Developing innovation capacity through effective research and development partnerships: A case study of moving from subsistence cattle raising to market-oriented beef production in Ea Kar, Daklak, Vietnam
Truong Tan Khanh 1, Werner Stür 2, Nguyen Van Ha 3 and Alan Duncan 4
1 Tay Nguyen University, Buon Ma Thuot, Daklak, Vietnam. Email: [email protected] 2 International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), P.O. Box 783, Vientiane, Lao PDR. Email: [email protected] 3 District Extension Office, Ea Kar, Daklak, Vietnam 4 International Livestock Research Institute, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Email: [email protected]
Abstract This paper describes a research and development partnership between Tay Nguyen University, Daklak, the CIAT Forages Program and the district extension service of Ea Kar district, Daklak province in Vietnam. This partnership started in 2000 and is still ongoing. It has the objective of improving the livelihood of smallholder upland households and diversifying their income sources through improved livestock production. During this partnership, cattle production in Ea Kar has changed from a subsistence cow-calf raising system to a market-oriented beef production system.
This paper describes the innovation process from 2000 to 2008 detailing key events that contributed to a rapid change from extensive to intensive livestock production at different stages of development. It specifically considers the main research and development actors that made up the stakeholder grouping and how this changed with time. It also examines the linkages and partnerships between actors and the role of the policy/market environment in facilitating innovation at key stages of the development process.
The paper identifies the key stakeholders involved in the development process including farmers, farmer groups, district and commune extension offices, local governments, cattle traders, credit providers and researchers from Tay Nguyen University, the National Institute of Animal Husbandry and CIAT. The paper then explores how the roles of stakeholders and the nature of partnerships changed from a tight grouping of research and development partners in the early stages of the process to a wide and diverse grouping of actors, each fulfilling key roles in moving the livestock system from subsistence to market orientation. As a result of this shift, livelihoods improved significantly for around 10,000 households and this is quantified. Although this case study did not explicitly pursue an innovation systems approach, many of the experiences outlined show how an actor-oriented approach can enhance innovation capacity in a sustainable way. The study also emphasises the key role that appropriate technological interventions play in enabling farmers to engage in more market-oriented cattle production in Ea Kar.
Key words Forages, livestock, partnerships, stakeholders, actor linkages, livelihood impacts
Introduction Ea Kar is one of 13 districts in Daklak province in the central highlands of Vietnam. Agriculture in the district accounts for 65% of GDP (Daklak Statistical Yearbook, 2007). The landscape is undulating and partially mountainous. Agricultural land occupies 40% and forest land 52% of the land area. More than 80% of the people in the district depend on mixed crop-livestock smallholder agriculture for their livelihood. The average farm size is 1.3 ha (Daklak Statistical Yearbook, 2007). Hybrid maize accounts for almost half of the agricultural land, coffee and fruit trees are cultivated in small pockets of fertile red basaltic soils (16% of agricultural land), paddy rice occupy in valleys and other flat areas (12% of agricultural land), and a range of other annual upland crops are also grown. Crop yields are low and limited by infertile soils and a long dry season. Most, if not all, farms raise animals including pigs, poultry and cattle. Farmers have limited access to grazing areas in mountainous areas.
Cattle production is an important agricultural activity for smallholder farmers in the district with 32% of households raising cattle (> 10,000 households) and income from cattle production accounting for approximately 40% of the total household income for these farmers (Khanh, 2004). Cattle are an important part of the livelihood risk management strategy of smallholder households. Traditionally, cattle were raised to supply draught power and to accumulate capital: farmers bought cattle whenever cash was available and sold animals when funds for large expenses were needed. The cattle were grazed on fallow crop land, along road sides and fields, and in nearby forest areas. This paper describes a research project that started with a research and development partnership between the CIAT Forages Program, Tay Nguyen University in Buon Ma Thuot, Daklak, and the local government and extension service of Ea Kar district in Daklak province in 2000. It started as a simple partnership and has since grown into a large, diverse group of stakeholders with each fulfilling a different role in the innovation process. The overall objective of the partnership was and is to assist small-scale upland farmers in Ea Kar to improve their livelihood by increasing household income and by diversifying their income sources through improved livestock production. Since 2000, cattle production in Ea Kar has changed from a traditional extensive grazing system to a market-oriented beef production system. Much has been written about the use of innovation systems perspectives in agricultural development (World Bank 2006). The Four Element Innovation Capacity Analysis Tool usefully summarises the main elements of an innovation systems perspective as analysing (1) Actors and the roles they play (2) Patterns of interaction between actors (3) Habits and practices (institutions) and (4) The enabling policy environment (World Bank 2006). While the current research and development effort did not consciously set out to test the use of innovation systems approaches to enhance innovation, at least in its early stages, many of the experiences outlined can be interpreted through an innovation systems “lens” to allow lessons to be drawn. For example, without necessarily setting out to do so, the development effort placed a strong emphasis on the actors involved in the livestock sector, their interactions and their habits and practices, and how these interactions contributed to building innovation capacity within the local livestock system. These elements are all emphasised in the innovation systems framework (Hall, Sulaiman & Bezkorowajnyj 2007). The stakeholder group and the interactions which defined it were central to the success of the development outcomes. Furthermore, the role of the policy and institutional environment had a major bearing on key phases of the development process; as the stakeholder group became mature it included local policy makers and the behaviour of the group took account of the wider policy environment.
