title: Survey of smallholder beef cattle production systems in different agro-ecological zones of Cambodia.
abstract: A survey was conducted to better understand the contribution of farm productivity to rural household income and identify differences in production systems, feeding practices and development constraints to smallholder beef cattle producers in the four agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Cambodia. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 360 households in the four AEZs: I, the Great Lake Floodplain; II, the Mekong Floodplain; III, the Coastal and IV, the Plateau/Mountainous. In addition, samples of common nutritional resources used for cattle feed were collected for nutrient composition analysis, plus cattle were scored for body condition. Rice farming and cattle production were the most common sources of income in all AEZs. The average cattle herd size was 3.7 (SD = 2.4), but the majority of households raised 1-3 animals. The most common cattle management system was grazing with supplementation, mainly with rice straw and 'cut-and-carry' natural grasses fed during the wet season in all AEZs. The body condition score of all cattle types was 3.2 (SD = 0.8), except for cows in lactation that were 1.8. Major constraints to cattle production in AEZs I, II and III were lack of quality feed resources, capital for cattle production and concerns on breed quality, whereas in AEZ IV, diseases were identified as the main constraint. This survey confirms the importance of cattle to smallholders in the four AEZs. Interventions including farmer education to improve husbandry skills, increase the utilisation of forages and crop residues and address disease issues are necessary to enhance cattle production and rural livelihoods in Cambodia.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Livestock and Agriculture Development (CelAgrid), P.O. Box 2423, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. psamkol@celagrid.org.
authors.forename: Pok
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Samkol
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), P.O. Box 2696, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
authors.forename: Keo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sath
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7024, SE 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mikaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter Andrew
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Windsor
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7024, SE 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kjell
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Holtenius
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D002160:Cambodia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D000069466:Red Meat; D012621:Seasons; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Agro-ecological zones; Body condition score; Cambodia; Feed resources; Production constraints; Smallholder beef cattle production