process of transferring the new techniques in raising pigs. Researchers were the most important sources of advice, followed by the leaders of the Women’s Union and other local leaders, and finally the leaders of the Farmer Associations.

Key words: Survey, households, farmers, feeding practices, pigs, adoption, women

Introduction

Central Vietnam (North Central Coast and South Central Coast) consists of 12 provinces, covering an area of about 97,000 km² and with a population of 17 million inhabitants. Compared with other regions of the country, central Vietnam is one of the poorest and least agriculturally developed, mainly due to the severe climate, low level of production and unfavourable natural conditions, such as a high frequency of floods, droughts and storms.

In 2002 there were approximately 5.3 million pigs in Central Vietnam. The majority are owned and raised by farmer households using available local feeds. Feed scarcity and poor nutritional quality are major constraints to increasing productivity. Since 1990 a number of local by-product feeds for pigs have been recommended, such as ensiled cassava roots, ensiled cassava leaves, ensiled groundnut leaves, ensiled shrimp heads, sugarcane juice, and sweet potatoes that have been introduced and tested on farms in some rural areas as demonstration pilot models. However adoption rates and successful results depend on factors such as location, and in particular the way in which the technology is introduced, supported, adapted and improved according to the local conditions and the technicians’ attitudes.

In this context, there is a need to obtain information on available pig feeds, characteristics of adopters, and reasons for adoption or non- adoption of feeding practices in order to use it as a strategy to identify problems and constraints that require researching before developing research and extension programs on pig production.

Materials and methods

Location

The surveys were carried out in the following areas: Thuy Xuan commune, which is an upland area within Hue City; Huong Van commune, which is an upland area 15 km from Hue City; Binh Dien commune, which is large upland area about 30km from Hue City; and Hong Ha commune, which is a steeply sloping upland area around 50 km from Hue City.

Data collection methods

Sampling

60 farms/commune were randomly selected and the farmers interviewed by using a standardized questionnaire. Of those interviewed 50% were inside the project and 50% outside.

Data collection techniques:

The methods employed were:

Secondary data collection at the Commune People’s Committee office.
Formal interview with questionnaires
Key informant group discussions (diagramming exercises, seasonal calendars, matrix and scoring and matrix ranking).
Focus group discussion (separate groups – those involved and not involved in the project; separate male and female groups, and separate committee and non- committee groups).

Data analysis methods

The data were recorded in a spreadsheet (Excel 2000) and analysed by SPSS Software (Version 10.0).

Data collection

Data were collected by researchers from Hue Agriculture and Forestry University, and the local Women’s Union in the respective communes.

Results and discussion

The physical and climatic data, and information on family size and make-up are presented in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.

Table 1. Mean annual climatic characteristics of the research sites
Rainfall	2700-3000 mm
Temperature	25- 28^oC
Relative humidity	80-85%
Climatic classification	humid tropics

The mean family size in the four communes was high, at between 5 and 7 persons (Table 2). The mean family size (6.38 persons) and number of children under working age in Hong Ha commune were higher than in the other commune. The mean number of working-age women per family was highest in Thuy Xuan commune.

Table 2. Mean family size and composition in the research sites
Commune	Family size	Males ³ 18 years old	Females ³ 18 years old	Children < 18 years old
Thuy Xuan	5.62	1.76	2.31	1.92
Huong Van	5.53	1.53	1.63	2.37
Binh Dien	5.60	1.84	1.68	2.08
Hong Ha	6.38	1.64	1.52	3.22
Probability	0.051	0.326	0.035	0.001

Pig populations in the four communes have increased between 2000 and 2002, particularly in Thuy Xuan and Huong Van communes (Table 3).

Table 3. Pig population in the research sites (2000-2002)
Commune	2000		2001		2002
Commune	Total	Sows	Total	Sows	Total	Sows
Thuy Xuan	1,833	58	2,593	62	3,250	71
Huong Van	2,263	338	2,570	358	2,832	660
Binh Dien	820	60	766	85	843	93
Hong Ha	162	0	222	1	196	3

Table 4. Characteristics and usage of available feed resources for pigs
Available pig feeds	Thuy Xuan	Huong Van	Binh Dien	Hong Ha
Cassava meal Ensiled cassava roots Ensiled cassava leaves Rice, rice bran Maize Sweet potato leaves Fermented fish Groundnut cake Ensiled groundnut leaves Concentrate feeds Water spinach Rice distillers’ by-prods. Taro Duckweed Trichanthera gigantea Banana stems	Y S S Y S Y Y Y S Y Y Y	Y S S Y S S Y Y S Y Y	Y S S Y S Y Y Y S Y Y	S S Y S S Y Y Y
Y: year round production; S: seasonal availability

