Eadd news volume 8

September - December 2011 Volume 8

Youth
in Dairy
Farming

East Africa Dairy Development News Volume 8 Youth in Dairy farming 1

EDITORIAL:

Revisiting the Debate:

Are Young People
Inspired to Earn Through
Livestock Raising?

I start by dedicating this issue to you, African youth who feel The youth in my village are in a cutthroat competition for
frustrated because you cannot find something meaningful to white-collar jobs and a city-based life, having shunned rural
do to earn an income. No, I am not offering a job or any other life and farming. I am sure you have witnessed that too. Today,
easy fix solution here. What I attempt to do is to show you that African cities are overflowing with energetic youth roaming
not all is lost, as there is an untapped area, which many of us streets, seeking un-available employment opportunities, with
have neglected. It is very possible you have also neglected it. I spillovers wandering into dingy corners where they engage in
am talking about Agriculture. crime to earn a coin or two. Sadly, youth remain reluctant to
engage in agriculture-based livelihoods that they view as non-
urban Before you flip over to the next page, please
profitable.
hear me out. Did you know that our continent
development faces a food crisis because we youth continue Why do most youth believe the answer to a blissful future
need not be to ignore farming in search of the ‘easy’ life that lies in employment in the city, and not in agriculture (after all if

detrimental comes with city jobs? Let me put it another way.
In my village, frail, old persons, cheeks sunken
they put their energies in farming they would also solve Africa’s
looming food crisis)? Studies show that we youth not only
to rural from undernourishment and clothes barely turn from agriculture because of poor economic returns and
development, covering their bodies, backs stiffened by long lack of access to factors of production, but also because of an
hours of toiling in farms, mark the general pro- influence of status and social norms. Would an agricultural de-
and in file of food producers. I’m sure this is the sce- velopment program that addresses these key challenges make
this case, nario in your village, and most parts of Africa. a difference? Perhaps. I believe that a program that identifies
agriculture The Food and Agriculture Organization
the types and forms of agricultural activities that youth desire
would increase economic benefits of agriculture, and enhance
(FAO), reports that the average age of a farmer
the social status and privilege of youth in the sector.
in Africa is 60 years. Now you realize I am not exaggerating facts
to grab your attention. I believe you know that demographic In other words, with workable interventions, urban devel-
trends show that youth dominate the continent’s population, opment need not be detrimental to rural development, and
with approximately 70 percent of its one billion people aged in this case, agriculture. Meaningful long-term development
below 30 years. Now you must ask yourself, where are all these can be actualized with youth-oriented agricultural approaches.
youth? Meaning, African governments ought to address the genera-
tional gap that exists in agriculture with appropriate policies.

2 Youth in Dairy farming East Africa Dairy Development News Volume 8

This calls for confronting the assumptions that: :
►► agriculture has the potential to provide young people in

Contents
rural areas with reasonable livelihood and opportunities
for accumulation;
►► young people working in agriculture would boost the
agricultural sector, rural economy and employment op-
portunities for other youth; and
FEATURE
►► that to be effective, agricultural development programs
must specifically target young people.
New Kid on the Farming Block 4
As a player in agricultural development, East Africa Dairy
Development project is perhaps the first project to confront RWANDA
the assumptions by employing a business approach in the dairy
sub-sector. This has led to the creation of numerous opportu- An Extension Worker Who Leads by Example 6
nities for youth. The project does not restrict young people to
their traditional role of only participating in dairy production, UGANDA
but opens up opportunities for the youth to participate in the Youth on the Steering Wheel 7
provision of advisory services, leadership and management of
business associations, as well as involvement in various nodes TANZANIA
of dairy industry.
Graduate Youth Excelling in Dairy Processing 8
You will find in the pages of this newsletter, highlights of
the extent to which youth have participated in EADD’s pro- KENYA
gram. I hope you will learn from these inspiring case stories
how young people can create opportunities when actively in- “Rural Life is the Best” Dairy Farmer Asserts 9
volved in agriculture, and allowed to bring a different perspec-
tive that strengthens our efforts in reducing rural poverty and FOCUS ON EADD 2
promoting rural development.
Scaling Up and Out: 10

Gerald Mutinda, 11 Eadd Kenya UPDATES
Regional Manager 12 EADD Uganda Updates
Dairy Productivity, Gender Youth 12 EADD Rwanda Updates

Progress of Youth in Dairy Farming 14

FEATURE

New Kid
on the
Farming
Block

He first caught the eye of the Kenya public during the Brookside
Breeders Show 2011. A fresh faced young IT specialist who had tak-
en the plunge into dairy farming and defied all odds to make sev-
eral hundreds of thousands of Kenyan shillings from it each month.
Since then, Douglas Kanja, who recently turned 27, has held several
media interviews leaving a trail of re-ignited dreams and renewed
hope in an industry whose future – pundits’ claim- looks bleak in
Kenya; because young people have denied it their attention.

