Pruebas con distinto número de lados

In order to establish an alternative food network for Ban pork, it is crucial to develop a normative framework (see chapter 1.1) that also accounts for the optimization of the economic profitability of the stakeholders participating in the short value chain. As previously mentioned, Ban husbandry is

rather a sideline activity of remote smallholders with poor access to markets. But, in contrast to semi-intensive producers, the economic outcome of resource-driven production of purebred Ban pigs was hardly affected by the volatility of feed prices, according to the projections by Lemke and Valle Zárate (2008). This lowers the production risk in case acceptable output prices cannot be achieved, however, at the same time, the gross margins and net benefits realized by this low-input low-output system are marginal. Lemke and Valle Zárate (2008) predicted that the resource-driven production of purebred Ban can be economically successful in cases where the output prices per unit live weight would increase by 92% from their baseline scenario. Huyen et al. (forthcoming) showed that by connecting farmers to the niche markets of Hanoi, a rise of output prices in this magnitude could be achievable. Due to the need for almost zero inputs, particularly in terms of feed, the production system of indigenous Ban pigs by smallholders in northwestern Vietnam is not comparable to the situation of specialty pig producers in Europe and the United States, where high quality pork production tends to increase costs because of, for instance, a poor feed conversion of local breeds (Hueth et al., 2007; Bonneau and Lebret, 2010).

The findings of a marketing study analyzing data of the sales of 107 Ban pigs showed that smallholders realized a considerable mark-up per unit of live weight relative to sale on the regional market, but the producers had to sell finishers at low market weights in order to comply with retailer requirements (Huyen et al., forthcoming). The quantity of meat output per sow is, therefore, considerably reduced when high-end niche markets are supplied, and this situation must be balanced against the use of traditional outlets that accept high body weights. But, as long as excessive lipid deposition is not triggered and the quality of fresh pork can be maintained, a moderate increase in the slaughter weights from the current market weights could improve the economic outcome for primary producers as well as downstream actors of the value chain. Paper IV was, therefore, dedicated to pursuing the question of whether a marketing grid favoring slightly increased slaughter weights could improve the economic profitability of the short value chain for Ban pork, in strict accordance with the carcass and meat quality requirements imposed by the urban high-end market of northern Vietnam. Additionally, the potential effects on livelihoods of smallholder farmers in northwestern Vietnam were discussed in this chapter.

In paper IV, live weight classes were formed from a sample of Ban barrows (n = 51) dedicated for specialty pork marketing. The live weight category of 12 to 15 kg, which encompasses the currently predominant market weight for Ban pigs for the urban specialty market (Huyen et al., forthcoming), neither differed in carcass fatness nor in dorsal fat thickness compared to pigs weighing slightly more than 18 kg (paper IV). Likewise, the lean meat percentage was not altered, but oscillated around 40%

among live weight categories. Thus, moderately increasing the slaughter weight had no adverse effects on carcass quality, while the carcass and lean meat weight output was significantly increased.

It is assumed that somewhere beyond a live weight of 20 to 30 kg – the approximate threshold could not be determined in the present study –, a pronounced lipid accumulation in the carcass takes place, resulting in the highly adipose carcasses of heavier Ban pigs recorded by Hau (2008). Besides carcass quality, the meat quality should also not be compromised when elevating the slaughter weight, because a deterioration of meat quality could threaten the market position of Ban pork as

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given that slaughter is carried out manually without prior stunning, stressful conditions around slaughter could interact with the live weight of Ban pigs and their ability to struggle. Therefore, further studies are required to optimize the slaughter process for slightly heavier Ban porkers. The association between slaughter weight and postmortem glycolysis was, however, only noted for the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle, but not for the semimembranosus. Except for a tendency of increased cooking losses of the longissimus thoracis et lumborum, no other negative impact of an increase in slaughter weight on meat color or quality trait was noticed. According to the findings of paper IV, the intramuscular lipid content was not altered by increasing the live weight from below 10 to up to 30 kg. Thus, as shown in paper IV, under the consideration of carcass and meat quality characteristics, a moderate increase in live weight to around 20 kg at slaughter could be feasible. In order to translate this into practice, a marketing grid, accepted by both smallholder producers and downstream actors of the value chain, must be developed.

