FARMER’S

LOGBOOK

Tam Thi Le, Giang Thi Thu Luu, Elisabeth Simelton, Chi Thi Linh Le,
Tuan Minh Duong, Hoa Dinh Le, Huong Thi Tong 2017
 Farmer’s Logbook

☐ Solar calendar ☐ Lunar calendar

Household’s name: ................................................

Address: ..................................................................

Notetaker (Mark X for all persons who take note)

☐ Wife ☐ Husband

☐ Children ☐ Others (specify): ....................................

Log period
From (date)............................... to (date)...........................

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SUMMARY
This logbook is designed for farmers to observe weather, management,
outputs, and impacts of a farming practice. This logbook aims to:
• encourage farmers to document their observations and
management;
• to monitor and evaluate interventions; and
• to encourage social learning.
Use one logbook for each practice. The logbook has been slightly modified
for use in other contexts.

LOGBOOK OVERVIEW
I. General information about agricultural practice
1.1. General information about crop and tree
1.2. General information about livestock

II. Management of this agricultural practice

2.1. Management of crop and tree
2.2. Management of livestock

III. Benefits of this agricultural practice

3.1. Household consumption and income generation
3.2. Other benefits of this agricultural practice

IV. Extreme weather events during this crop season

V. Other information

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This logbook was based on the original Vietnamese texts and was tested
with upland farmers who are involved in the two CCAFS-funded projects,
namely “Using climate service to enhance the adaptive capacity of
women and ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia (ACIS)” and “Generating
evidence base for upscaling local adaptation through Climate Smart
Agriculture”. ACIS is co-implemented by the World Agroforestry Center
(ICRAF) and CARE International in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia while CSV
is implemented by ICRAF in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam and International
Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Yen Bai province, Vietnam.

These projects are under the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change,
Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), which is carried out with support
from CGIAR Fund Donors and through bilateral funding agreements. For
more details please visit https://ccafs.cgiar.org/donors. The views
expressed in this document cannot be taken to reflect the official opinions
of these organisations.

For more information contact: icraf-vietnam@cgiar.org

© 2017 World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF Vietnam), Hanoi, Vietnam and
CARE International in Vietnam

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I. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
1.1. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT CROP AND/OR TREE
1.1.1. DESCRIPTION OF CROP AND/OR TREE PRACTICE
What do you e.g. monoculture of upland rice OR orange, peanut system etc.
call your
practice?

Area (m2)

Components What do you plant? How many plants do you

and amounts have on the field?
Kg of seed planted or
Number of seedlings/trees
e.g. orange 500 trees/ ha
1.
2.
3.
4.
Other

What ☐ Monoculture ☐ Water use efficiency

technique(s) do ☐ Crop rotation techniques (drip irrigation)
you apply for ☐ Intercropping ☐ Rain water harvesting
this practice?
☐ Diversification of ☐ Compost/
types and/ or varieties of vermicompost/ green
(tick X for the manure
crops or trees
technique(s)
☐ Agroforestry (crops ☐ Other(s):...........................
that you apply
mixed with trees and/ or .............................................
for this
livestock on farm) .............................................
practice)
☐ Contour-line planting .............................................
☐ Mulching .............................................

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1.1.2. GROWTH STAGES OF CROP/TREE

Name of... Plant 1 Plant 2 Plant 3 Plant 4

Date for... ............. ............. ............. .............
E.g: Sowing seeds (if 2 crops Maize Sweet
in the same field) 20/10 potato
26/10
Sowing seed (if any)
Planting seedling/ tree (if
any)
Panicle initiation (if rice)
Flowering initiation
Seed or fruit initiation
Other comments
(e.g. if more than 4 types of
crop/ tree)

1.2. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT LIVESTOCK

Name of animal Animal 1 Animal 2 Animal 3 Animal 4
............. ............. ............. .............
Area of sty/pen (m2)
Date when raising of
livestock started
Number of livestock
when raising started
Age of livestock
when raising started
What technique(s) do ☐ Biogas
you use for each ☐ Bio-bedding – use effective microorganism
animal? ☐ Vermiculture to treat manure
☐ Composting
(tick X for the ☐ Improved sty/pen/cage
technique(s) that you
☐ Improved breed
use for this practice)
☐ Improved feed, specify: ..............................
☐ Other(s), specify:..........................................