Table 5. Seasonally available feed resources for pigs in the four communes

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Ensiled cassava roots

= +

- x

= +

- x

= + x

= +

- x

= +

- x

Ensiled cassava leaves

= x

Maize

Sweet potato leaves

+ -

Ensiled groundnut leaves

Water spinach

+ -

Thuy Xuan: - Huong Van: x Binh Dien: + Hong Ha: =

It is clear that most of the farmers had heard about ensiled cassava roots, ensiled cassava leaves, ensiled groundnut leaves and ensiled shrimp heads as feeds for pigs (Table 6). However, except for Binh Dien commune there was little awareness among farmers of the potential of sugar cane juice or Trichanthera gigantea leaves as pig feeds.

Table 6. Farmers hearing about recommended feeding practices
Recommended feed	Commune
	Thuy Xuan		Huong Van		Binh Dien		Hong Ha
	Farms	%	Farms	%	Farms	%	Farms	%
Sugar cane juice	5	9	1	2	23	46	0	0
Molasses	9	16	4	7	29	58	0	0
Ensiled cassava roots	58	100	55	97	49	98	46	92
Ensiled cassava leaves	56	97	56	98	41	82	45	90
Ensiled groundnut leaves	11	19	51	90	25	50	8	16
Ensiled shrimp heads	51	88	41	72	36	72	9	18
Trichanthera gigantea	7	12	9	16	46	92	0	0

Interest in using the recommended novel feeds for pigs was very different between communes (Table 7). In general, in all four communes the proportion of farmers interested in trying ensiled cassava roots and leaves was highest, while there was very limited interest in using sugar cane juice and molasses

Table 7. Farmers interested in using recommended feeding practices
Recommended feed	Commune
	Thuy Xuan		Huong Van		Binh Dien		Hong Ha
	Farms	%	Farms	%	Farms	%	Farms	%
Sugar cane juice	2	3	3	5	3	6	0	0
Molasses	2	3	4	7	4	8	0	0
Ensiled cassava roots	54	93	55	96	46	92	48	96
Ensiled cassava leaves	22	38	56	98	30	60	45	90
Ensiled groundnut leaves	6	10	45	79	12	24	1	2
Ensiled shrimp heads	20	34	37	65	11	22	3	6
Trichanthera gigantea	30	52	42	74	33	66	1	2

The proportion of farmers still using ensiled cassava roots was highest, followed by those still using ensiled cassava leaves (Table 8). Only a very small proportion still used ensiled groundnut leaves and Trichanthera gigantea. The highest proportion of farmers still applying recommended feed practices was found in Huong Van commune, followed by Thuy Xuan, Binh Dien and Hong Ha communes.

Table 8. Farm households still applying recommended feeding practices (% is of households interviewed)
Recommended feed	Commune
	Thuy Xuan		Huong Van		Binh Dien		Hong Ha
	Farms	%	Farms	%	Farms	%	Farms	%
Ensiled cassava roots	51	88	56	98	45	90	20	40
Ensiled cassava leaves	11	19	31	54	0	0	0	0
Ensiled groundnut leaves	0	0	5	9	0	0	0	0
Trichanthera gigantea	0	0	0	0	8	16	0	0

The reasons why farmers adopted or did not adopt the technologies can be appreciated from the data in Tables 9 and 10.

Table 9. Farmers’ views on the advantages of using recommended feeds
Criteria	SCJ	Mol	ECR	ECL	EGL	ESH	TG
Making full use of by-products		x		x	x	x
Utilization of available local feeds	x		x
Don’t need to cook	x	x	x	x		x	x
Cheap price		x	x
Preserve for a long time			x	x		x
Reduces toxicity levels			x	x
Simple and suitable technique			x	x	x	x
Saving time and wood for fuel			x
Control the feed for pig raising			x				x
Increase the palatability for pigs			x
Replacing vegetables in dry season				x	x		x
A good protein feed				x	x	x	x
Pigs had high growth rates	x	x	x			x	x
High economic benefits	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
SCJ. Sugar cane juice; Mol. Molasses; ECR. Ensiled cassava roots; ECL. Ensiled cassava leaves; EGL. Ensiled groundnut leaves; ESH. Ensiled shrimp heads; TG. Trichanthera gigantea

Table 10. Farmers’ opinions on the disadvantages of using recommended feeds
Criteria	SCJ	Mol	ECR	ECL	EGL	ESH	TG
Needs grinding machine	x
Needs supplementary protein feeds	x		x
Price fluctuates	x
Difficult to buy		x
Leaf yield is low				x
Pigs don’t like very much					x
Difficult to use due to seasonal calendar					x
Spend too much time in buying						x
Scarce feed						x
SCJ. Sugar cane juice; Mol. Molasses; ECR. Ensiled cassava roots; ECL. Ensiled cassava leaves; EGL. Ensiled groundnut leaves; ESH. Ensiled shrimp heads; TG. Trichanthera gigantea

It is clear from Table 11 that small animal species are preferred in all the communes (Table 11).

