Untitled - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Unesp

For the first two years, VBAIT received free of charge LN 2 and frozen semen from the
program. Thereafter, these items are paid by the VBAIT at cost, taking into consideration the two years
establishment of VBAIT costumer relation, allowing the VBAIT to have adequate clientele in their
respective community, and thus is able to generate enough income from their services.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Training of VBAIT
The number of Village-based AI Technicians (VBAIT) trained by the five training centers
from 2006 to 2012 is shown in Table 1. The first two years of VBAIT training implementation (2006-
2007) was important learning period, giving PCC the chance and time to assess both the strategies and
targets. This is because during the second year of full efforts of selection and training, the absorptive
capacities of the training centers were assessed to be only to a maximum 6 trainings/ year instead of the
projected 8 sessions/ year. So instead of the estimated full capacity of being able to train 480 VBAIT/
year, it was only 360 VBAIT / year. Yet despite this estimated capacities, the output of the 5 training
centers was only 241 (CY 2007).
Towards the end of 2007, the program monitoring team gathered field data on the activities of
the trained VBAIT. It was reported that only 24% of those trained in 2006 and 39% of those trained in
2007 were indeed active doing AI in the field. The result of the 2007 evaluation team was the single
reason for the program implementing unit to reassess strategies and targets, and caused the temporary
suspension of training until a revised, more appropriate approach, particularly on selection and
identification of would-be technicians was finalized. In the subsequent year (2008), the training was
resumed but with limited target due to very rigid selection criteria set for prospective trainee. In fact,
the few number of qualified trainee becomes the limitation starting 2008, not the absorptive capacity of
the training centers anymore.
Prior to 2006, the number of private AI technicians was only 56 and represented only 12.0% of
the all AI technicians (442) servicing water buffaloes. By 2012, the number of trained VBAIT (2006-
2012) reached 636 and represent 61.56% of all trained AI technicians, both government and VBAIT.
Training process from 2006 to 2012 resulted in increase of government AI technicians by only 2 folds,
whereas the number in trained VBAIT increased by 11 folds.
Utilization of VBAIT for water buffalo upgrading in the villages
The efficiency of AI technician training, measured in terms of % active in service after training
is presented in Table 1. Prior to 2006, the efficiency of AI tech training was 50.0% and 44.6% for
government AI technician and private AI technician, respectively. For the period 2006-2012, the
cumulative AI technician training efficiency as of 2012 was much higher, 71.7% for government AI
technician and 61.9% for VBAIT.
The surge in the number of trained VBAIT in 2006 and 2007 was followed by high % of
inactivity, and it was found to be associated with poor system of selection of trainees. After 2007, the
selection process became rigid, and thus the number of private AI technicians recommended for
training was dramatically reduced in subsequent years. The overall inactivity among trained
government technicians reached to 28.9% and was lower than those noted among trained private AI
technicians recorded to be 38.1%. The inactivity among trained VBAITs has been associated 70% of
the cases to three major reasons, namely, a) no time to do AI, b) decided to get employment abroad,
and c) transferred to another job (Palacpac, et al. 2013; Pol, 2012).
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