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II. MANAGEMENT
2.1. CROP/ TREE PROTECTION
2.1.1. FERTILIZER APPLICATION
Compost Date for Type of Amount Price If
application application compost (specify (VND/ kg, different:
(if any) unit: kg, VND/unit, for which
ton) if buying) crop/ tree

Chemical Date for Type of Amount Price If different:

fertilizer application fertilizer (specify (VND/ kg, for which
application unit: kg, VND/unit, crop/ tree
(if any) ton) if buying)

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2.1.2. PESTS, DISEASE AND WEED MANAGEMENT
PEST, DISEASE AND WEED PREVENTION
Date of Methods applied Name of Effects of method
application crop/ tree applied, explain

e.g. 31/8/ Prune branches of Mac tree With this method, I

2017 support trees and and pepper observe that fungi
pepper’s branches diseases reduced
which are near to because more air can
the ground pass through

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CROP/ TREE GROWTH OBSERVATIONS
Date Which crop/ Describe symptoms, pests and diseases
tree (If any)
Impact on plant (low, medium, high)

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PEST, DISEASE AND WEED CONTROL
*Note: Specify both use of biological or chemical control, e.g. tobacco
water, predators, etc.
Pest and Date for Type of Amount Price
disease application of pest and (specify unit) (VND/ kg,
control controlled disease VND/unit,
(if any) method control * if buying)

Herbicide Date for Type of Amount Price

application application of pest and (specify unit) (VND/ kg,
(if any) herbicide disease VND/unit,
control * if buying)

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2.2. MANAGEMENT OF LIVESTOCK
2.2.1. HEALTH
DISEASE PREVENTION METHOD
Date of Methods applied Name of Effects of method
application livestock applied, explain

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HEALTH ISSUES OR DISEASES OBSERVATION
Date Which Describe symptoms (if any)
livestock? Impact on livestock (low, medium, high)

DISEASE CONTROL
Date of Type of Amount Price
application treatment (specify unit: shots, pills, (VND/unit,
litre, bag, gram...) if buying)

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2.2.2. FEED
Feed Type of feed Amount of feed How often?
sourced (specify how many Times per
from farm kg of feed for how day?
and many heads of which Times per
household livestock) week?
waste
(if any)

Buying Date of Type Amount bought for Price

additional buying of feed which livestock (VND/Kg)
feed (specify unit: kg,
outside ton...)
(if any)

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III. BENEFITS OF THE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
3.1. HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION AND INCOME GENERATION
* Note: Specify all products sold and used by household (manure, fruit, seeds,
leaves, animals sold etc.)
Harvest Harvested Total Household Purpose Amount Price
date Product amount consumption of use sold (VND
harvested (kg) (kg) /kg)
(kg)

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3.2. OTHER BENEFITS OF THE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Note: Please note your observations of the benefits of using components
(crops, trees, livestocks) and techniques mentioned in section I.
Benefits to Explanation
Example: after using compost the maize got darker
green leaves and became less drought sensitive
Crops/
trees/livestock
(growth rate,
leaf colour,
yield...)

Soil
(colour,
structure,
texture,
moisture,
fertility,
organic
matter, micro
organism, soil
erosion etc.)

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 Benefits to Explanation
Water
(water
available,
water source,
water colour,
smell, ground
water level
etc.)

Air
(smell, smoke
etc.)

Other
(specify)

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IV. EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS DURING THE CROP SEASON (IF ANY)
* Drought, hot spells, dry wind, flooding, storms, cold spells, frost, tornado
etc.
Date Event/ Damages
(or estimated
date)

e.g. 15-17/April Drought. Beans lack water, yellow leaves...

V. OTHER INFORMATION

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