Table 11. Livestock populations (heads/household) as of February, 2003
	Commune
	Thuy Xuan	Huong Van	Binh Dien	Hong Ha	Prob.
Buffaloes	-	0.61	0.30	0.76	0.002
Cattle	0.1	-	1.04	0.76	0.014
Breeding sows	0.16	0.72	0.52	0.16	0.001
Piglets	2.55	13.1	8.02	1.88	0.001
Fattening pigs	12.9	9.89	5.82	3.48	0.001
Breeding hens	24.1	7.96	5.18	1.44	0.001
Meat chickens	59.6	34.2	14.8	2.70	0.400

The reason for the highest economic efficiency in Huong Van commune is that it is near Hue City, with potential access to more feed resources and with lower transport costs than Hong Ha commune (Table 12). Besides, the Women's Union plays a very important role in the process of promoting the new techniques for raising pigs. By contrast, Hong Ha commune is far from Hue City, available feed resources are still limited, the peoples’ education levels are very low and the role of the Women's Union, although important, is not really strong.

Table 12. Economic efficiencies of pig production (Income/feed costs)
	All farms	Part of project		Outside project
Huong Van	1.72		1.81	1.64
Thuy Xuan	1.67		1.77	1.64
Binh Dien	1.51		1.57	1.46
Hong Ha	1.46		1.43	1.50
Probability	< 0.05		<0.05	<0.05

Economic efficiencies among farmer households that take part in the project are generally higher compared to farmers outside the project. Therefore, after many years the project is now producing results, and even farmers not directly involved can learn from the experiences of farmers that take part in the project.

It appeared that researchers are considered to give the most valuable advice concerned with the transfer of new feeding technologies, followed by leaders of the Womens' Unions and other local leaders (Table 14). Leaders of farmer associations are considered to give the least valuable advice.

Table 13. Relative role of organizations in transferring recommended feed technologies
	Thuy Xuan	Huong Van	Binh Dien	Hong Ha
Women’s Union Commune committee Farmer Association Youth Union Cooperative	x x x x x x x	x x x x x x x x x x	x x x x x x x x x	x x x x x x x x
x x x x: Very important; x x x: Important; x x : Rather important; x: Fairly important

There seemed to be no regular pattern among the activities related to technology adoption (Table 15). Group meetings and training courses were the most consistently attended.

Table 15. Households involved in activities relating to the adoption of recommended feeding practices
	Commune
	Thuy Xuan		Huong Van		Binh Dien		Hong Ha
	Farms	%	Farms	%	Farms	%	Farms	%
Training course	16	28	27	47	20	40	14	28
Periodic on-farm instruction	12	21	11	19	13	26	0	0
Non-regular on-farm instruction	1	2	10	18	11	22	3	6
Technical field demonstration	13	22	7	12	33	66	0	0
Group meeting	58	100	49	86	17	34	46	92
Study tour	1	2	2	4	9	18	5	10

Stakeholder opinions expressed

Farmers:

Need for instruction books for training courses
Demonstrating and extending the use of recommended feeds
Organize training and sharing experience course
Involve farmers in the evaluation of the extension process as it develops and share lessons
Create conditions for 2 or 3 “successful” farmer adopters in each village and share lessons learned with new groups of interested farmers.

Womens’ associations:

Womens’ associations should be aware of the existing situation and problems of livestock and appreciate the aspirations of women, especially in the ethnic minorities
Need to improve Womens’ association activities through monitoring, capital management and monthly meeting
Need to establish women’s “savings” groups to promote better conditions for poor women

Linkages among stakeholder organizations:

Women and farmer associations should organize training courses and technical field demonstrations on animal production
When a new technique is applied in a locality, the relationship between the opinions of researchers and the participation of farmers is very important.

Conclusions

The authors gratefully acknowledge the finacial support from the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA/SAREC). We would like to express gratitude to to Dr Thomas R Preston and Dr E R Orskov for their guidance, encouragement and contribution.