Current and future opportunities for introduced forages in smallholder farming systems in south-east Asia

Livestock in south-east Asia are used for a wide variety of purposes. In many regions, there is an increasing demand for animal protein but, at the same time, increasing population pressure is pushing livestock on to more marginal lands. These marginal lands are generally uplands where soils are acid and infertile.
These upland regions are variously under plantations, shifting cultivation or natural or induced grasslands. There are also limited areas of intensive cropping. Adapted and productive forages have been identified for each of these agro-ecological systems, and these are listed.
In south-east Asia generally, there has been only a very limited uptake of improved forages by smallholders. This is considered to be due to lack of available information and lack of involvement of smallholders in the selection process. Examples are provided where selection criteria of scientists are very different from those of smallholders. The Forages for Smallholders Project, active in 7 countries in south-east Asia, is using farmer-participatory methodologies in promoting the adoption of adapted forages in the region.