Where fodder oats have previously been grown only a few cultivars were available and yields have been relatively low as only single-cut varieties were available and seed quality maintenance has been poor. AGP work in Bhutan, northern India, Nepal, northern Pakistan and Tibet (P.R.China) has identified a number of promising cultivars and in particular multi-cut cultivars which have greatly increased yields.

AGP assistance has focused on training to build the necessary technical capacity in fodder oats (and accompanying forage legumes) technology so that better multi-cut oat cultivars were identified, management packages were prepared and demonstrated on farmers’ fields, seed supply was assured through local production, more livestock feed was available particularly during the critical winter period and poor farmer livelihoods were improved.