Agriculture plays an important socio-economic role in Vietnam. Animal production is expanding due to the continuous increase in demand resulting from high demographic growth in urban areas and changing food habits. Livestock development is a strategic policy of the Vietnamese government due to its potential contribution to employment creation and income generation. Increasing ruminant production requires large areas of land for forage production, however, and as there is already considerable pressure on land in Vietnam, the intensification of forage production is essential. Furthermore, the majority of farmers have limited access to appropriate technologies and improved knowledge, posing a major constraint to the development of more profitable livestock development activities. Participatory analysis was conducted in partnership with farmers in several provinces in North Vietnam. The main problem farmers identified in relation to ruminant production was shortage of grass during the winter. In response to this finding, agronomic researchers set about providing new forage species (Avena, Lolium, Medicago, Vicia, etc.) and testing them under farmer-managed conditions. The establishment of close linkages among farmers, extension workers and researchers throughout the study ensured that local knowledge and new technologies were combined in practice, enabling participating farmers to better understand research results and thereby disseminate appropriate innovations more effectively amongst their peers. The temperate forage species Avena strigosa exhibited the best adaptation to local conditions and farming systems, together with highest production levels and good nutritive value. In the first year of the project (2003/2004), 0.1 hectares were planted in one province by two farmers who were mobilized for the experiment; three years later (2006/2007), around 150 hectares will be planted with temperate forage species, with more than 650 farmers involved across seven provinces