I used to keep buffaloes under the floor of my pillar house without troughs; not even a water trough. This practice made my house constantly wet, affected the animals’ health and allowed parasites to grow. It also affected our human health. Buffalo dung was collected and kept under the floor.
Following guidance from the new rural development programme, I built a shed for my buffaloes at the end of 2019. As the village leader, I did it to set an example for other villagers to follow. We needed to remove the livestock and poultry and build separate sheds for them. The shed floors must be high, allowing the shed to cool in summer. I had to make a feeder, a water trough and a pipe to drain waste.
I also built a separate container to compost both buffalo manure and agricultural by-products. The composting helps the livestock sheds stay clean and hygienic and generates fertiliser for crops. I do not need chemical fertilisers for my garden.
Narrator and photographer: Lèo Văn Quân (36 years old)