Methods This case study first describes the research process of introducing forages and improved feeding systems for cattle in Ea Kar. It then examines the impacts of forage adoption and other development outcomes, and analyses the partnerships and linkages that were critical in enabling change. The information presented is based on feedback from key partners, and draws on results from adoption surveys, stakeholder analysis, actor linkage and market studies, and refers to project reports and publications.
Results and discussion The research process 2000-2002. Activities in Ea Kar district started in 2000 with a 3-year research project, the ‘Forages for Smallholders Project (FSP)’, managed by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) with partners from Tay Nguyen University (TNU) and the National Institute of Animal Husbandry (NIAH) (Table 1). The FSP had the objective of developing forage technologies with smallholder farmers and built on earlier research by CIAT and a range of national partners throughout Southeast Asia that had identified forage varieties suitable for different agro-ecosystems in the region (Horne and Stur, 1999). In early 2000, CIAT and TNU formed a partnership with the Ea Kar district government extension office to work with smallholder farmers in evaluating a small range of forage grasses and legumes for integration into farming systems (Figure 1). Choosing the district extension office as a key local partner was a natural choice for researchers as this office has the task of ‘transferring technologies to farmers’. In participatory consultations, farmers had identified the lack of feed and the time required for feeding cattle as major obstacles to improving cattle production. A small number of volunteer farmers agreed to evaluate forages and feed them to their animals. The number of stakeholders involved in the process was limited and easy to facilitate. Table 1. Research projects in Ea Kar, Daklak, Vietnam Geographical Period Project name Donor Implementing Agency spread 2000-2002 Forages for Southeast Asian CIAT in collaboration with Smallholders Project Asia regional Development national partners. In (FSP) focus Bank (ADB) Daklak: Tay Nguyen University (TNU) and the National Institute of Animal Husbandry (NIAH)
2003-2005 Livelihood and Southeast Asian CIAT in collaboration with Livestock Systems Asia regional Development national partners. In Project (LLSP) focus Bank (ADB) Daklak: TNU and NIAH
2007-2010 Enhancing Ethiopia, International Overall coordination by the livelihoods of poor Syria and Fund for System wide Livestock livestock keepers Vietnam Agricultural Programme, International through increasing Development Livestock Research use of fodder (FAP) (IFAD) Institute (ILRI). In Daklak: Implemented by CIAT, TNU and NIAH
2003-2005 . A 3-year follow-on project, the ‘Livelihood and Livestock Systems Project’ (LLSP) continued to work with farmers to develop new feeding systems that utilised both local, traditional feed resources and the new cultivated forages (Table 1; Figure 1). Ad libitum feeding of good-quality fodder and supplementary feeding were introduced and tailored to different production systems such as cattle fattening and cow-calf production systems. Activities expanded to more villages and communes, and scaling out became a focus of the project. Increasingly, the project worked with farmer groups, rather than individual farmers and with local organisations such as farmer and women’s unions. Training of trainers involving district extension workers, commune extension workers and key farmers, was a core activity. Other extension tools included cross visits, field days and farmer training organised by extension workers. The LLSP also conducted a participatory cattle market study which brought farmers and traders together to discuss constraints and opportunities for improving marketing of cattle from Ea Kar. The range of partners and key stakeholders involved in the forage and cattle activities had increased and included commune governments, commune extension workers, farmer interest groups, and district farmer and women’s unions. The focus of the project had moved to scaling out but with ongoing improvements in the current production systems. 