Observations on goat raising system of farmers
along the Mekong river in Cambodia

Theng Kouch, Nam Noch^* and T R Preston

University of Tropical Agriculture Foundation
Royal University of Agriculture
Chamcar Daung, Phnom Penh, Cambodia^*Vice chief of extension office of animal production, Kandal Province,
kouch@utafoundation.org
namnoch100@yahoo.com
regpreston@utafoundation.org

Abstract

The survey was conducted in Pearm Okgna Ong commune of Lvear Em district in Kandal Province, from 1^st July to 30^th November, 2002. This commune is located on the East site of the Mekong river, about 25 km from Phnom Penh city. The main objective of the survey was to identify the constraints related to goat production and management by small-holders in using available locally available feed resources by-products in the traditional way.

The survey results indicated that natural grass, maize stover, kapok leaves, banana leaves and Manila Tamarind (Pethicelobium dulces) are the main feeds used. The traditional method of feeding was usually by hanging or tying the bunch of feed to the fence, or putting on the top of a big jar or in a rack. They do not use concentrated feed, medicine or processed feeds. High transport costs and difficulty of the road system are factors that make it difficult to move feeds to the homesteads where the goats are kept. The lack of an effective extension or animal health service and/or natural disasters (flooding) were other factors that limited the possibilities for raising goats. During the flood, all areas are covered by water, causing a shortage of feed due to the shortage of grazing area. At that time goats are kept in the elevated pen and offered local feed resources, especially foliage from trees that are tolerant to flooding and have high biomass yield.

It is concluded that research and extension should focus ways of improving the nutritive value of the by-products, the introduction of legumes and trees tolerant to flooding with high nutritive value and biomass yield.

Key words: Feeding, flooding, goats, small-holders, trees, traditional systems

Introduction

In small-holder farming systems, ruminant production is usually closely integrated into overall food production. The majority of small-holder farmers in Asia have ruminants on their farms, in order to provide power, transport and manure and to utilize crop residues and other forages to produce meat and milk (Moog 1986; Tillman et al 1986). Feed, commonly, is low in protein and high in fiber, and also the quality and quantity varies considerably throughout the year (Evans 1986). Small ruminants are usually part of integrated farming systems comprised of crop production, livestock raising, forestry and non-agricultural household activities such as handicrafts and seasonal off-farm employment (Soedjana and Priyanti 1992; Him Aun, 2002).

Several options are available to improve the quality of the ration that farmer provide to small ruminants, such as using agricultural by-products (Horn et al 1995). However, high inputs of by-products may prove economically and logistically complex for small-holder farmers. Another possibility is using forage trees that have high nutritive value and relatively low cost. This system is very popular in smallholder farming systems of Southeast Asia (Evans 1986; Dahlanuddin 2000), because it has the potential to increase the dry matter digestibility and voluntary intake of low quality basal diets by supplying a valuable protein source. However, forage trees vary greatly in their nutritional qualities and their adaptation and tolerance to specific climatic environments, such as drought and flooding.

The above strategies have mostly been developed as technological packages as a result of research efforts at research stations. It is true that testing of such packages sometimes takes place in localities where they are intended to be used, but the general practice has been to test these in researcher-controlled environments only. Involvement of the farmer is rare (Mlay 1986). This is the case for the Cambodia situation at present; for not only is extension activity very limited, but also there is little research activity, especially on small ruminants and on existing farming systems.

Objective of the study

The main objective of the survey was to identify constraints related to goat feeding, production and reproduction that are met by farmers.

Materials and Methods

Study area

The survey was conducted in Pearm Okgna Ong commune, Lvear Em district in Kandal Province. It is a region which has advanced considerably in smallholder goat production.

Farmer selection

Twenty farmers were selected depending on their situations. The selection of the farmers was done according to their interest and readiness to cooperate with the researcher.

Data collection

Data were obtained from primary sources using two techniques: informal interviews and a formal questionnaire.

The interviews involved were with commune and village officials and extension officers. The objective of these informal interviews was to obtain information on:

General situation of the commune,
The livestock feed situation in the commune;
Constraints on smallholder goat production systems.

The interviews were conducted by the researchers, during five month, 1^rst July to 30^th October, 2002. All information was recorded.

Then a formal survey was conducted by using a structured questionnaire. A single household keeping goats was used as the sampling unit in this study. A list of households keeping livestock was obtained from each village and these were used to construct a sampling frame. Twenty households were sampled from the commune.

A questionnaire was constructed to obtain the following information:

1- General information:

Characteristics of the household;

Number of farm plots and distance from the homestead;

Livestock types and numbers;

Crops grown;

Livestock feed sources and prices where applicable;

Perceived constraints to crop and livestock production;

2- Specific information on goat keeping

– Feeding system (observations were made of the localities where the goats graze, assessing the relative selection of foliage from shrubs / trees and grasses). This will be done two times for each farm.

