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Department of Biomedical Science and Veterinary Public Health, SLU
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SLU news
New booklet on goat management will help farmers in Laos to increase production
Published: 26 June 2017
As a part of the AgriFoSe2030 programme, a booklet on smallholder goat management has been produced for farmers in Laos.
Previously, there were a few books around om goat farming in the languages Lao or Tai. These books were suitable for students of for farm-owners using semi-intensive systems or semi-economic farms. However, there were no material that could be recommended to smallholder farmers.
– When I worked in the field at smallholder-level, I found that farmers have many problems that they do not know the reasons for. Advice on the traditional feed systems, grazing without feed supplementation, was not available in the existing literature, says Daovy Kongmanila, one of the researchers behind the booklet.
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Laotian goat farmers with the newly produced booklet on goat management on smallholder farms. Photo: Daovy Kongmanila.
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Therefore, the farmers needed more information on how to better manage their goats. In a survey done in different districts in Laos, farmers stated that they learn by doing and generally do what they usually do. Some farmers also stated that they need advice on how to improve their production.
– In total we have printed 200 booklets and distributed 170 of them in Laos, both to farmers and to agricultural government staffs. In addition, posters and brochures with basic knowledge on feeding and care has been distributed to farmers and other interested parties, says Daovy Kongmanila.
