~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Second FAO Electronic Conference on Tropical Feeds
Livestock Feed Resources within Integrated Farming Systems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abstract of the thirty third paper, from C.C. Sevilla and T.R.
Paris.

Questions that might stimulate discussion on this topic
include:

1. How can we measure the contribution of livestock in an
integrated crop/animal system?

2. Do you know other examples of institutionalization at
national level of crop/animal research programmes including
farmers' participation in a farming system perspective?

3. In these programmes, is the main emphasis on nutrition and
forage research as in the Asian example?

4. Does research/extension methodology for crop-animal systems
in your country differ from the one presented in this paper?

5. Do you have examples of profitable crop-animal technologies
developed in your research institutes and that are facing low
adoption rates? What are the main reasons?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OUTCOME OF NETWORKING PEOPLE ON LIVESTOCK IN CROP-BASED
FARMING SYSTEM IN ASIA

C.C. Sevilla (1) and T.R. Paris (2)

(1) Assistant Professor, Institute of Animal Science, U.P. Los
Banos, Philippines
E-mail: ccs@mudspring.uplb.edu.ph

(2) Senior Associate Scientist, IRRI, Laguna, Philippines
E-mail:  T.PARIS@cgnet.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ABSTRACT

Recognizing the importance of animals in smallholder farms,
the crop-animal systems research (CASR) in Asia evolved in
1984 out of the IRRI Asian Cropping Systems Network, later
renamed Asian Rice Farming Systems Network (ARFSN).
Collaborative on-station and on-farm research among 4
countries was initiated on different rice ecosystems primarily
to develop appropriate technologies and methodology. By 1994,
the number of CASR sites of ARFSN increased from 5 to 72 in 9
countries. In many Asian countries, the crop-animal systems
research has been institutionalized in the national research
programs and expanded to non-rice crop systems.

The conduct of CASR requires an interdisciplinary team from
the biological, social, economic, environmental disciplines
immersed in on-farm situation. Differences in research and
extension organizational structure, availability of
interdisciplinary scientists, and financial support hinders
the implementation of systems research involving animals.
AFRSN provided a venue for animal scientists to reorient
research towards increased animal productivity in small farms,
to work closely with crop scientists, sociologists and
economists, and to appreciate the farmers' priorities in
resource allocation. Towards this end, a working group was
organized to link researchers, extension workers and policy
makers. Thus, the farming systems research methodology,
involving diagnosis, design, evaluation and technology
transfer, was modified by the different national research
teams appropriate for a given ecosystem.

Some highlights of CASR project results are presented and
discussed. More importantly, the following issues need to be
addressed:

1) refinement of the economic and environmental impact
assessment of crop-animal technologies;

2) testing the validity of CASR under a large-scale production
system, i.e. pilot production program;

3) the ability to anticipate the broad socioeconomic
ramifications of fast economic development in Asia and its
effects on crop-animal integration in small farms.

KEY WORDS: network, crop livestock integration, research and
extension methodology, Asia, rice, smallholder farm, on-farm
research, feed, residues, by-product

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FAO ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE:
LIVESTOCK FEED RESOURCES WITHIN INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: Neither the conference organizers nor FAO accept
any legal responsibility for either the contents of this
message or any copyright laws that the person sending this
electronic message may have violated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TO COMMENT: Unless you want to reply only to the person
sending this information, please send your comments to the
address: TFCONF2-L@MAILSERV.FAO.ORG
or TFCONF2-ABS-L@MAILSERV.FAO.ORG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~