Draught

There are around 15 million cattle in Myanmar, the highest number of any Asian country. Fifty percent are located in the Central Dry Zone (CDZ) between Naypyitaw and Mandalay. The CDZ receives between 600 and 1000mm of rainfall annually with the majority falling during the wet season from July to October. Animal feed is in plentiful supply during this period but becomes scarce during the hot dry months, particularly the period from April to the start of the wet when farmers have to work hard to ensure their animals are well fed. Regulation dictates that no cattle be sold for slaughter under 16 years of age. This may seem unusual as you would imagine that farmers would want to sell cattle for slaughter to earn cash to support their families. However, while there is export potential to surrounding countries, beef actually constitutes a relatively small component of the local diet with cattle currently having a much more important role to play. Cattle are critical to agricultural production, providing the draught power required to till the land and to draw the wagons which are an integral part of the rural transport system. Without access to cattle for draught, the system would grind to a halt, hence the stipulation that cattle not be sold at a young age. Going into the villages it is obvious the lavish care extended to these animals, they live in the family compound and are loved and treated with all the care possible, and fed to ensure that they will be able to undertake the tasks required when called upon. Unlike mechanised forms of agriculture which are generally noisy, these regal animals seem to glide through the landscape as they go about their work, the only noise being the jingle of their tackle and words of encouragement from their handler. The challenge however, is how to supply the feed required to keep these animals in top shape 365 days of the year. In the early wet season, native grasses and some browse plants are available, and as the season progresses, fresh forage sorghum and the residues of leguminous food crops such as pigeon pea, butter bean and ground nut come on stream. The challenges begin when the rains stop, with the farmers attempting to conserve sufficient forage during the good times for later use. This is not always possible. The team of researchers from Myanmar, Thailand and Australia of which I am a part, is aiming to introduce grasses and legumes that are commonly grown in tropical countries in Asia, America and Africa to improve the nutritional quality of the animal feed and contribute to consistency of seasonal supply. This includes the conservation of forage as hay for later use and the identification of drought tolerant plant species that allow fresh material to be fed much longer into the dry season. The impact of the on-farm research, undertaken in collaboration with the farmers of Ya Thar and Kyauk Aoe villages, and wider demonstration and training in the benefits of the new forages has been promising, with over 50 farmers growing and feeding the new species to their cattle in 2016. The next challenge lies in expanding these technologies to other townships in the CDZ.

Cattle resting in shade outside Ya Thar temple

Each month the farmers bring their cattle for weighing near the Ya Thar temple

Living in the family compound. Manure is used to fertilise crops

Cattle are not the only animal kept by farmers. Goats, sheep and chickens are also important in the local economy of Kyauk Aoe

Land preparation and transplant of a crop at the start of the wet season in Kyauk Aoe. The cattle have ploughed the field and are now carrying water to the site.

Heading home after a days ploughing. The tyned tillage implement is placed across the necks of the cattle for transport. Interestingly, while the plough is made from wood, it does not differ all that much from the tyned implements made from steel which are used in mechanised agriculture (albeit a bit smaller).

Preparing the draught animals to take over from the other team at Aung Zaw Thin's farm at Taungtha south of Myingyan, CDZ. This farmer is keen to engage with the research team to improve the forage supply to his cattle herd of around 30 head and to provide a demonstration of what is possible to neighbouring farmers.

Ploughing in preparation for grass planting at Aung Zaw Thin's farm at Taungtha south of Myingyan, CDZ

U Win Myint and Daw Tin Nyunt are keen on-farm research participants at Kyauk Aoe. They are involved in goat, chicken and forage research

U Win Myint't ploughing team having a quick bite to eat before getting down to the task of inter-row cultivation to control weeds in his grass production area at Kyauk Aoe

U Win Myint't undertaking weed control in his grass production area at Kyauk Aoe

Kyauk Aoe farmer preparing his land for the planting of butter beans, a highly nutritious legume for human (seed) and animal (plant) consumption

U Myint Win Gai and Daw Yi Myint are keen on-farm research participants at Kyauk Aoe. They are involved in chicken and forage research

U Myint Win Gai loading browse legume material cut at the research site for transport to the village of Kyauk Aoe for goat and calf feeding

U Myint Win Gai transporting browse legume material to the village of Kyauk Aoe for goat and calf feeding

Ox wagons are used to transport almost anything around the village and out into the fields. Traditionally they were also used for travel into the local towns although this is now less common due to an increase in the number of trucks.

Resting after a big day

Grubs up for all

Sorghum being transported to the farmers home for feeding during the wet season (Ya Thar)

Various grasses ready for feeding during the wet season

U Son Lwan, a farmer in Ya Thar village proudly shows off his forage sorghum crop which will be used to feed his cattle

Heading home with a load of sorghum

U Chit Sein from Ya Thar considers that the grasses introduced by the project are so good he grew over 1 acre in 2016. He considers that they ensure he has sufficient feed for his cattle for the whole of the dry season.

Tree legumes including leucaena, gliricidia and sesbania are recognised as good dry season forages as they can be fed well into the dry season

Another option to ensure a more balanced nutritional input for cattle is to use the ground nut residue as a protein source. The plants are dug using a cutter bar pulled behind the draught team, the nuts are removed by hand and the plants fed to the cattle.

Removing ground nuts, a laborious task. The nuts will be sold in the market.

Pigeon pea straw used as animal fodder or fuel

All hands are required to chop and store the forage sorghum for dry season feeding

Chopping forage sorghum

Dried forage sorghum and crop residues are stored in large bins which protect against foraging animals including chickens and goats (and probably the odd cow). The material is then fed to the cattle during the dry season.

Store of dried fodder for dry season use

After harvest of the seed for human consumption, butter bean plants are cut and dried and used as animal feed. A highly nutritious addition to the animal diet.

The market for draught animals is strong with the calves from this herd of 50-60 cows destined to be sold to small holder farmers for draught. The herd is owned by U Myat San, Pyaw Bwe, south of Meiktila, who is keen to engage with the project to improve animal feed supply.

Gliding through the landscape

You may also like