Cattle keeping among Khmer people in Vietnam : case study in Chau Lang commune, Tri Ton district, An Giang province

Sammanfattning: This study aimed to explore the role of cattle keeping in livelihoods of people in Khmer community as well as the reasons for farmers remaining in cattle production as a significant component in their agriculture structure. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data and information, to study perceptions and make assessments of 45 Khmer cattle keepers in Chau Lang commune, Tri Ton district, An Giang Province, Vietnam. Findings of this study showed that cattle keeping contributes to livelihood of Khmer people through many aspects including income generation, tools for agricultural production and social capital. The social functions of cattle keeping, which could provide advantages for cattle keepers’ access to finance, prestige and trust from local people, were among the most important reasons for the Khmer people remaining in cattle production. The local cattle keepers established a strong relationship among themselves through the activities of cattle management and feed collection. A simple linear regression analysis indicated that the number of cattle in the survey significantly correlated to the number of people in households and number of cattle at the beginning of their cattle keeping. A scarcity of natural grasses and labor sources for cattle management were considered to be the barriers to development of the cattle population in commune.