The Fourth Asian-Australasian Dairy Goat conference (AADGC 2018) was held at Tra Vinh University, Vietnam with nearly 200 participants from 19 countries in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. The theme was Strengthening Development of Dairy Goat Production Adapting to Climate Change. All the papers are published in the proceedings (ISBN 978-604-9). They are also available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NR-FA1XVARRSWgVbFjvtj47jt-IEnk_A/view.

Dairy goat production is increasing across Asia as farmers take advantage of increased prices for goat milk, and governments search for sustainable agricultural activities in the face of climate change. However, many challenges occur when new farmers take up dairy goat production, especially if they do not have strong livestock or commercial background. Training and technology are two key components of successful dairy goat enterprises, as well as markets and transportation. Key research topics include identification of the genetic merit of locally adapted breeds, and development of new and inexpensive feed resources so dairy goats can reach their genetic potential of milk production.

The first Asia-Australasian Dairy Goat Conference was held on April 9th-12th, 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by FAO joined with the University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Department of Veterinary Science, Malaysia and the International Dairy Federation (IDF). That provided a platform to share technical information and experiences and to network for the promotion of dairy goat farming.

Following the success of the Third one, the Fourth AADGC will be held at Tra Vinh University, Vietnam on October 17th-19th, 2018. The theme of this conference is Strengthening Development of Dairy Goat Production Adapting to Climate Change.