Mapping chicken production and distribution networks in Vietnam: An analysis of socio-economic factors and their epidemiological significances.

The growing chicken industry in Viet Nam has an increasingly important contribution to the country's food security, but its development requires careful planning to prevent disease risks. This study characterizes the chicken production and distribution networks in Vietnam and identifies potential factors that could promote disease emergence and transmission. Qualitative data were collected from interviews with 29 key informants from five stakeholder groups representing the main nodes from chicken production and distribution networks (PDN). Three main networks were identified based on production type: a colored broiler and spent hen network, a white (or exotic) broiler network, and an egg network. Colored chickens and spent hens are the most preferred commodity by vietnamese consumers and their PDN is composed of production units differing in their scale and management and with long distribution chains involving numerous small-scale independent stakeholders. Live bird markets plays a central role in this network, which is driven by consumers' preference for live chickens. The white chicken network presents an important duality, as it is composed of both a large number of independent household farms and traders operating independently with little chain coordination, and of large farms contracted by vertically-integrated companies. The egg PDN was the most organized network, being mostly controlled by large vertically-integrated companies. High level specialization and diversification of stakeholders is found in all three networks. Stakeholders' perceptions of the main factors promoting disease risk along the PDN were the low biosecurity in household farms and live bird markets, mobile traders, the informal slaughter of birds and the management of sick birds. Findings from this study can be used to plan future studies to support food system planners in the development of safer poultry production and distribution in Vietnam.

Spatiotemporal Analysis and Assessment of Risk Factors in Transmission of African Swine Fever Along the Major Pig Value Chain in Lao Cai Province, Vietnam.

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious and lethal hemorrhagic disease with a case fatality rate approaching 100% in domestic pigs. The main objectives of this study were to describe the spatiotemporal analysis as well as to assess the potential risk factors along the pig value chain in Lao Cai province, Vietnam. A total of 925 outbreaks were reported from 2019 to 2020. The three clusters (primary, secondary and 5th) were observed near the Chinese border. The most temporal clusters were detected between May and August during the study period. In addition, we evaluated the association between ASF outbreak locations to the nearest main roads and elevation. For ASF outbreak locations to the nearest main roads, compared with the reference (<5,000 m), <1,000 m (10.22 times) and 1,000-2,000 m (1.98 times) were significantly higher occurrences of ASF. For elevation, compared to the reference (>1,500 m), the farm locations with <500 m (55.31 times) showed a significantly increased risk of ASF outbreaks. Farmers perceived that the highest risk of ASF transmission may come from collectors and slaughterers, intermediaries inside and outside the commune, feed agents and maize agents in the commune, and pig retailers. Both commercial and household pig producers considered minimizing the number of people going in and out of pig stables and improving healthcare and husbandry procedures to be both very important and feasible. There is a need for compliance by all pig producers and other actors in the pig value chain to adopt biosecurity practices. Therefore, awareness, knowledge and understanding of infection and risks of ASF need to be improved. Veterinary officials at the provincial and district levels need to improve capacity and resources to perform laboratory analysis for ASF and need to coordinate with local actors on the control and prevention of ASF in the community.

Prioritizing Training Needs of School Health Staff: The Example of Vietnam.

Competencies of school health staff (SHS) members, including school nurses, are crucial to improving child and adolescent health. In Vietnam, although SHS members are dispatched to schools, they have limited training opportunities. This study identified SHS members' training needs in a province of Vietnam. A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted with 204 SHS members. The performance and importance of SHS members' competencies were measured using 59-items and rated by a 5-point Likert scale. SHS members' training priorities were analyzed using the Borich Needs Assessment and the Locus for Focus model. Controlling infectious disease was the highest training priority while implementing health promotion programs was of relatively low priority. The high-priority training needs identified could be rendered mandatory in policy for continuing education of SHS members. Awareness of the importance of health promotion, which has been emphasized globally, should also be promoted via school health policy. These findings could guide development of future training programs for SHS members.

Diversity and sustainability of pig farm types in the northern mountains of Vietnam.

Pig farming systems in Vietnam are very diverse but little is known about this diversity. In particular, the different livestock farming systems currently in operation do not have the same capacity to be sustainable. The study aims to categorize farming systems involving pig production and investigate their sustainability. Data were collected from 160 family pig farms and 2 large-scale farms in Mai Son district of Son La province (northwest of Vietnam) using stratified random sampling. The multiple factor analysis method was used to identify different farms and to characterize each type with economic, social, and environmental indicators. The results highlighted four different farm types. Type 1 contained smallholder farms with diversified farm activities. They were mainly farmed by ethnic minorities located in the intermediate highland. They had low labor productivity and relied mainly on crop farming. Pig production was characterized by a low level of economic and social sustainability. Type 2 farms had comparatively less land and crops than other types. They were more specialized in livestock production, had medium-size pig herds, and were engaged in off-farm jobs. They were less dependent on credit or location and performed better with regard to environmental issues than larger farm types. Type 3 was specialized farms with large pig herds. They seemed more sustainable in economic and social components than the other types, but their environmental sustainability was questionable. Type 4 contained large mixed crop-livestock farms. They obtained high income but were more dependent on credit than the other types. In the future, in addition to focusing on large-scale specialized farms, policies should also consider small-scale and diversified farms because of their role in the sustainable development of national pig production.