Assessment of cattle marketing in Ea Kar district, Daklak, Vietnam in 2008

This paper describes and discusses the results of a Cattle Market Study conducted in Ea Kar district, Daklak province of Vietnam in 2008. Since 2000, CIAT, TNU and NIAH, in partnership with the Ea Kar Extension Service and District Government, have worked in Ea Kar to introduce the concept of cultivating forage grasses and legumes on farmers’ land for improved smallholder beef cattle production. By 2007, more than 2400 smallholder farmers had adopted cultivated forages to feed to their animals. This new feed resource has enabled farmers to change their cattle production system. They have intensified their production systems from grazing to pen-fed cattle using planted forages as the main feed for fattening, and by changing from local breeds to raising Laisind and cross-bred cattle.