– Reproduction performance and mortality were assessed on the basis of the interviews and records (where available).

– Growth rate of young goats: the live weights of goats less than 6 months of age were recorded every two weeks.

Statistical analysis

The data were analysed by the GLM option of the ANOVA software from Minitab (version 13.1).

Results and discussion

Description of the study area

Pearm Okgna Ong commune is one of the administrative communes of Lvear Em district, Kandal province, in the eastern part of Phnom Penh city, about 25 km away. The commune covers approximately 1324 ha (residential land: 131 ha and agricultural land 1193 ha) and has a population of 8230. The main activity is cropping, including annual cropping (rice field, maize, vegetable etc), and perennial fruits. Livestock are a source of secondary income to support the families in emergencies. Ruminants play an important role in the farming system, producing offspring, meat and manure; in addition the cattle provide draught power and transportation. Besides the farm activities, many members of the families have some jobs, such as handicrafts, horse carts as taxis and for transport of goods, motor taxis, and other businesses. Land is a constraint, due to natural disaster and population growth, so the commune has a large demand for land.

Land ownership varies widely (Table 1). Many of the farmers in the sample had land both for the household and for agriculture. The results show that the majority (55%) of the 20 sampled households had agricultural land of less than 0.5 ha, 10% had more than 0.5 ha, another 10% more than 1 ha and 25 % had no agricultural land (Table 1).

Table 1. Ownership of residential and agricultural land (% of households; n = 20)
	Residential land	Agricultural land
No land	-	25
Less than 0.5 ha	100	55
0.5 - 1 ha	-	10
More than 1 ha	-	10
Source: Diagnostic survey

Livestock production

Livestock production is an integral part of the farming system in the area. Limitation of land has contributed significantly to the high degree of dependence between the crop and the livestock subsystems. Through the farmers’ experience, the crop byproducts are extensively utilized as livestock feed. The manure from the livestock is in turn used on the vegetable plots and crops to maintain soil fertility. The farmers indicated that the maximum flock size was constrained by feed availability and the associated high costs of acquisition, due to no road system to connect to the city (a ferry has to be used to cross the river), limited land availability and incidence of flooding.

The 2002 census indicates that, numerically, goats are the most important livestock in the commune, followed by cattle and pigs (Table 2). The farmers raise local and crossbreed of goats for production of meat that is sold to restaurants or for festive occasions. Cattle are multipurpose animals, mainly kept for draught power, offspring, and meat when they are too old to work.

Table 2: Number of domestic animals in Peam Okgna Ong Commune, 2002.
Type of animal	Heads	Heads per household
Goats	703	0.50
Cattle	286	0.20
Pigs	269	0.20
Chicken	2800	1.99
Duck	2000	1.42
Source: Commune data

Goat production (sample of 20 households)

Housing

Observation indicated that 25% of households had no pen, but they keep the goat under their house during night time. Another 75% built a pen for the goat in different ways. The pens were built in the backyard or under the house, on the ground, or elevated. In 35% of households, there was an elevated pen under the house, 20% had a pen in the backyard on the ground, and 20 % had an elevated pen in the backyard. This result showed that the farmers were aware of the benefit of the pen, to protect the animals from wind, humidity, rain and heat.

Feeds and feeding practices

Semi-free grazing is the most common practice in the area. The goats were allowed to graze during day time in a limited area, such as communal land around the lake and in the cropping field after harvesting. They were usually herded by children and women, except for four families that had a big flock (20 to 30 goats).

Feed resources are the major constraint in increasing goat production in the village. Because feed is collected away from the farm, feed availability is determined by farm size, as observed also by Sabrani et al (1982) in Indonesia. About 90% of feed came from off-farm sources. In general, the main feed is native grass as the source of roughage, but its nutritive value and composition vary. In addition to grasses, some farmers also provide tree leaves and agricultural by-products as feed supplement. The most popular tree leaves are from kapok (Ceiba Pentandra), Manila tamarind (Pithecelobium dulces) and banana. Agricultural by-products include rice straw and maize stalks.

The reliability of natural grass as a source of roughage is restricted to wet seasons. Limited supplies are obtainable on unused patches of land and along river banks and the lake. In the dry season, the area has high potential to supply grass because of the expansion of the natural pasture area, when the water of the lake goes down, but the distance is too far. In the raining season, the lake fills with water that makes the grazing area smaller. Thus available grass supply is for 6 months (January to July). From August the water of the lake rises rapidly, and the whole area including the village suffers from flooding. The flood is from September to November, and sometimes to December. During this time the goats are kept in the elevated pen, or on an area of high land, and offered leaves and foliages from tress that tolerate the water. The feed is collected or bought from outside the area. A boat lad of kapok brancshesmay weigh up to 1 tonne and cost up to Riels 6000 (about USD 2.00).