2007-2009. There was no active project in 2006 but local stakeholders continued to scale out forages and improved feeding systems, and the collaboration between TNU and the district extension office continued. In 2007, Ea Kar was included as a pilot learning site in the research project ‘Enhancing livelihoods of poor livestock keepers through increasing use of fodder; Fodder Adoption Project (FAP)’ (Table 1; Figure 1). This project aims to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to improve cattle production and take advantage of market opportunities, and to better understand the processes needed for adoption of fodders. It also worked with disadvantaged households, particularly in indigenous communities, that had not yet taken advantage of the opportunities for improved cattle production. By 2008, forage development and improved feeding systems had been scaled out to at least some villages in all communes in Ea Kar. New stakeholders were actively engaged in developing the cattle production sector. These included livestock traders, the District Agricultural Bank which provided credit for cattle production to poor households, and other government departments such as the policy and planning units. By this time traders were actively engaged with farmers and other stakeholders, and were developing new markets for cattle from Ea Kar. In 2008, the district established a Cattle Producers Association to foster the development of a trademark for cattle and beef from Ea Kar. 2000 – 2002 2003 – 2005 2006 - 2008 Projectfocus Developing and integrating forage technologies with farmers
Improving cattle production through forage- based feeding systems
Improving household income and building Moving from forages to impacts innovation capacity for cattle development Project activities and outcomesactivities Project and
Participatory evaluation of forage varieties with individual farmers. Developed appropriate forage technologies for cattle
Participatory research developing improved feeding systems with farmer groups; scaling out forage-based feeding systems. Improved cattle productivity and increased income
Moving from simple issues Continue developing improved feeding systems to systems issues and scaling out. Changed cattle production system to stall feeding, cross bred cattle and more market- oriented cattle production
Box (1): Researchers (CIAT, TNU, NIAH) + district extension office +
Mainstakeholders key farmers in 4 villages
Box (2): All Stakeholders from Box (1) + district government + farmer groups + commune government + commune extension workers + district farmer and women’s union
Box (3): All stakeholders from Box (2) +
additional communes and farmer groups + Moving from simple research cattle traders + agricultural banks + other partnerships to complex R&D district departments (e.g. policy, planning) multi-stakeholder relationships
Figure 1: The research and development process, 2000 - 2008
Other government programmes and policies also had an influence on cattle development in Ea Kar. In 1992, a national program designed to improve cattle breeds in Vietnam had been started and was implemented by the national extension services. In Ea Kar, the district extension office was able to offer improved Laisind bulls for breeding to villages and key farmers. Laisind is an improved local breed (a stabilised cross between local and Red Sindhi), which farmers prefer over native cattle. From 2000, the national programme provided training in artificial insemination (AI) to extension workers and provided semen and equipment to the district extension office. From 2000 - 2004, farmers’ demand for Laisind bulls and AI was limited. In 2005, demand grew sharply as farmers had stated to intensify their cattle production system and many had started to raise cattle in pens. In 2005, the district extension office created an AI network, which has become very important in the production of high quality crossbred cattle for fattening. Farmers need to pay for the AI service but semen is provided free of charge by the national program. Another project, that evaluated the growth performance of different cross-breeds, was conducted by NIAH. This project offered to inseminate Laisind cows belonging to farmers with a range of exotic cattle breeds and measured performance of the calves with the aim of selecting suitable breeds for the national AI program.
