56 research outputs found
Adoption and impact of gaps in pig value chains: Implications for institutional policy and practice change
This paper investigates the adoption of VietGAHP, a set of guidelines for best practices
in pig production, and evaluates impacts using quantitative and qualitative indicators. It tackles
the following specific research questions: 1) What is the extent of adoption of VietGAHP
among smallholder pig producers? 2) Is there a difference in performance between VietGAHP
adopters and non-adopters? Outcomes from adoption and compliance with VietGAHP are
assessed using reduction in mortality as a metric for efficacy. Cost-benefit comparisons are
also made to illustrate economic outcomes as a measure of effectiveness. We employ statistical
t-tests for mean comparison of outcomes between VietGAHP adopters and non-adopters and
across exposed and control sites. Our study shows productivity gains from practice and
behavioral changes elicited from adoption and compliance with VietGAHP outweigh the costs
of doing so, at least at the household level. The observed economic and market incentives could
boost the adoption of VietGAHP if these incentives are sustained with appropriate institutions
in place. Scalability could be facilitated by exposure via demonstration effects. Peer-to-peer
learning is an effective strategy in enhancing capacity for uptake. With exposure being strongly
linked to uptake, regardless of gender of respondents, training opportunities for non-exposed
groups are worthwhile to pursue
Using a system dynamics framework to assess disease risks of pig value chains in Vietnam
In Vietnam, there are more than 4 million households producing pigs and pork. This
accounts for 57% of quantity of meat consumed. One of the most critical constraints
to pig production is the presence of animal disease. Pig disease outbreaks are a regular
occurrence in various parts of the country, with the industry affected by diseases
such as foot and mouth disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, classical
swine fever, porcine high fever disease, and swine influenza. In addition, food
safety issues related to pig diseases and pork-borne diseases have also increasingly become
more important concerns for consumers. Recent studies have shown significant
changes in consumption behaviour in response to disease outbreaks. For instance, at
least half of urban consumers stop consuming pork in times of pig disease epidemics
and/or shift consumption to other meat substitutes such as poultry or fish. Disease
risks thus have both public health and livelihoods impacts that are important to understand
for appropriate policy and practice response.
A proposed methodology for investigating disease risks uses a system dynamics analysis
framework. System dynamics models are particularly relevant in the study of livestock
systems, as they capture the diverse actors and feedbacks present in value chains
and their interface with disease risk and behaviour. A system dynamics model is developed
that will describe different scenarios of disease risks and the consequences of
different interventions to mitigate these risks.
Data from a sample of 1000 farmers and value chain actors including all actors in the
pig value chain in Vietnam was collected with support from an ACIAR-funded project
on Reducing Disease Risks and Improving Food Safety in Smallholder Pig Value
Chains in Vietnam. We propose to test the hypotheses that disease risk is affected by
type of production system, feeding system and types of feed uses, access to inputs
and services, and selected socio-demographic variables associated with farmers and
location
Market-based approaches to food safety and animal health interventions: Lessons from smallholder pig value chains in Vietnam
Food safety and animal health issues are increasingly important constraints to smallholder pig
production in Viet Nam. Recent studies have highlighted the significant prevalence of animal
disease and foodâborne pathogens inherent within the Vietnamese pig sector. These in turn have
important negative livelihoods effects on smallholder pig producers and other value chain actors,
as well as important public health impacts. An important research gap is in identifying exâante
appropriate marketâbased policy responses that take into account the tradeoffs between
improved animal health and food safety outcomes and their associated costs for different value
chain actors as a means of developing chainâlevel solutions for their control. In this paper, we
constructed a system dynamics model of the pig value chain that combines a detailed model of
herd production and marketing with modules on shortâ and longâterm investment in pig capacity,
and decisions by value chain actors to adopt different innovations. The model further highlights
the feedbacks between different actors in the chain to identify both the potential entry points for
upgrading food safety and animal health as well as potential areas of tension within the chain that
may undermine uptake. Model results demonstrate that interventions at nodal levels (e.g. only at
farm or slaughterhouse level) are less costâeffective and sustainable than those that jointly
enhance incentives for control across the value chain, as weak links downstream undermine the
ability of producers to sustain good health practices
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Canarium tramdenum Dai and Yakovl. in Northern Vietnam
Canarium tramdenum occurs naturally in subtropical and tropical regions of Indochina and China. The wood is used for making high quality furniture and the fruit and leaves are used in traditional medicine. However, a lack of information on genetic diversity and population structure has handicapped the genetic conservation and domestication of this high-value species. This study evaluated genetic variation within and among four C. tramdenum populations. Sixty individuals were collected from four natural populations in Vietnam in the provinces of Ninhbinh, Bacgiang, Nghean, and Backan. Genetic diversity and genetic structure were determined using 20 ISSR markers. A total of 192 DNA fragments with sizes ranging from 110 bp to 3,000 bp were detected, of which 154 segments (80.2%) were polymorphic and 38 segments (19.8%) were monomorphic. The ISSR data indicated a moderate degree of genetic diversity for the species (h = 0.252). The four populations were separated into three genetic clusters with low levels of genetic distance between them. AMOVA result showed that most (78%) of the genetic variation was within the populations. The moderate to high genetic diversity of C. tramdenum and the low genetic differentiation among populations suggested that all existing natural populations in the particular regions needed to be preserved to protect the genetic diversity of this species
Household pork consumption behaviour in Vietnam: Implications for pro-smallholder pig value chain upgrading
Pork represents more than 70% of meat consumption in Vietnam, and pig production
provides livelihood for more than 4 million small farmers in the country. Understanding
pork consumption behaviour is thus important for upgrading the pig value chains
in Vietnam. The study is conducted with 416 households in Hung Yen and Nghe An
provinces. The results confirm that pork is the most widely eaten animal source food
in Vietnam (about 24.7 kg per capita and year), consumed by more than 95% of the
population of different ages and gender. A household spends about USD 30 monthly
for pork, accounting for 13% of total food expenditure. Meanwhile, other types of
meat appear to be weak substitutes to pork. While consumers select market outlets
for pork based on cleanliness, trust in sources, and the absence of disease in pork
sold, 99% of them still buy meat in traditional, wet markets. This, coupled with the
fact that meat quality is not traceable in the value chain and only 3% of respondents
trust in their regular meat supply, implies that the pig value chain, especially the formal/
modern retailing sector in Vietnam, has not yet gained consumer trust. Given
saturated pork demand with more than 95% of respondents planning to sustain or
decrease their pork consumption, itâs unlikely that pork consumption behaviour will
significantly change for the majority of Vietnamese consumers. Several potential implications
are drawn for upgrading the pig value chains: (i) Organizing small farms
into groups applying good practices that allow meat to be traceable and certified by
trusted institutions; (ii) Developing a quality assurance system that can be feasibly
established under smallholder conditions, and complies with minimum quality and
safety standards tailored to Vietnamâs context, (iii) Strengthening capacity to collect
appropriate market information to provide pig producers, particularly smallholders,
reliable meat demand and supply forecast to better serve their target consumers; and
(iv) Improving cost and quality competitiveness in pig value chains. These are important
considerations especially when Vietnam becomes deeply integrated into the
global and regional markets when the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership
Agreement is officially put into practice
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