PPDP Kenya Market Led Dairy Supply Chain Programme

Results

Key among the activities targeted to achieve the above objectives were farmer mobilizations, establishment of management systems at county and producer organizations (POs) level as well as establishment of sustainable extensions systems. Building the capacitites of POs, farmers and the extension service providers was a priority, with all the mobilised 17,517 farmers being trained through the established extension structures.POs mobilisation and sentization entailed introducing Dairy Farm assistants (DFAs) to officers of county governments, Agricultural Sector Support Program (ASDSP) and POs. Farmers were sentised on the project based on the milk routes per the 24 POs and a total of 656 farmers (457 male and 199 Female) were reached.26th February 2019- field visit to Embu attended by all the partners in the project was a display of close collaboration between the POs, NKCC and great coordination with the ASDSP existing structures. It also unearthed some of the challenges with regard to milk purchase price/payment by NKCC to the POs and the joint deliberation instruments put in place to solve these issues was impressive. Talks to revert ownership of NKCC or allow gradual ownership by farmers into NKCC to enable them recoup their investments and earn better incomes and profits were at the onset and this has been reinforced by the Governments drastic steps to reorganise, restructure and revamp NKCC factories around the country.The farmers we met during the field visit who are organised under dairy management groups also called dairy interest groups who form the local cooperatives, cited increase in their milk collection and membership respectively, since they started their partnership with KEMDAP. The team was impressed with their work. They have plans to invest more in the business and the project will link them to Impact Ventures to seek for funds. They would like to establish a feed milling plant, expand their milk processing and also venture in milk transportation business through involvement of the youth. Availability of quality feeds throughout the year for consistent milk production was still noted as a challenge