Project Name
Code: 2.8
Enhancing Animal Production through Raising the
Capacity and Capability of Vietnam’s Nutritional
Agricultural Laboratories
Australian Personnel K Reichmann
Australian Institution Animal Research Institute, Primary Industries (DPI),
Queensland
Vietnam Institution IAS
Project Duration July 2001 to June 2003
Project Description
The ability to achieve an economically efficient livestock production system and to
improve the quality of agricultural research and advice in Vietnam is dependent on the
capacity of feed laboratories to provide reliable nutritional and analytical data. Vietnam’s
laboratories currently lack the resources and skills to meet both industry needs and the
higher accreditation standards for Quality Assurance (QA) set as a Government objective.
The proposed activity will assist laboratories to meets these industry needs and
government goals by:
(1) reviewing existing systems, equipment and analytical requirements
(2) selection and documentation of analytical methods and QA systems,
(3) addressing basic laboratory skills and expertise in QA,
(4) development, installation and training in laboratory information systems.
These together will ensure the Vietnamese have access to a valid and accurate database of
nutrient information on a wide range of Vietnamese feedstuffs used in animal feeding,
thereby enabling animal industries to improve production and income by better matching
what feeds provide to what animals need for most efficient growth. It will also actively
encourage a greater degree of standardisation and coordination between laboratories in
North and South Vietnam.
Objectives
The major objective is to enhance Vietnam’s capacity for rural research, development
and education by improving the quality of its analytical laboratories, its skill base and
systems. It also seeks to foster partnerships not only with Australian scientists but also
between scientists and technicians in North and South Vietnam with the development of a
comprehensive national QA Program for their agricultural laboratories.
These objectives will be achieved by:
♦ Expanding skills levels at the laboratory level with a training program that is
specific to their technical needs.
♦ Establishing QA programs in the major laboratories that will improve the
quality of scientific data and allow them to achieve a higher Government Quality
Standard.
♦ Collating nutrient data on traditional and alternative feedstuffs into a
comprehensive database that will provide the basis of feed information for
educational programs for farmers and for Least Cost diet formulation by animal
production extension officers.
♦ Standardisation and technical cooperation between participating laboratories in
Vietnam by utilising proficiency programs, uniform training, QA and
methodologies and a common recording and description system based on a
reference database.
Using the ‘train the trainer’ model the skills and knowledge acquired by the laboratory
staff trained at ARI will then be transferred to their colleagues, thus multiplying the
overall skill and training levels of local technicians. Over the long term this will directly
benefit agricultural research and development capability in Vietnam.
Whilst the primary focus will be on achieving a successful outcome from the 2 major
laboratories, the reviewers may see value in visiting the Institute of Post-Harvesting
Technology (Hanoi) and the Sub-Institute of Post-Harvesting Technology (Ho Chi Minh
City) for a one day review and, also, possibly substituting one technical officer from each
of the Institutes for training at ARI (in the second year) in place of one or two technical
officers from NIAH (or IAS). This will have a neutral effect on the budget.
The proposed activity has a focus on those objectives highlighted in the CARD program,
so that real sustainable benefits can accrue to Vietnamese farmers, both large and small-
holders, and their agricultural enterprises. It aims to enhance capacity building at the
laboratory level through enhancement of the skill base and the development of improved
QA systems.
Subsequently, this will enhance the research and education in Vietnam and flow down to
the extension and farming sectors that use this information in producing income from
animal production. This activity has the potential to complement a variety of other
overseas aid projects, including CARD activities, that depend on determinations of
nutrient composition and animal productivity.
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Outputs and Performance Indicators
Outputs Performance Indicators
a) Establishing a QA Program that bears
relevance to the needs of agricultural
analytical laboratories in Vietnam and
incorporating the following specific
outputs.
♦ Documentation of standardised methods
of nutritional and feed quality assays for
both research and development and
commercial requests in the nutritional
area.
♦ A proficiency program and quality control
system to ensure the quality of analytical
nutritional results and which could be
monitored by ARI.
♦ Systems to ensure that laboratory
equipment is managed, calibrated and
serviced to help ensure higher standards
of analytical accuracy.
♦ QA systems to ensure a greater level of
certainty with respect to sample
identification and documentation etc.
♦ Evaluation of the capacity to utilise a
laboratory management computer system
(LIMS) to collate, manipulate and store
data and the benefits, in terms of
minimised human error and maximised
rigour, efficiency and reliability in the use
of this data, that would accrue from using
such a system.
♦ Reviewing the range and use of scientific
equipment, addressing areas of critical
need with the acquisition of minor
equipment items and appraising the
suitability of NIR technology for feed
analysis in these laboratories.
i. Manuals of methods and one
summarising the overall QA program.
ii. A valid quality control program and
proficiency program (probably based
on an inter-laboratory comparative
testing program).
iii. Number of technical staff undertaking
training, transfer of these skills to
other staff and skill level/commitment
to QA by technical staff after a
defined period.
iv. Programs to manage equipment and
ensure calibration on a regular basis.
v. Systems in place to track samples
efficiently.
vi. Assessment/recommendation for the
use of a LIMS system; development
of a basic LIMS and training in its use
and on-going development.
vii. A report on the use of scientific
equipment and the potential for NIR
technology.
viii. A functional feedstuffs database using
existing values for analysed feedstuffs.
Training in the use of the database.
ix. The number of laboratories involved
in the QA program and the level of
cooperation and standardisation
between laboratories.
x. Commitment to the utilisation and on-
going expansion of information
contained in the database.