It is argued that the shortage of grass (during flooding) and the distance to find it, at the end of the dry season, are the major causes of the drastic deterioration of goat production. Inevitably, crop residues, mainly maize stover, become very important in the dry season. This is obtained mainly from the family's own farm or is purchased from other farmers, after harvesting.

The farmers also use tree leaves and foliages, such as kapok (Ceiba pentandra) and manila tamarind (Pithecellobium dulces) as supplements. In the study area, these trees are popular because of their resistance to flooding and their multipurpose use.

Uses of Kapok (Ceiba pentandra):
As living fence
Provide shade during the dry season,
The floss is light and fluffy, resistant to water and decay. It is used as a stuffing in life jackets,
The fruit bursts open exposing the cotton like substance, which is the kapok of commerce,
Oil from the seeds is used in edible products and the ground seeds in animal feed,
Its leaves for animal feed,
Stems as fire wood.
The seeds, leaves, bark and resin, from the kapok tree are used as Traditional medicine for: dysentery, fevers, venereal diseases, asthma, menstruation bleedings and kidney diseases.
Uses of Manila Tamarind (Pithecellobium dulce):
Provides shade during the dry season,
Fruit use as human food
Provides fire wood,
Leaves as animal feed,
The fishermen use its branches for attracting the fish by putting them into the water, which facilitates catching them.

Table 3: Chemical composition of Kapok and Manila tamarind (% dry basis except for Dm which is on fresh basis)
	Kapok		Manila Tamarind
	Leaves	Foliage	Leaves	Foliage
Dry matter	24.6	16.5	36.8	24.6
Ash	11.5	7.61	13.4	4.85
Organic matter	88.4	92.4	86.6	95.2
Crude protein	18.6	17.9	22.5	23.8
DM solubility	27.2	49.1	48.8	45.1
N solubility	42.1	52.6	55.9	47.4

The farmers offer the foliages by hanging in different ways, such as: use wire or plastic rope for hanging, tie the foliages to the fence or wall of the pen, use other equipment for putting the feed on, and using a feed rack made from bamboo (Photo 1).

Farmers in the study area have no established area for forage crops, trees or shrubs, despite the scarcity of land and feed. This appears to due to the lack of extension strategies from Government Departments and no contact with skilled persons, so the farmers’ practice in goat production follows the traditional way. However, the majority of farmers in the commune have planted kapok and manila tamarind along the fence for use as fodder for goats, as firewood and for selling.


Photo 1a: Offering feed to goats

Photo 1b: The use of rope for hanging the feed

Photo 1c: The use of equipment for hanging foliages

Photo 1d: The use of feed rack made from bamboo

Photo 1: Methods of feeding practiced by the farmers

Growth performance

During flooding the growth rate of the goats is lower than before flooding (Figures 1a and 1b). During that time, 24 % of animals lost weight due to restricted grazing area and difficulty in finding feed. On average, the growth rate before flooding was similar to that reported by Saithanoo et al (1985) in Thai villages (62 and 47 g/day for males and females).

Figure 1a: The variation of growth rate of goats among the families in the village

Figure 1b: Growth rate of goats on average in the village

Reproductive performances

The farmers raised local goats for meat; milk was done only rarely. Most farmers indicated that they preferred the local breed. The justification given was its relatively low feed requirement, high adaptability to the local environment and the high tolerance to diseases. The farmers used natural breeding. Sometime, the mating occur during grazing in the field. Artificial insemination is not available in Cambodia for small ruminants. The survey showed that 16 household raised their own buck, while 4 paid for service or they hired a buck from other farmers.

Flock size and sex ratio

The survey showed that in the whole commune, there is on the average one buck per 5.5 nannies. This is lower than was reported by Bell et al (1983) for sheep, but higher than found in the survey of Sutama (1992) on sheep and goats in North Sumatra. Because the average flock size is small, keeping a buck on every farm is not efficient. In case the farmers don’t have their own buck, they must rely on their ability to detect estrus and arrange to borrow or pay for mating. Farmers can detect estrus more easily when the buck can see, smell or hear the sound of nannies. For maximum productivity of small flocks, farmers need access to a buck at the right time.

Puberty

Puberty is defined as the time when reproduction first becomes possible (Berger et all 1989 and Sutama, 1992) or is the physical stage in life when the female animal begins its estrus cycle (Merkel and Subbandriyo 1997). In the male, puberty occur when spermatozoa are first produced (Steel 1996), the male exhibits sexual behaviour, and the development of the penis allows intromission and ejaculation. In the female, puberty is reached when estrus and ovulation occur concurrently and the young female is able to sustain a pregnancy (Sutama 1992; Merkel and Subbandriyo 1997).

