Consultant for ToT on livestock health

1 – Background to the assignment

A – CCL and the project GREEN  

The CCL (Comité de Coopération avec le Laos) has been involved in implementing rural development programs in Laos for almost 40 years. Currently, CCL works in 4 provinces of Laos. In Phongsaly the CCL is currently implementing a project aiming at strengthening local communities’ resilience towards climate change impacts and economic shocks. The projects follow an integrated and participatory approach.

The mission is integrated in GREEN project: Generating an inclusive Resilience and Environment Enhancement – GREEN (CCL, funded by AFD & BfW, 2023-2026)

The specific objectives of the Generating inclusive Resilience and Environment Enhancement Project (GREEN project – Phongsaly and Boun Neua districts) are:

1. The natural resources of Phongsaly province are preserved and sustainably managed to favor a sustainable, inclusive, and localized economic development.
2. The local stakeholders of Phongsaly province are strengthened, locally acknowledged, and participate in the sustainable and inclusive development of the territory;
3. The local stakeholders of Phongsaly province are strengthened, locally acknowledged, and participate in the sustainable and inclusive development of the territory.

In 2013 CCL supported the creation of the non-profit association COSKA. Since then, a close partnership has been effective between both organizations.  COSKA is partner to CCL for the implementation of both projects.

B – Context on livestock

Livestock is a key pillar of Laos’ agricultural economy, providing essential income, food security, and livelihoods for a large portion of the rural population. However, production efficiency is often limited by traditional livestock farming methods, limited knowledge of modern techniques, and challenges in disease prevention and management.

The baseline conducted at the beginning of the GREEN project underlines the role played by livestock in the income of the targeted villages. Indeed, among the 40 villages of intervention, 10 rely on cows or/and buffaloes, 1 rely on goats, and 3 rely on pork as a 3 main income source. All of the them rely on chicken mentioned as a source of food. Moreover, animal disease is considered as the first limiting factor to livestock production by the livestock owners. The most common diseases include foot-and-mouth disease (cattle), pasteurellosis (cattle) and Newcastle disease (poultry). Farmers often mention a lack of knowledge about disease prevention and management as the first constraint. Feeding management is considered as the second most limiting factor to animal production. Indeed, many complain about the lack of feed during the dry season, especially for cattle. Practically all villages wish to learn about forage conservation techniques, such as hay and silage. Beneficiaries also display a high interest in growing forage crops (ruzi, napier, etc) and are keen to learn new techniques (ex: silage of cassava leaves).

C – Integration of livestock component in GREEN

CCL has been working with farmers engaged in a transition to agroecological livestock systems through model farmers, technical training, and the supply of inputs. In the frame of GREEN project, the following activities are planned:

• Support to agroecological transition of the livestock raising systems, through technical training and inputs delivery:

The project supported farmers engaged in a transition to agroecological livestock systems to help them to implement pasturage plots and agroforestry plots. The project organized technical trainings, with the selected model farmers (1 per village=40 model farmers), provided inputs (Equipment for plots delimitation fodder seeds, tree saplings) to priority farmers, and ensured technical monitoring of beneficiaries. The aim will be later to organize exchange visits between livestock farmers.

• Mitigation of the animal disease outbreak risks, through vaccination campaigns and the strengthening of the technical and management capacity of the farmers.

The prevention and treatment of livestock diseases is one of the main levers for reducing the vulnerability of agricultural production systems in northern Laos. In coordination with the teams from the department of agriculture, the project would like to organize technical trainings for village focal people on animal diseases and levers to reduce the spread of diseases, particularly in the event of outbreaks being identified. In a complementary manner and in order to initiate changes in farmers’ behaviour, the project will organize an action plan for regular vaccination campaigns on the most common epizootic diseases in the intervention area. The activity will link to a One Health approach.

These ToR relate to the training of trainers (ToT) related to these 2 activities. The project will work with 11 priority villages, in Phongsaly district (6) and Boun Nue district (5) for the livestock component. In each village, two focal people will be selected for the activities related to animal husbandry. The 22 selected focal farmers, together with 5 staff from the government (1 provincial, 2 from each district) and 2 CCL staff, will be trained on the basics related to animal health and feed. These ToR also relate to the continuous capacity building and coaching of the CCL staff responsible for livestock husbandry.