The set-up of a marketing grid requires the application of attributes suitable for the monitoring and verification of the quality of the produce and, eventually, the quality-based remuneration of producers. The simplest form would be a live weight-based grid. However, considerable animal-to-animal variation in lean and particularly carcass fat percentage within live weight categories indicates that a quality-based evaluation of carcasses, according to slaughter weight, might not be sufficiently accurate (paper IV). For this, as a first approach, a method for lean meat percentage estimation in Ban carcasses based on the “two point” measurement was applied, and, finally, the equation according to the Commission Decision 96/4/EC was fitted (Muth et al., 2015a). But, the high root mean square error of prediction (4.5%) indicated that this method requires recalibration before a routine application for Ban fatteners slaughtered in contracted small abattoirs is realistic. This method and other measures for quality control, such as a measurement of backfat thickness, seem to be applicable only in the midterm in relation to the implementation of a further value adding

“package”, for instance, the development of a brand for indigenous Ban pork. Thus, at least in the current phase, the grid must be, by default, based on the live weights of marketed Ban pigs. In order to enhance the attractiveness for buyers to opt for heavier Ban pigs, two degressive pricing systems were suggested in paper IV. These pricing systems mimic the actual price formation at farm-gate;

therefore, a mutual acceptance of the degressive set-up by the stakeholders is assumed. Because the dressing percentage and carcass quality of Ban barrows was not altered when the live weight was increased to up to around 20 kg, both producers and retailers could benefit from the implementation of these systems. The decline in commodity prices per unit of carcass and lean are demonstrated in paper IV, indicating that clear cost benefits for the retailers could be achieved. The economic outcome for retailers could be even further improved by declined transaction costs per weight unit at increased slaughter weights. García-Macías et al. (1996) reported that economic yield varied according to the genetic makeup of the crossbreds in their study, mainly due to differences in the distribution of cut weights. In contrast to the presented data, the live weight (90 vs. 120 kg) did not influence economic yield in their study. But, García-Macías et al. (1996) utilized a fixed price per unit of carcass as a basis for their calculation, as opposed to the degressive system applied herein. In addition to the benefits for downstream actors by declined commodity prices, the application of a degressive pricing system, along with an increase in market weight of up to around 20 kg, would result in a rise of producers’ revenues of approximately 380,000 to 420,000 Vietnamese Dong per pig sold relative to the price obtained for a pig weighing 12 to 15 kg (+37%). The poverty line of Vietnam has been set to 435,000 Vietnamese Dong per person and month, and, in the northwestern mountainous region, 60% of households fall below this threshold (World Bank, 2012), highlighting

the relevance of this slight increase in revenue. Establishing a value chain that allows the smallholders of remote regions to sell a part of their Ban pigs at a premium, combined with a grid which ensures optimum conditions for both contracting parties, could thus contribute to the overall goal of improving livelihood conditions of smallholders through diversified incomes. The results from these economic considerations, supported by the data of outlets and marketing strategies, and expanded by information on the product and the options of compliance with quality requirements (papers III and IV), further support the recognition of specialty pork production as an additional source of income for remote smallholder producers in northern Vietnam.

Still, the question of whether the specialty Ban pork value chain brings such proposed benefits to farmers and society has yet to be proven, and some skepticism may be appropriate. The actual demand could not be quantified in the marketing study carried out in the same project (Huyen et al., forthcoming). Thus, it could be the case that the market for specialty pork – as was noted for the market for local food products in the Scottish/English border region (Ilbery and Maye, 2005) – could be quickly saturated and prices become too low to maintain the value chain. Ban pork is rather a luxury good, and the demand for this product is income elastic. With less income available, such as during the economic crisis of 2008, the demand for Ban pork is therefore expected to fall. But, as long as the low-input production practices of Ban keeping are maintained, and rural outlets, as well as usage alternatives, are available, a fall in demand would not result in an economic threat for farmers. In addition, free-riders could threaten the stability of the markets (van der Ploeg et al., 2012; Phuong et al., 2014). Therefore, linking a quality assurance scheme to a trademark or a special label for Ban pork, based on selected carcass and meat quality criteria, could contribute to consistency in the quality produced and safeguard stable communication channels among stakeholders in the value chain, as well as support the build-up of a reputation for a trustworthy producer-customer relationship (FAO, 2013). In this respect, a normative framework representing a common pool resource could be constructed around the value chain for Ban specialty pork, protecting the network from competition and market failure. Besides practices aimed at the maintenance of the distinctiveness of the products, this framework needs to incorporate technical and economic parameters that optimize the profitability of the diverse stakeholders of the value chain. At present, the short value chain cannot be coordinated by the cooperative farmers alone without support through research, extension and policy measures. But, in the case that the requisites required for infrastructure and governance are met, sustainable economic utilization of the Ban breed for the benefit of marginalized smallholders in northern Vietnam seems possible. The options for outscaling to other northern and central mountainous provinces in Vietnam, as well as to other similar eco-cultural regions of the Southeast Asian Massif, e.g., in Laos, China and Thailand, should be evaluated in the near future.

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