This document summarizes a livestock assessment in the Lower Mekong Basin. It begins with an overview of the presentation structure and linkages between livestock and other livelihood systems. It then describes the socioeconomic factors affecting livestock and establishes a livestock baseline. The baseline identifies and describes the key livestock systems in the region. It also discusses the tolerances of these systems and identifies vulnerable hotspot areas. Finally, it performs a vulnerability assessment and proposes adaptation strategies. The strategies focus on improving animal nutrition, reducing disease risks, improving housing, optimizing production/offtake, and increasing market access - with the goals of building resilience and reducing the vulnerabilities of key systems and locations.

1. Livestock 28 March 2013
Thomas Weaver

2. Presentation structure
• Livestock context in
livelihoods
• Methodology of
assessment
• Baseline
– Identification of systems
– Locations
– Tolerances
• Vulnerability assessment
• Adaptation Strategies
• Conclusions
2

3. Livelihood linkages
Livestock
Systems
+ Manure
+ Draught
(land preparation, marketing)
+ Pest control
- Run off
+/- Feed (grain, forages,
crop residues,
fallow grazing,
Agro-industrial byproducts)
- Mycotoxins
- Mechanisation
+ Feed
(protein supplements)
+ Waste management
(production and processing)
+ Feed
(production and
processing waste)
- Run off
+/- Manure
- Disease
- Destructive grazing/browsing
- Shifting cultivation
- Run off
+/- Feed (forages, grazing)
+ Traditional animal health
measures
Cropping
Systems
Natural
Systems/P
rotected
Areas
Fisheries
3

4. Socio-economic factors
affecting livestock
4
Livelihoods,
poverty and
vulnerability and
food security
• Increasing consumption
• Price signals/setting power
• Commercialisation of
production
• Safety and quality
assurance
Access to land
for grazing and
forage
cultivation, land
tenure
Livestock policy
environment
• Local trade patterns,
crossborder trade, regional and
international competition
• Commodity prices
Demographic
changes

5. LIVESTOCK BASELINE
5

6. System selection
considerations
Rationale for selection of systems:
Contribution to:
• LMB livestock numbers (total, LU, number of
households raising, stock densities)
• Local/national economies
• Livelihoods and food security
• Projected consumption and production
• Global genetic diversity (indigenous breeds; wild
species)
6

7. Large ruminants (bovins)
• Cattle and buffaloes: smallholder extensive
(cattle/buffalo ‘keeping’)
Pigs
• Small to medium commercial
• Smallholder low-input
Poultry
• Scavenging chicken
• Small commercial chicken (broiler, layer)
• Field running layer ducks
Identified Systems

8. Cattle Buffalo
Bovine
distribution

9. 9
Pigs Chickens
Monogastric
distribution

10. • Bovines, pigs and poultry are ubiquitous basin-wide, in varying
production systems
• Small and medium commercial units are
– Likely to increase in number and production volume
– Competition from exporters to increase
– Generally located in low lying areas
• Smallholder systems
– Numerically dominant, in terms of farms and stock numbers
– High proportion of poor and vulnerable groups among low-input producers
• Smallholders typically operate diversified, mixed farming and
livelihood systems
• Stock density
– High per agricultural land/population in remote locations, important for
poverty and vulnerability
– Lower per population area in low lying areas
10
Results of the baseline

11. Livestock system
tolerances
• Temperature:
Higher than livestock thermoneutral zone =  feed intake,  growth
– Animal health risks: pathogen viability/ proliferation, vectors,
fomites, shifting disease patterns
• Rainfall:
– Animal health: pathogen viability/proliferation, vectors, fomites
• Extreme events:
– Direct losses
– Indirect impacts: feed availability
disease transmission; markets
11

12. LMB indigenous breeds
• Important genetic resources
• Potential advantages in climate change
stressed systems
Examples:
• Pigs: Mong Cai, Ban, Moo Chid
• Poultry: Ri, Ac, Dong Cao,
Luong Phuong,
Thai fighting cock

13. Wild species
• Ruminants
– Banteng (Mondulkiri)
– Gaur
– Saola
– Kouprey (?)
– Eld’s Deer (Mondulkiri)
• Wild pigs (Sus scrofa)
• Wild poultry
(elements of, and affected by,
wider farming systems)

14. Key issues for livestock systems to consider in the
face of climate changes
14
Baseline summary
Nutrition
Markets Animal
Health

15. VULNERABILITY
ASSESSMENT
15

16. 16
System
• Identification
• Location
• Tolerances
Threat
• Climate change
threats
• Interpretation for
livestock systems
Impact
• Exposure to
threat
• Sensitivity to
threat
Adaptive
capacity
• Internal
• External
Vulnerability
Adaptation
strategies
• Identification of
vulnerable
systems
• Reducing
exposure /
sensitivity and/or
increasing
adaptive capacity
Process
Baseline Vulnerability assessment Adaptation
strategies

17. Adaptive capacity
Adaptive capacity: internal (biological) and external
(e.g. management practices, accessibility/quality of
services, policy environment).
17

18. Kien Giang: example of vulnerability assessment process
Small commercial pig
18

19. Threat identification and interpretation
Threat identification:
Temp. increase
Interpretation of threat:
3C increase in Tmax
average with highs
predicted to reach 42C
Increase average max
daily T in dry season to
above 30C
19