2 – Objectives and outputs of the consultancy

A – Specific objectives of the consultancy

Specific objective 1

Provide knowledge, tools and methodology to the project team and village focal farmers 1) to conduct holistic health management of cattle and poultry (including prevention), 2) to conduct appropriate vaccination campaigns of cattle and poultry on the main diseases 3) to implement practical solutions to the lack of feed of cattle during the dry season 4) to be able to grow relevant fodder crops.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the knowledge, tools and methodology that should be provided:

• Common and most serious diseases of cattle and poultry: causes, symptoms, modes of transmission.
• Prophylaxis: practical ways and solutions to keep animals healthy and prevent the apparition of cattle and poultry diseases. This aspect is particularly important for farmers who have limited access to vaccination or treatment.
• Vaccination: knowledge and tools to be able to vaccinate cattle and poultry against the main diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease (cattle), pasteurellosis (cattle) and Newcastle disease (poultry).
• Treatment: The focus should not be on treatment but rather on prophylaxis, holistic health management and vaccination. However, if some treatments are accessible technically, financially and geographically to the communities, they should be presented.
• A methodology for the village focal farmers to accompany communities on holistic livestock health management for cattle and poultry.
• Principles of cattle nutrition and feed formulation needs, in regards to the context of the dry season and the species available at community level.
• Technical itinerary for the main fodder species to provide to cattle (Ruzi for fibres + Stylosanthes for proteins?), with considerations of the constraints related to the dry season and the technical/social/economic context of rural communities.
• Practical solutions for maintaining a proper feeding of cattle all through the dry season. These techniques include, between others, hay and silage. The proposed techniques should be presented considering the field constraints (technical, economic, social) farmers may deal to implement them.
• A methodology for the village focal farmers to accompany communities on practical feeding of cattle all through the year, including during the dry season.

Specific objective 2

Provide regular follow-up, training and coaching to the technical advisor of CCL dedicated to the livestock aspects.

The CCL technician responsible for that activity is quite new to the field of livestock husbandry and requires continuous capacity building beyond the primary training of trainers. The content of this continuous coaching will be developed based on the questions, requirements and needs expressed by the technician over the first year after the signature of this consultancy.

B – Outputs of the consultancy

Output 1

A Training of Trainers of 5 days is given to 29 people about health management of cattle and poultry and feed solutions for cattle.

This training should be given in order to:

• Be participatory, with pedagogic and interactive tools to make participants involve and remember the content. The knowledge, tools and methodology should not be given in a top-down way but co-built with the participants.
• Include field work. These sessions in the field will include 1) exercises for the participants to diagnose practical levers of action for improvement of health (cattle/poultry) and feed management (cattle) of selected livestock systems 2) demonstrations of vaccination of cattle and poultry against the main diseases 3) demonstrations of adapted techniques for providing fodder during the dry season 4) field visit and demonstration of technical itinerary for the main fodder crops for cattle (on-field demonstration of planting, management, harvest, stocking – if possible)
• Identify 2 technical skills/capacities to strengthen the CCL technician in livestock husbandry in accordance with the project’s need sand the current capacities of the technician (cf. output 3).

Output 2

Five manuals are provided to participants of the training of trainers and 5 posters summarizing these 5 topics are made to be displayed at village level, for a practical use in the field:

• Holistic health management of cattle: it explains the most impacting cattle diseases, prophylaxis practices, vaccination guidelines, treatment (if any accessible and affordable by communities). Particularly, it provides a practical methodology to accompany farmers on holistic health management of cattle.
• Holistic health management of poultry: it explains the most impacting poultry diseases, prophylaxis practices, vaccination guidelines, treatment (if any accessible and affordable by communities). Particularly, it provides a practical methodology to accompany farmers on holistic health management of poultry.
• Holistic health management of pork it explains the most impacting pork diseases, prophylaxis practices, vaccination guidelines, treatment (if any accessible and affordable by communities). Particularly, it provides a practical methodology to accompany farmers on holistic health management of pork.
• Holistic health management of goat it explains the most impacting goat diseases, prophylaxis practices, vaccination guidelines, treatment (if any accessible and affordable by communities). Particularly, it provides a practical methodology to accompany farmers on holistic health management of pork.
• Practical solutions for cattle, pork and goat feeding: it explains the basic principles of nutrition, gives technical itineraries of the main fodder species, proposes practical solutions for feeding cattle, pork and/or goat all through the dry season and provides a practical methodology to accompany farmers on feeding cattle during the dry season.

Output 3

The CCL technician responsible for livestock husbandry masters the 2 technical aspects identified during the Training of Trainers.

The format of this coaching/capacity building will be designed depending on the needs expressed by the CCL technician. It could be done through online sessions, as well as through field missions. A total of 4 days of training is provided.