The development outcomes, 2000 – 2008 Changes in the production system Farmers evaluating forages as part of the FSP from 2000-2002 found that growing small areas of intensively managed grasses produced high yields of fodder, which saved them a lot of time as they did not need to graze their cattle so long. Instead they used the cultivated forages to supplement and feed their cattle. Growing and managing forages, particularly grasses, was relatively simple and farmers quickly learnt to do this. By 2004, new forage-based cattle feeding systems had developed as many farmers adopted pen feeding which proved to be a simple way of managing and feeding cattle. Increasingly, farmers fed animals only cultivated grasses and found that cattle grew much faster than before. With time, two distinct cattle production systems emerged: (i) fattening of cattle for slaughter and (ii) cow-calf production. Prior to 2000, cattle had been grazed only (Table 2). By 2007, a small proportion of farmers had moved to semi-intensive and intensive production systems, particularly those practicing fattening (Table 2). Daily weight gains of cattle in fattening systems were at least 600 g per day with some farmers reporting 800 g or more. This was much higher than the growth rates of animals raised in traditional grazing systems, which often were less than 200 g per day. This higher productivity made cattle production an attractive farm enterprise. Many farmers had started to fatten a thin animal for 2-3 months using ad libitum feeding of nutritious, green grasses and then selling them to traders for slaughter when fat. Some farmers were feeding 2 cattle at a time and so selling 8 or more fattened cattle per year. Table 2. Comparison of cattle management systems in Ea Kar, 2000 and 2007 1 2000 2007 Cattle management Traditional Cow-calf Fattening Extensive: Grazing only (%) 100 65 0 Semi-intensive: Grazing plus 0 28 20 supplementary feeding at night (%) Intensive: Pen feeding (%) 0 7 80
1. Source: data derived from household surveys By 2005, some farmers had started to keep Laisind cows in pens and used improved Laisind bulls and artificial insemination (AI) using semen of exotic breeds to produce high-quality Laisind and crossbred calves. As farmers had access to cultivated forages, they were able to feed the larger Laisind and crossbred calves more easily. By 2007, the herd composition had changed from mainly local yellow cattle in 2000 to more than 50% Laisind / crossbred cattle (Table 3). Table 3. Comparison of cattle breeds in Ea Kar, 2000 and 2007 1 Cattle breeds 2000 2007 Local yellow 80% 45% Laisind 20% 40% Crossbred (Laisind x exotic) 0% 15% 1 Source: Estimates by District Extension Office, 2008
Adoption of Forages Adoption of cultivated forages by households increased rapidly between 2001 and 2005 and more that 2400 households were growing forages by 2007 (Figure 2).
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500 Number of households Number
0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Years
Figure 2. Adoption of cultivated forages in Ea Kar (Source: Adoption survey results, 2008)
In 2007, the mean area of forages grown by farmers was 900 m 2 (Table 4), which was only a small portion of the total farm size of approximately 1.3 ha. The overall forage adoption rate was 23% of households raising cattle in Ea Kar (Table 4). Forage adoption varied considerably by cattle production system: 96% of households fattening cattle had adopted cultivated forages, while only 19% of households using cow-calf systems were using cultivated forages.
Table 4. Adoption of forages in fattening and cow-calf production systems in Ea Kar, 2007 1 Average Households Number of Forage forage area Production Households with cattle per adoption per system with cattle cultivated household rate (%) household forages (m 2) Cow-calf 10,134 3.4 1,956 19 912 Fattening 500 1.8 480 96 857 Total / mean 10,634 3.1 2,436 23 901 1 Source: Survey of forage adopters in Ea Kar in 2007 (unpublished data)
Changes in cattle population and cattle markets The cattle population in Ea Kar more than doubled between 2003 and 2005 to approximately 28,000 animals (Figure 3). This compares to a much lower annual average increase of the cattle population for Daklak province of 7% for the same period (Daklak Statistical Yearbook, 2007). The cattle population has remained stable since 2005, but traders estimated that the sale of animals has increased from approximately 8000 animals in 2005 to 15,000 animals in 2008 (sales estimates by the main cattle traders in Ea Kar during a feedback meeting). These figures confirm the intensification of cattle production that has taken place during this period, and show the enormous gains achieved by developing improved feeding and management systems with a range of actors.
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000 Cattle population 5,000
0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Year
Figure 3. Cattle population in Ea Kar, 2001-2007 (Source: Daklak Statistical Year Books, 2007 and 2008)
As farmers produced fatter, higher-quality animals, traders started to look for new markets for cattle and beef from Ea Kar. In 2004, almost all cattle produced in Ea Kar were sold for local consumption in Ea Kar and neighbouring districts; essentially none were sold outside Daklak province. By 2008, 50% of cattle from Ea Kar were sold outside the province to city markets in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat and Nha Trang, 35% to Buon Ma Thuot City, the provincial capital of Daklak, and only 15% of cattle were sold for slaughter within Ea Kar and neighbouring districts (unpublished data from a recent cattle market study, 2008). This was an enormous shift in markets and market requirements for cattle. Cattle sold to city markets needed to be young (2-3 years of age), have a high body weight of at least 300 kg and be in very good body condition. These specifications can only be met with well-fed Laisind or crossbred cattle; local cattle have a smaller adult body weight. The district government has recognized improved cattle production as an effective way to increase incomes and reduce poverty, and has actively promoted cattle development in Ea Kar. It has released policies on investing in forage and cattle development; initiated a cow distribution scheme for poor and indigenous households to enable them to participate in cattle development; and established farmer extension clubs to disseminate forage and cattle production technologies throughout the district.