T
he “new face of a farmer” is what Alice Makochie’ng, This sees him waking up by 4am to visit the farm for a brief-
EADD 2 Mobilization Manager, baptized Douglas Kanja, ing and meeting with the workers before reporting to his 8am
on meeting him. The title befits him, for Kanja redefines job in Nairobi. He also holds a monthly meeting with his eight
the image of a farmer and shatters the picture Kenyans have farm attendants to monitor progress. “They record reports on
painted for a long time. In place of the lagged, resigned, retired, each cow every day, and give it to me for entry in our computer
old look many people associate with farmers, Kanja presents system which automatically generates a weekly report on Sun-
young, smart, vibrant, cool, confident and successful. In place day. So as a new week begins, we know what to monitor; like
of gumboots are highly polished shoes, and the overall farmer’s expected births, estru (heat), any illnesses, expected milk produc-
wear has been replaced by a well-cut fitting suit. With an ipad tion.” To ensure he has enough feed, he uses the out grower
and IT credentials to boot, Kanja the farmer is also a comp system, where his neighbors grow foliage which he buys in ad-
whizz kid. dition to processing his own feeds at another portion of the
land. “This way, I have minimum costs and my neighbors have
Car out, Cows in
a market for their foliage. It is a win-win situation,” he states.
Sometimes, all it takes to ignite a fire and a passion in a person He has also learned how to maintain optimum feeding to in-
is a simple walk through the woods, reading a book or words crease production from his herd. For example, he makes his
in a song. For Kanja, all it took to begin a journey in dairy farm- own dairy meal feed at the farm using a variety of products like
ing was an IT assignment in Naivasha. As fate had it, his cli- maize stalks, maize seeds, wheat, lucern, alfafa, and sunflower
ent’s neighbor kept dairy cattle. As, “a lover of animals since seeds. It costs him KES1600 to make a 70kg sack of dairy meal,
childhood,” the farm re-ignited in him a desire to keep cattle.
while the same retails around KES 2400-2700.
At around that time, Kanja had saved just enough money to
purchase his dream car. He put the car dream on hold and He acknowledges that marketing remains a challenge for
decided to embark on a journey that would change his life and many farmers; and notes that he is fortunate a signed contract
catapult him to unexpected national fame and symbol of in- to supply to Brookside has freed him from worrying about
spiration. marketing and he can instead concentrate on production. In
the future however, and with accumulated savings, Douglas
“After the assignment, I visited Kenya Agricultural Research
hopes to start a processing firm, “I draw inspiration from pro-
Institute (KARI) to find out more about dairy farming. They gave
cessors like Githunguri, they did it and so can I; so can many
me a list of farms that I could visit and learn more. I ended up
other farmers if they are mentored.” Kanja hopes to grow his
visiting 64 farms across the country. By the time I completed the
herd internally to over 1000 heifers in the next five to ten years
visits, I was convinced that I wanted to do dairy farming. With
and at the same time improve their quality. To achieve this, he
my savings, I bought three cows in 2008.” He put up the cows
uses sexed semen (meaning?), which increases the probability
in a portion of his family’s 20-acre land in Kimende along the
of heifer birth by 90 percent, “I have no business with bulls,” he
Nairobi-Naivasha highway. Today his herd is growing past the
laughs. He has also put measures in place to reduce calf mor-
one hundred mark, 35 of which he is milking and supplying at
tality rate, “I have segmented the calf years from 0-3, 3-6, and
least 500 liters of milk to Brookside Company at KES 27 to KES
6-12 months and care for each stage differently. Out of 20 calves
30 a liter daily. He estimates that 60-65 percent of his income
birthed in the farm I lose one.”
covers production costs and the rest is profit.
Technology is the present, and Douglas intends to incorpo-
Kanja reflects on his journey and recalls the challenges that
rate it in his farm management. “I monitor all the farm activities
an ordinary dairy farmer faces. “I was new to dairy farming and
through my computer using software specifically developed to
management was a big issue which was made complex by the
keep production and health records of all cows in such a way
fact that there is scanty information on dairy production in Ke-
that I can forecast production and tell when a problem is about
nya. I also faced an inadequate supply of feeds and veterinary
to occur before it occurs. I hope to use IT to increase efficiency in
services were hard to come by. Once I started producing milk
management of the farm and reduce on production costs. We
there was the challenge of markets.” To overcome the challeng-
are already coming up with a surveillance system –something
es, Kanja states that he decided to use a “hands on” approach
like CCTC- to monitor all aspects of the farm. It’s a journey.” He
to manage his farm, as opposed to “phone farming” where the
encourages youth to view dairy farming as a business venture,
farmer monitors his farm by making frequent phone calls to
because there is growth and opportunity.
farm managers.

