Geographic Dimensions of Livestock Holdings in Vietnam - Spatial Relationships among Poverty, Infrastructure and the Environment

Livestock play a crucial role in the livelihoods of a large number of the world's poor. Livestock-related policy decisions, however, are often based on sparse and generalized information. Better information and knowledge on livestock production patterns, and their relationships with structural and environmental realities, is therefore crucial for effective pro-poor policy making. The geographically heterogeneous nature of these factors illustrates the need for an explicit spatial dimension in information and knowledge development. This working paper presents the results of an analysis of spatial data relevant to livestock production Vietnam. The paper introduces the types of spatial data that are relevant and available for Vietnam; provides a geographic overview of livestock holding patterns in Vietnam; presents the results of a spatially explicit explorative analysis of relationships among livestock holding patterns, poverty, environment and infrastructure; and outlines possible directions for further analyses towards enhancing understanding of these linkages.