Livelihood impacts Cattle production based on improved forage-based feeding systems provided significant economic benefits to farmers. An economic study conducted in 2005 showed that the annual net return for fattening cattle using cultivated forages grown on 1,200 m 2 was US$ 511; this compared to US$ 90 if the same area had been planted with coffee (Khanh and Ha 2006). In cow-calf production, cultivated forages reduced the time required to feed and manage cattle and so increased the return to labour from US$ 0.20 per hour in traditional grazing systems to US$ 0.73 for farmers that had planted forages. Achieving these livelihood benefits required only a small area of cultivated forages; these ranged from 500 m 2 per cow in cow-calf production, where cows were supplemented with cultivated forages, to 850 m 2 per animal in fattening systems, where all the feed was supplied from cultivated forages. Additionally, early adopters benefited from being able to sell forage seed and planting material to farmers who started later.
Stakeholder dynamics The geographical spread of project activities, the main stakeholder groups and their linkages are shown in Figure 4 for three of the years of project activities. The thickness of lines indicates the strength of the relationship between stakeholder groups e.g. (Biggs & Matsaert 2004). In 2002, the project was a relatively simple research and development partnership of researchers, extension workers and key farmers. The main communication flows were between researchers from CIAT + NIAH and TNU, and between researchers from TNU and the district extension workers, and between district extension workers and key farmers. Researchers did interact directly with key farmers but the farmers’ main contact was with the district extension workers. This was a simple and easily managed partnership. As forage and livestock activities expanded to more communes, the number of stakeholders and the complexity of managing relationships increased. By 2005, the district extension office and the district government had become major stakeholders managing scaling out and cattle development. The district extension office had become the ‘hub’ of interactions with key stakeholders in the district. These included the district government, commune extension workers and farmer groups, as well as the relationship with the research group. The district government provided important political, financial and administrative support and facilitated linkages with commune governments and district farmer and women’s unions. Researchers continued to be an essential stakeholder by working with the district extension office and farmer groups to improve production systems and providing training and methodological support for scaling out, but the ‘key connector’ or innovation facilitator was the district extension office. Commune extension workers had emerged as an important stakeholder group connecting with farmers groups and interacting with the district extension office in scaling out and training. Building capacity of commune extension workers and farmer groups had become an important activity conducted by the district extension office and was supported by TNU. This included both technical training on forages, animal nutrition and livestock husbandry and on approaches for working with farmers to evaluate new technologies and methods and tools for scaling out. The main interface between farmers and the extension service had moved to commune extension workers, supported by the district extension office. By 2008, the complexity of interactions had increased further with more communes and villages joining activities, and additional key stakeholders including livestock traders, agricultural banks and district departments such as planning and policy. The district extension office remained the ‘key connector’ of activities and researchers continued to provide support through on-farm research, M&E of forage and cattle developments and market studies to assist the district extension office and district government in decision-making. The district government facilitated access to credit for poor households through the Agricultural Bank. Traders developed new markets beyond Ea Kar and Daklak, and interacted with the district extension office and farmers. As more stakeholders became major participants in livestock development and the capacity to evaluate and scale out new technologies increased, the importance of researchers as an essential component of livestock development, declined. The importance of building capacity of commune extension workers and farmers continued. CIAT and TNU continued to provide training of district and commune extension staff in methods such as market studies, household surveys and M&E.