20. Impact level
• Exposure:
Significant increases in temperature
• Sensitivity:
Improved breeds less resilient,
low margins
heightened stress levels, higher costs of production
• Impact level:
Reduced margins/competitiveness:
increased costs of production
20

21. Adaptation capacity and vulnerability level
• Adaptation capacity:
Internal capacity of breeds is relatively low,
but higher than purebreds.
External capacity limited by availability and
quality of services and available capital to
invest in small landless operations.
Vulnerability level:
21

22. Livestock systems vulnerability
Impact Adaptive capacity Vulnerability
Smallholder
cattle/buffalo
Low Low Medium
Dairy/large
commercial
Very high High High
Small commercial
pig
High Medium High
Smallholder low
input pig
Low Low Medium
Small commercial
chicken
Very high Low Very high
Scavenging
chicken
Low Low Medium
Field running layer
duck
Very low Low Low
22

23. Commercial
23
Higher stress systems:
Various scales
Wealthier households
Higher vulnerability to increase T: increased
costs of production
Higher vulnerability to increased disease risk,
and responses due to investment
Low input, low productivity systems:
Poorer households
Low vulnerability to T increase
Higher vulnerability to increased disease
risk, loss of coping mechanism
Pigs
Low input

24. Low input systems:
Generally poorer households
Lower vulnerability to T increase
Part of broad livelihood portfolio, often
associated with vulnerable groups
Small commercial
Higher stress systems:
Relatively wealthier households, higher
investment
Higher vulnerability to increase T:
increased costs of production
24
Chicken
Low input

25. Low input systems
25
Low stress systems: poorer households
Seasonal low nutritional levels, reducing value,
increasing disease risk. In very high T periods reduced ability to
work, negative effects on reproduction
Bovines

26. Wild species vulnerability
Impact Adaptive capacity Vulnerability
Banteng
(esp. Mondul Kiri)
High Very low Very high*
Eld’s Deer
(esp. Mondul Kiri)
High Very low Very high*
Sus Scrofa Low Very low High
Wild Poultry Medium Very low High
*Assuming greater human and domestic stock incursion into habitats  disease risks, hunting etc
26

27. ADAPTATION STRATEGIES
Hotspots 27

28. Guiding priorities
• Nutritional levels
• Disease risk
• Housing
• Production planning and
offtake
• Access to markets
28
Closely interrelated, a multifaceted approach will be required
Prioritization and phasing requires assessment in the local context

29. Increase internal adaptive capacity
• Reduce undernourishment by
increasing the quality and quantity of
feed production, storage and the
nutritional balance of diets.
– Improve use of current resources e.g.
crop residues, wild forages
– Increase forage cultivation
– Technology transfer e.g. seed,
cultivation practices, preservation
• Reduce grazing pressure on
protected areas, reducing contact
and risk of disease/hunting
Animal Nutrition
29
Key systems: smallholder bovines, low input pigs
Key hotspots: Mondulkiri, Khammouan

30. Disease risk reduction
Increase adaptive capacity (internal and external)
• Increase internal resistance to disease
– Increase nutritional status and body condition
– Increase use of vaccinations
• Reduce disease challenges
– Improve biosecurity
• EcoHealth/OneHealth approaches
– Animal health in relation to social, environmental
and human health considerations
• Key systems: All systems
• Key hotspots: Kien Giang, Chiang Rai 30

31. Housing
Reduce exposure of sensitive systems
• Improve housing location and design to
maximise natural ventilating effects
• Key systems: small commercial pig
and poultry
• Key hotspots: Kien Giang, Chiang Rai
31

32. Production planning
and offtake
Reduce exposure and sensitivity,
increase internal adaptive capacity
• Improve production planning
– Reproduction management in
breeder herds/flocks e.g. improve
recognition of oestrus, reduce
inbreeding, consider early
weaning.
32
• Increase offtake rates, where beneficial:
– Controlled destocking/reducing stock density to reduce pressure on
stock, land and/or nucleus herd/flock
– Flood and drought prone areas will benefit most
• Key systems: low input cattle, pig and poultry systems
• Key hotspots: Gia Lai, Mondulkiri, Khammouan

33. Access to markets
• Increase access to input and
output markets: to reduce input
costs (costs) and increase
prices received (incomes) i.e.
increasing profits.
• Key systems: Livestock
producers in remote areas
• Key hotspots: Mondulkiri,
Khammouan, Gia Lai
33
Increase adaptive capacity,
reduce sensitivity

34. CONCLUDING STATEMENTS
34

35. • Low-input systems ‘local’ breeds: greater internal adaptive capacity
to climate change but lower external adaptive capacity.
– Climate change will exacerbate nutritional problems reducing value and
increasing disease risk in many areas
• Small/medium ‘commercial’ systems raising higher performance
breeds under greater stress: lower internal adaptive capacity but
typically greater external capacity to adapt to climate changes.
– Temperature increases will increase costs of production
• Climate change will alter disease risks for all livestock systems;
in concert with other developments disease risk is likely to
increase.
• Wild species in the LMB most threatened by changes in bovine
production practices, increases in grazing of protected areas will
increase the risk of disease transmission and the threat of hunting
Summary conclusions
35

36. Basin Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
for Livestock:
 Improve animal nutrition among
smallholder low input systems,
particularly bovines
36
Nutrition
Markets Animal
Health
 Reduce disease risks for all
livestock systems by increasing
disease resilience and minimising
disease challenges
 Increase smallholder access to
and information on input,
service and product markets
Priorities

37. THANK YOU