Rethinking Traditional Concept of Livestock Services

1. Rethinking �Traditional� Concept of Livestock Services International Conference on Livestock Services Beijing, April 16-22, 2006 Presenter: Tuong Vu, PhD Institute of International Studies University of California, Berkeley

2. Background of Study Goal: help governments improve livestock services to generate sectoral growth and reduce poverty Funding: FAO/Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative Scope: Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam Dynamic markets at different levels of development under different political system Method: Key informant interviews supplemented with other sources

3. Thailand: Livestock Production & Consumption Trends, 1980-2000

4. Malaysia: Livestock Production & Consumption Trends, 1980-2000

5. Vietnam: Livestock Production & Consumption Trends, 1980-2000

6. Issues of Concern Increasingly important role of livestock in national agriculture and economy Environmental pollution due to intensive farming methods Protection of animal and human lives Impact on social equity How can producers and governments take advantage of opportunities while minimizing threats? How to improve their capacity to respond effectively to dynamic markets?

7. �Traditional� Concept of Services Components: research, extension and veterinarian services Sound but too narrow concept: Centered on technology, not market Emphasizing implementation, not policy Too much and too directly involved in service deliveries Void of equity concerns Veterinarian services not effectively protect society from epidemics

8. The Concept of Response Capacity Response capacity versus general capacity Sense of urgency Local specificity Three components of response capacity (RC): Producers� response capacity (PRC) Systemic response capacity (SRC) Governments� response capacity (GRC)

9. Producers� Response Capacity (PRC) Part of the personal general capacity of the individual producer Encompassing personal educational level, experience, wealth, entrepreneurial skills, family business networks, etc. Unequally distributed among producers: some more endowed than others

10. Systemic Response Capacity (SRC) Macro business environment Government mentality supportive of livestock private enterprises Competitive markets and effective legal system Stable regulatory framework not restricting long-term sectoral growth Efficient and accessible input markets Effective information system Well-developed industrial standards and vibrant business associations Well-integrated market structure: intensive interaction among market players, financiers, researchers, government agents

11. Governments� Response Capacity (GRC) Ability to make and implement livestock policy Transparently Efficiently Fairly Ability to improve PRC by targeting less-endowed individual producers Education, training, subsidized credits, land reform Government intervention justifiable on social equity grounds but not requiring direct involvement in service delivery�better left with private or nonprofit providers Ability to improve SRC or the macro business environment

12. RC vs. Traditional Concept of Services Policy is as important as implementation In dynamic markets, market and information services are as important as technological ones Center of government activity must be on market facilitation (SRC) and poverty reduction (PRC) but not on extension and service delivery Veterinary agency should be centralized to prevent epidemics. Emphasis must be more on information management, less on service delivery

13. The Cases Thailand�s GRC: Livestock policy lacks transparency and efficiency Strong role in promoting SRC (except for pigs) Mixed success in programs to improve PRC Malaysia�s GRC: Livestock policy lacks transparency and efficiency Weak role in promoting SRC (none for pork) Great attention to, but little success in, improving PRC Vietnam�s GRC: Livestock policy lacks transparency and efficiency Little understanding of SRC Some attention to, but little success in, improving PRC