Adoption of a Leucaena-Based Cattle Fattening System in the Dompu District of Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia

Cattle fattening using Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) as the source or the main component of the cattle’s diets is one of the proven innovations that can provide financial benefit to cattle farmers. The objective of this study is to evaluate the adoption of Leucaena-based cattle fattening and identify the factors contributing to the adoption and diffusion of these improved practices. A mixed method approach was used to understand the adoption of Leucaena and cattle management by local farmers who participated in the early stage (2017) and those who participated in the later stages of the project (2018–2020). The study showed that male Bali cattle (Bos javanicus) that were fed Leucaena-based diets grew two times faster than cattle fattened on grasses. This increased live weight gain and, subsequently, faster sales and increased profits. This may account for the rapid adoption and diffusion of Leucaena-based cattle fattening in Dompu through farmer-to-farmer learning, effective facilitation, demonstration trials, and linking farmers to end markets. To sustain the practice change, the project facilitated the development of an agribusiness support center (ASC). Sustaining the ASC requires further efforts that include internalization of the project outcome into the local government program.

以银合欢（Leucaena leucocephala）作为肉牛日粮来源或核心组成部分的肉牛育肥技术，是经证实可为养牛农户带来经济收益的成熟创新方案之一。本研究旨在评估基于银合欢的肉牛育肥技术的应用情况，并明确推动该改良养殖模式推广与扩散的影响因素。研究采用混合研究方法，对参与项目早期阶段（2017年）与后期阶段（2018-2020年）的本地农户的银合欢应用及肉牛管理实践展开调研。结果显示，饲喂银合欢日粮的雄性巴厘牛（Bos javanicus）的生长速度是饲喂牧草育肥牛的两倍。该优势提升了活体重增重速率，进而加快了出栏节奏并提高了养殖收益，这或可解释基于银合欢的肉牛育肥技术在Dompu地区通过农户间互助学习、有效技术扶持、示范试验以及对接终端市场实现快速推广与扩散的原因。为巩固这一养殖模式的变革成果，该项目推动建立了农业综合企业支持中心（agribusiness support center，ASC）。要维持该中心的可持续运营，仍需开展进一步工作，其中包括将项目成果融入地方政府工作规划之中。