Projec t activities Stakeholder linkages 2002
CIAT & NIAH District extension office
TNU Key farmers
2005 TNU District government (+CIAT, NIAH)
District extension office District farmer & women’s union
Farmer groups
Commune extension Commune government workers
Figure 4. Geographical spread of project activities and related stakeholder linkages
2008 TNU District government (+CIAT, NIAH)
District farmer & women’s union District extension office Other district departments Traders Farmer groups Banks
Commune extension Commune government workers
Excellent inter-personal relationships were crucial to establishing and maintaining effective working relationships and their importance cannot be overstated. Key inter-personal relationships existed between people at CIAT and TNU, TNU and the District Extension Office, and the District Extension Office and the District Government, and between the District Extension Office and farmer leaders and livestock traders. The dynamics and culture of interactions depended largely, but not exclusively, on these inter-personal relationships. This dependence on key people represents a considerable risk of interruptions should one or more leave the project. Fortunately, the dependence on particular stakeholders reduced with time as more stakeholders were engaged in cattle development and the stakeholder group became self-sustaining. Finally, what was driving the partnership? Clearly, effective stakeholder relationships and building the capacity to innovate and scale out improved livestock technologies were important factors but would any of these have occurred without having a strong technical intervention as an entry point? In this case, forages provided farmers with significant and immediate benefits and this motivated farmers (and extension workers and the local government) to invest in livestock development. In this case, simple introduction of an effective fodder technology provided the basis for subsequent development of an effective stakeholder group which allowed innovation within the cattle sector to unfold.
Conclusions This case study showed that a small research project with a good technology and an effective research and development partnership can contribute significantly to improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers provided the vision for development moves beyond simple promotion of the technology to include facilitation of wider stakeholder interactions and consideration of the market and policy conditions within which the technology is introduced. Taking this wider vision of “building innovation capacity” was effective in this case, in developing a self-sustaining stakeholder group which continually responded to changing circumstances with new innovations.
Forage technologies enabled farmers to transform a marginal livestock production system into a profitable farm enterprise and provided the entry point for changing and improving cattle production in Ea Kar. Forages provided immediate benefits to farmers and paved the way for farmers, extension workers and local government leaders committing to livestock development. Without such an ‘engine’, the commitment of stakeholders to working together may not have developed.
There was reciprocity between participants. Early local government support and participation ensured that project activities contributed to the livestock development ambitions of the district government while, at the same time, the project helped shape the livestock development strategy of the district.
Personalities of individuals were important at all levels. For example, excellent inter-personal relationships between key stakeholders developed and were a crucial component of the effective working partnership that developed in the project. This development of trust among actors was central to the development effort. The Ea Kar district extension office became the ‘central hub’ connecting stakeholders, and this may not have been possible with a different set of people. This transfer of responsibility from the project(s) taking the lead in development towards a permanent stakeholder taking the lead was important for sustaining the stakeholder group as projects came and went. This helped to avoid the oft-repeated project cycle syndrome where development is successful while the project is in place but falters once the project comes to an end. This building of innovation capacity emerged without conscious effort to apply any particular innovation systems theory. However, it did place strong emphasis on the actors involved in the livestock sector, their interactions and their ways of working (institutions). Furthermore, keeping one eye on the policy environment (e.g. local government initiatives to introduce improved cattle) was an important element of success.
Commonalities in objectives and commitment were important. Key stakeholders shared the vision of improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers, were highly motivated and enjoyed learning and working together.
There were many stakeholders who contributed to a successful outcome during the process of development of cattle production systems in Ea Kar. The stakeholder matrix grew in both number and complexity as the project moved from forage research to livestock development and scaling out. Researchers continued to contribute significantly to the development but were only one among many stakeholders who influenced the final outcome.
Relevant research and training significantly contributed to the improvement of the stakeholders’ capacity to innovate.
Finally, this case study spans a period of 9 years. Clearly, building innovation capacity for successful smallholder livestock development takes time.
Acknowledgements This case study would not have been possible without the support, hard work and endless efforts of a large number of individuals and the support of their organisations over a long period. We would like to thank researchers and development practitioners involved in previous projects, particularly Peter Horne, Le Hoa Binh and Ralph Roothaert for their contribution to forage development in Ea Kar. We would also like to thank CIAT, NIAH and TNU for their support, the Asian Development Bank for funding the FSP and LLSP projects, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for funding the on-going FAP project. We are particular grateful to the Vice-Chairman of Ea Kar, Kieu Thanh Dzung for his continued support, to all extension workers, farmers, local government and other stakeholders in Ea Kar who have contributed significantly to forage and livestock development in Ea Kar.
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