Our observation in the project area indicates that puberty was reached at between 4 and 7 months of age. Sutama (1992) in a survey in Indonesia reported that sheep reached puberty at 6 to 8 months and 7 to 10 months for goats. Merkel and Subandriyo (1997) also reported that sheep and goats reach puberty at 6 – 8 months of age. In some cases, the introduction of the male following a period of total isolation can accelerate the onset of puberty (the buck effect). The buck effect induces puberty only if females are already close to normal pubertal weight. For example, in our observation such cases occured during flooding, as at that time all goats were kept in a confined place (in elevated house).

Kidding characteristics

According to our observation on goat production in the village, the pregnancy period ranged from 138 to 150 days and kidding frequency varied from 1.53 to 1.7 per year, or three kiddings in 2 years. This is similar to the report of Sutama (1992), and Saithanoo et al. (2001).

Litter size

Litter size is defined as the number of kids per kidding. According to the survey, twin births were 54%, followed by singles (42%) and triplets (3.5%), and occasionally four but this was rare.

Disease and parasites

In the whole area there did not appear to be a serious problem with infectious diseases. There was a low incidence of bloat (1.5%), which occurred usually after the first rains when the grass is young and succulent. For treatment, the farmers use traditional medicine, such as garlic ground finely and administered orally. Parasite diseases also were not serious (Figure 2). The EPG ranged from 100 to 4467 in young goats and from 365 to 4267 in goats over one year.


Figure 2a: The variation of EPG among the goats in the sampled households

Figure 2b: Concentrations of worm eggs in faeces (EPG) in young and old goats from the sampled households

These results agree with the report of Kochapakdee et al (1991) that the average EPG of Thai native goat (< 1 year old) was 1523 under village conditions. Pralomkarn et al (2001) found that the EPG ranged from 1,250 to 1,600, while Daud-Ahmad et al (1991) observed that the EPG of Kajang goats grazing grass pasture in Malaysia was in the range from 800 to 2,000. Baldock (1984) suggested that an EPG level of 500 to 2,000 may indicate severe infestation in goats if these eggs are from Haemonchus. Baxendell (1987) stated that severe haemonchosis occurred in goats when the EPG exceeded 2,000. In the goats in the present study the eggs were from Strongyle worms.

SWOC Analysis

Strong points:

The area has many strong points for goat production such as:

Have knowledge in goat raising
Have a lake that provides extensive grazing land in the dry season,
No infectious diseases,
Has potential for trees that can provide more biomass during feed shortage,
Cropping areas that have many agricultural by-products,
Goat has small body; farmer can buy easily and also can be raised by women and children.

Weak points:

Land area is limited, so the farmers cannot extend their production,
Mostly, the farmer are very poor,
Limited labour supply,
No new technology, they apply only traditional knowledge,
No extension activity nor technical support from veterinarians on goats,

Opportunities:

The price of goat meat is high,
Easy to market the meat.

Constraints:

No road system to connect to the city, because the area is an island
Subject to natural disasters, such as flooding

Conclusions

According to the survey, the main constraints to goat raising are related to feeds and natural disasters:

The high cost of transport of crop residues and grass to the homesteads
The low nutritive value of feeds used, particularly in the dry period
The flooding damages all natural pasture and makes people depressed about animal raising.

Recommendations

The potential of kapok and manila tamarind trees should be studied further as a means of improving the feed supply in time of shortage of natural pasture and forages. Simple processing methods of crop residues and by-products could raise their nutritive value.

Acknowledgments

The senior author wishes to express his gratitude to the MEKARN project, supported by SIDA/SAREC of Sweden for financing this study; to Dr. T.R Preston, Director of the University of Tropical Agriculture (UTA), for advice and correction of the paper. I thank Mr. Nam Noch, vice chief of extension office of animal production, Kandal Province, MAFF, and Miss Kheang Soklang, who was my assistant, and worked with me throughout the experiment. I thank Mr. Sim Ann, chief of commune, who gave me the opportunity to conduct the observations, and also provide an interview to my team. I also thank the 20 farmers who participated in the study and gave useful information.

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Observations on goat raising system of farmers along the Mekong river in Cambodia

Theng Kouch, Nam Noch* and T R Preston

University of Tropical Agriculture Foundation Royal University of Agriculture Chamcar Daung, Phnom Penh, Cambodia *Vice chief of extension office of animal production, Kandal Province, kouch@utafoundation.org namnoch100@yahoo.com regpreston@utafoundation.org