Dụ is weeding the green elephant grass field of the Li-chăn project. The field is about 1,000 square metres, growing green elephant grass at the foot of the hill and Guinea grass at the top. I have decided to raise more cows and build a shed. So, I want to try and find out which grass variety is better before scaling up so that I have enough fodder for my cattle.
Currently, I have three cows and one buffalo. I have enough grass because I have sugarcane leaves in the dry season. However, there will be a shortage of fodder if I expand the herd. In Chiềng Lương commune, we run out of fodder in April and May because there is no longer a supply of sugarcane leaves. From June to October, the fodder supply is sufficient as elephant grass is available. From November, sugarcane tops are used to feed the cattle again.
Narrator and photographer: Lý A Trống (Hmong, 43 years old)
Person in the photo: Sồng Thị Dụ, wife of Trống (Hmong)