(b) Improving the skill levels of laboratory
technicians, in particular those related to
QA systems, by undertaking specific
training programs in Australia and
Vietnam.
(c) Establishing a database of nutritional
values for local feedstuffs and guidelines for
the expansion of its data content.
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PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT
Executive Summary
The project has essentially met objectives within both time and budget guidelines.
Operationally the project has proceeded as planned. The three visits by the Australian
scientists to the Vietnamese laboratories were successful in that the reviews of their QA
systems, methods, skills and equipment were completed, audits were undertaken on each
visit, training in QA, general methods, equipment maintenance and in the use of the
Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) was achieved, the LIMS system
was developed and installed in both laboratories along with associated computers and
software, a comprehensive workshop on QA and LIMS was conducted in Vietnam for a
wide audience and the project’s progress and outcomes were reviewed.
Likewise, the visits by eight Vietnamese technicians and scientists, as well as the
Vietnamese coordinator of the project, to the Animal Research Institute (ARI) was
successful given the knowledge and skills they acquired during the training courses. They
were able to adapt this knowledge to upgrade their own QA systems and plan for a LIMS
to specifically meet their needs. The additional training of an extra three months for two
technicians to learn more advanced methods was arranged during this time.
It is believed that the outcomes achieved have been significant. In addition to the
outcomes related to the principal objectives there have been other benefits. These include
a greater level of understanding and cooperation between the laboratories in North and
South Vietnam and improved networks between a number of laboratories in Vietnam and
ARI. Both the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of South Vietnam (IAS) and the National
Institute of Animal Husbandry (NIAH) have made substantial progress towards higher
accreditation levels for QA in their laboratories. Full documentation is in place and
systems have been improved. NIAH should achieve full International accreditation at the
end of this year. IAS has also progressed their QA but the lack of sample throughput, due
to the lack of infrastructure in the new laboratory, has restricted full implementation of
QA systems and their assessment by auditing. They expect to meet higher Government
standard accreditation within a few months.
The review of systems and equipment helped formulate the QA program and establish the
LIMS. It assisted in helping to prioritise equipment and computing needs and their
purchase and successful installation. It also identified equipment maintenance problems
that we were able to assist with by providing training, some repairs and servicing
equipment. These outcomes have contributed positively to instigating more effective QA
systems.
Training outcomes have been quite successful. This has included the acquisition of
enhanced skills in the areas of basic and advanced laboratory techniques and methods, in
all aspects of QA, and in the use and understanding of LIMS. Two technicians were able
to spend an additional three months at ARI undertaking training in advanced QA and
methods skills as a consequence of approval to reallocate savings in budgeted travel to
this exercise. Training skills, as well as information on QA, has been passed on to staff in
other Vietnamese laboratories and one of these staff members was able to visit ARI as
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part of the training program.. The workshop undertaken at IAS provided staff involved in
the project and other staff and managers from a variety of Government and private
laboratories with a wider understanding of the application and benefits of both QA and
LIMS systems. The level of feedback from this workshop was positive and substantial
and showed a growing interest in these subjects.
New computers, purchased locally with Project funds, were in place at IAS and NIAH
and the LIMS software was installed together with hardware and software linking the
analytical balances to the LIMS. Additional customisation of LIMS features has occurred
and further modifications are still required. Training and practice on the ARI LIMS
system occurred during the ARI workshops and has contributed to the development and
planning of the systems to be used in Vietnam. This system will allow the tracking of all
samples received, the automatic calculation of results, manipulation and storage of data,
and reporting of results electronically and in hard copy form. This will provide the basis
of a database of nutritional values for feedstuffs used in Vietnam, however, additional
commitment from the Vietnamese laboratories is necessary to ensure this has universal
application nationwide. Issues of common sample descriptors and managing the database
need to be resolved. While the LIMS system has had a significant practical outcome,
there has been a number of requests for additional modifications and customisation and it
became apparent that, in order to maximise the utilisation and benefits of the system, a
number of major additions to the system were required.
These requirements have arisen because of the absence of a computer network in both
laboratories, a desire to install the LIMS in two associated laboratories at IAS which need
to maintain some independence in their operations while having common sample
registration and tracking, an ongoing dependence on paper to disseminate analytical
results to customers necessitating the ability to produce detailed individually customised
printed reports and an absence of any formal IT structure to provide ongoing support for
either hardware or software applications within the institutes in Vietnam.
Because most of these modifications involve changes to the data structure they need to be
performed onsite rather than remotely. They will be more easily implemented, with less
chance of data loss or corruption, if carried out at an early stage before large amounts of
data are accumulated. It is therefore recommended that-
1. The major changes to the LIMS are completed before the end of 2003.
2. Where possible that this work be carried out by the officer responsible for the
initial program development.
3. Residual funds from the current project be transferred to the Vietnamese
project leader for the specific purpose of these upgrades and ongoing
maintenance of the LIMS.
The lead institution has performed to expectations. Financial acquittals have been
undertaken accountably while reports have been submitted on time. Information relevant
to contractual changes has been provided promptly and honestly. Strategic planning was
comprehensive and took into account the needs of the Vietnamese Institutions. The views
of all contributing staff were considered before deciding on an appropriate approach.
Some flexibility was required to meet circumstances such as delays in travel and
resourcing issues for the Vietnamese laboratories. Operationally the project met
timeframes. Arrangements to commit savings in travel to facilitate additional training for
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