| Title |
Drivers, challenges and opportunities of forage technology adoption by smallholder cattle households in Cambodia
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Tropical Animal Health and Production, September 2017
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s11250-017-1400-y |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
K Ashley, S Wilson, JR Young, HP Chan, S Vitou, S Suon, PA Windsor, RD Bush |
| Abstract |
Forage technology has been successfully introduced into smallholder cattle systems in Cambodia as an alternative feed source to the traditional rice straw and native pastures, improving animal nutrition and reducing labour requirements of feeding cattle. Previous research has highlighted the positive impacts of forage technology including improved growth rates of cattle and household time savings. However, further research is required to understand the drivers, challenges and opportunities of forage technology for smallholder cattle households in Cambodia to facilitate widespread adoption and identify areas for further improvement. A survey of forage-growing households (n = 40) in July-September 2016 examined forage technology adoption experiences, including reasons for forage establishment, use of inputs and labour requirements of forage plot maintenance and use of forages (feeding, fattening, sale of grass or seedlings and silage). Time savings was reported as the main driver of forage adoption with household members spending approximately 1 h per day maintaining forages and feeding it to cattle. Water availability was reported as the main challenge to this activity. A small number of households also reported lack of labour, lack of fencing, competition from natural grasses, cost of irrigation and lack of experience as challenges to forage growing. Cattle fattening and sale of cut forage grass and seedlings was not found to be a widespread activity by interviewed households, with 25 and 10% of households reporting use of forages for these activities, respectively. Currently, opportunities exist for these households to better utilise forages through expansion of forage plots and cattle activities, although assistance is required to support these households in addressing current constraints, particularly availability of water, if the sustainability of this feed technology for smallholder cattle household is to be established in Cambodia. |
X Demographics
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Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 38 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 38 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 10 | 26% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 4 | 11% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 3 | 8% |
| Student > Bachelor | 2 | 5% |
| Professor | 2 | 5% |
| Other | 7 | 18% |
| Unknown | 10 | 26% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 13 | 34% |
| Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 4 | 11% |
| Social Sciences | 3 | 8% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 2 | 5% |
| Computer Science | 2 | 5% |
| Other | 3 | 8% |
| Unknown | 11 | 29% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 16 September 2017.
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#19,440,618
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Outputs of similar age from Tropical Animal Health and Production
#13
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