Smallholder goat production systems in Lao PDR: assessing production efficiency

Abstract

<p>Goat numbers in Lao PDR are increasing rapidly, fuelled by exports of goats to Vietnam. Since 2017 the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has worked with government agencies in Lao PDR and Vietnam to evaluate the sustainability and future direction of this trade and the production systems underpinning it. Research to date has identified that almost all production in Lao PDR is by smallholders and was found to contribute 35 ± 16% of household income in goat keeping households (Gray <i>et al</i>. 2019). Smallholder systems, particularly in the lowlands, benefit from a relatively low-cost production model in which goats are typically housed at night and released to graze unsupervised on communal land during the day. Vulnerable crops, rather than livestock, are fenced and free ranging and browsing behaviour limits the severity of helminthiasis. Goats are sold to visiting traders at high prices, commanding a premium in Vietnam of 20-40% over local Vietnamese crossbred goats with farmers capturing approximately 70% of the market value of goats they sell (Gray <i>et al</i>. 2019).</p>