This document summarizes research on using managed forage plots to improve smallholder livestock production in Southeast Asia. It finds that over 15,000 households adopted managed forage plots between 2006, planting grasses and legumes in plots of 1,000-3,000 sqm. This provided an additional controlled feed source and enabled more intensive livestock production. Many farmers doubled their incomes by fattening cattle on managed forages before selling, or through improved cow-calf production and smallholder pig farming using the forages. Key factors in the successful introduction of forage plots were recognizing the lack of feed, participatory approaches, suitable varieties, and effective research and development partnerships.

1. Unlocking the potential of smallholder livestock production
- using managed forages as an entry point
Werner Stür1, John Connell1, Phonepaseuth Phengsavanh2 and Truong Tan Khanh3
1 International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), PO Box 783, Vientiane, Lao PDR, Email: w.stur@cgiar.org. 2 National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute
(NAFRI), Vientiane, Lao PDR. 3 Tay Nguyen University (TNU), Buon Ma Thuot, Daklak, Viet Nam.
1) INTRODUCTION
• Smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia operate small, mixed crop-
livestock farms, and rely on common property feed resources.
• These feed resources have been heavily over-utilized and farmers
are faced with declining livestock productivity because of lack of
feed, so farmers have to spend more and more time herding and
feeding their animals.
• Livestock production based on common-property feed resources
has fast become a less and less attractive farm enterprise.
2) MANAGED FORAGE PLOTS
- THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS MORE PRODUCTIVE LIVESTOCK
PRODUCTION
• These are small areas of well-managed grasses ( 1,000-3,000 m2 );
grown in plots, between trees or in rows.
• Farmers have planted grasses rather than legumes, grasses have
higher yields.
• Cut & carry - not grazing; all farmers apply manure and/or inorganic
fertilizer; some irrigate their forage plots.
• Main grass species: Panicum maximum ‘Simuang’, Brachiaria
humidicola ‘Tully’ and ‘Yanero’, Brachiaria hybrid ‘Mulato II’,
Brachiaria brizantha ‘Marandu’, Paspalum atratum ‘Terenos’, Setaria
sphacelata ‘Lampung’ and Pennisetum hybrid ‘King grass’
Main legumes species: Stylosanthes guianensis ‘Stylo184’ and some
tree legumes.
3) ADOPTION OF MANAGED FORAGES
4) IMPACTS OF MANAGED FORAGES
• >15,000 households were growing forages in CIAT
• At first, farmers saved labor as planted forages reduced the time needed for
target areas in 2006.
• NARS partners and development agencies are now
feeding animals. Soon, they recognized the potential of the additional feed
resource to improve and intensify livestock production. Managed forages are
putting forages and feeding of animals in their the key to enabling this transition.
•
projects and programs.
Farmers are moving towards more intensive and
• Many farmers doubled their income from more intensive, market-oriented
production systems using managed forages:
market-oriented livestock production systems such
as fattening cattle.
• Fattening or conditioning of cattle before sales with ad libitum feeding of
managed forages for 1-3 month before sale of the animals. Fattening cattle
16,000 in this way increased the sale value by US$1-2 per day of fattening; a
considerable income for smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia. The area
No. of Households
required to do this was 800-1000m2 per animal fattened.
12,000
• Other uses of managed forages included improved feeding of animals in cow-
calf production, herbivorous fish production, sale of fresh forage, sale of seed
8,000
and vegetative propagation material, village pig production, and maintenance
of draught cattle.
4,000
0
1993 1996 1999 2002 2005
Fig 1. Adoption of managed forage plots in
Southeast Asia (excluding Thailand), 1993-2005.
5) LESSONS LEARNT
• The planting of managed forages is an entry point to more intensive and profitable
livestock production as it provides farmers with an additional feed resource that they
can control.
• Successful introduction of managed forages depended on several key factors, including
• livestock has to be an important component of the livelihood system of farmers
• farmers must recognize the lack of feed as a major problem
• use of participatory approaches to actively engage with farmer groups
• the availability of suitable, well-adapted forage varieties
• active and committed local collaborators, and
• the formation of effective partnerships both with researchers and development
practitioners and their organizations is essential for large-scale impact.
The financial support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) for this research is gratefully acknowledged .