Improved cattle nutrition increases the time available for children of small-holder farmers in Cambodia to attend school

Abstract

Almost all cattle raising in Cambodia is done by small-holder farmers in rural areas. Small-holder farmers commonly use native grasses and crop residues as feed for their animals. Cattle in the study area of Kampong Cham Province are always tethered and hand-fed (often referred to as the cut-and-carry system). Nutrition has been identified as the single most important constraint to cattle production in Cambodia. The increase in demand for red meat represents an important opportunity for Cambodian cattle farmers. The time required to source feed for cattle and the labour involved limit beef production in Cambodia. The process of sourcing feed for cattle can take up to 8 hours per day and this task is often allocated to children. In an attempt to redress the cattle feed shortage and associated labour demand, tropical forages ('Brachiaria' spp., 'Panicum' spp. and 'Stylo' spp.) were introduced to Kampong Cham Province. This communication details some of the key findings of a study on the impact of the introduction of these forages on small-holder farmers.