Smallholder goat raising in Lao PDR: is there potential to improve management and productivity?

This paper examines smallholder goat management systems in Lao PDR within the context of achieving improvements in productivity to benefit rural livelihoods. A survey of70 goat raising households from seven villages in Savannakhet province was conducted in February 2020.Respondents owned an average of 9.0 goats per household and most herds were free-range during the day and housed at night with minimal input to management. Goat raising was a shared activity by men and women. Goats provided just under a third of household income(27.9%) and 40.6% of total farm income, demonstrating how significant they have become to livelihoods. The most important constraints to goat production identified by respondents were prevalence of Orf virus, diarrhoea, seasonal feed shortages and lack of access to animal health services. All respondents indicated they plan to keep goats in the future with 85% wanting to increase goat numbers for increased income. Improvements to goat raising will require a step by step learning process starting with easy, low cost practices such as good housing, feeding quality forages, and avoiding in-breeding. Any increase in labour demand or costs will have to be carefully considered against economic returns and other family responsibilities.