In Laos, smallholder cattle farmers rely primarily on natural grassland grazing, which needs to be improved for fattening. Notably, most cattle prices are determined by the middleman, by looking, so buyers tend to undervalue their price, which makes cattle farming a minimal investment. Urea-Molasses Block (UMB) supplements can effectively enhance a nutrient diet in low-quality roughage systems. This study aimed to determine factors affecting UMB and farmers’ Willing To Pay (WTP) for UMB as a new input material with data from six villages, two districts of the Vientiane Capital, in January and July 2019. The results indicate that farmers with relatively high education, consent to the positive effect of UMB, and previous experience purchasing feed during the dry season are more likely to pay a high positive WTP. The average WTP for UMB ranges from USD 5.7 to 6.5 per month for one cattle, which is approximately 10.2~11.6% of current annual costs for average smallholder cattle farmers. These findings will be significant in improving productivity at the initial development stage of farms in Laos, especially for smallholder farmers.

ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
UREA-MOLASSES BLOCK
METHOD
    1. Contingent Valuation Method
    2. Empirical approach
SURVEY AND DATA
    1. Research area
    2. Survey procedure
    3. Summary statistics
RESULTS
    1. Response from the bid
    2. Estimation Results
    3. Willingness to Pay for UMB
CONCLUSIONS
적 요
REFERENCES

• Ryeong Im Kim(Milk for Lao, Pakxapmai village, Xaythany district, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR) | 김령임 (밀크포라오)
• Taeyoon Kim(Graduate School of International Agricultural Technology, Institutes of Green Bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University) | 김태윤 (서울대학교 국제농업기술대학원) Corresponding author