RWANDA

An Extension Worker
Who Leads by Example
By Jacqueline Kayitesi found myself back home in my country,” says the soft-spo-
ken father of two. His return was full of uncertainty.
Fred Muwanda, 30, knows very well the power of coach-
ing to transform lives. For the past three years, Fred has Fred’s first job as a farm manager earned him 60,000
worked primarily on dairy farming as an extension worker francs ($95) per month. In 2008, EADD interventions be-
and trainer of trainers through EADD. He credits EADD as gun in his area and it was a fortunate break for Fred because
having given him a platform to network with farmers and he already knew what it took to keep a farm running and
other stakeholders and today boasts an agro-vet shop in look after animals. He resigned from his job, signed up with
his hometown and recently enrolled in a veterinary college. the program as an extension worker and received training
in animal health and AI services. Fred made a commitment
We met Fred in his busy agro-vet shop in Kiramuruzi, a
to visit farmers in their farms every day. “I spend most of
small town located in eastern Rwanda, an hour’s drive from
the time in the field ensuring animal health, AI, and train-
the capital Kigali. As a trainer of trainers and extension
ing farmers on how to manage their farms.” On seeing the
worker, he empowers farmers to become self-suf-ficient
potential in dairy he established an agro-vet business which
and help their societies in not only milk production but
has grown from making a profit of USD 82 to USD 150 per
also economic growth. “My area of coverage is four sectors
month. These profits present a valuable sum by the stan-
and I service over 800 cows per year.”
dards of the quiet town.
According to the EADD breeding team, Fred has reg-
“Meeting with farmers that benefit is a way of advertising
istered an artificial insemination (AI) success rate of 68-74
my agrovet business. I have three competitors in town but
percent since he started actively serving farmers in 2010.
am able to make 150,000 Francs (USD 150) as profit from
Underscoring the importance of his work and business, he
the shop alone. Through the cooperative, I have met many
reminisces back to seven years ago, when he first arrived in
farmers living in urban areas and sometimes they hire me
the area. “Farmers would use one bull for about 20
I am hoping cows or more, and that made it difficult to control
to supervise their farms in the village since they know EADD
that we, young diseases and of course this system was not productive.
has trained me. I have saved enough to go back to school to
pursue a diploma in veterinary services. In addition to that,
people, will EADD has contributed a lot in dairy farming systems
I also have some investments,” Fred confides with a smile.
in this area. As a service provider, I have good income
work towards and other farmers have increased their incomes too.”
“I bought a plot of land and a house. I am hoping that we,
reviving the Asked if he would consider closing shop and chang-
young people, will work towards reviving the economy.”

economy ing jobs, Fred quickly says, “No, no, no, I like this job
because I can do my business and also serve farmers.”
Not all has been rosy for Fred though. Following ethnic
friction in Rwanda in 1959, Fred’s parents sought asylum in
Uganda where he grew up and attended school. Perhaps
owing to adverse circumstances, they never returned to Jacqueline Kayitesi is a Communication and ME Officer at
Rwanda. Not Fred. On completing college in 2003, “I just EADD Rwanda .


UGANDA

Youth on the
Steering Wheel

By Brian Kawuma shareholder in the cooperative as that would authenticate his
business and introduce him to potential clients.
By the age of 17, Sam Kajimba already played the role of bread-
winner for his family. Today he is out and about his transport Soon after the new project, Sam started
By early 2009,
business in Kiboga West Cooperative Society in central Ugan- collecting more milk from his “clients” as their
da by dawn. His father’s death in 2008 forced him to drop out farm yields increased. His portfolio also grew as Sam collected
of senior three in secondary school and take on the role of new farmers joined the industry. By early 2009, and vended
breadwinner for his mother and five siblings. he collected and vended 140 liters of milk
daily. “I was overwhelmed. There was so much
140 litres of
Four years later today, Sam reflects, “I felt stuck. Dad did
milk in different places, I subcontracted cyclists milk daily
not leave us any property, I had to find a job,” he adds. Sam
who would transport milk on my behalf,” he
resorted to vending milk. Every day he would start an 18-mile
recalls. He paid the cyclists UGX. 60,000 (USD 30)
journey to collect milk from dairy farmers in Kyankwanzi for
monthly. Sam eventually bought his own bicycles
sale in Lubiri trading center, several kilometers away. He would
and hired three permanent staff. As business grew,
sell an average of 80 liters a day, making a profit of 50 Uganda
he bought a motorcycle that would enable him
shillings from each liter. As business thrived, Sam hired a bicycle
transport larger volumes of milk more effectively
at a small fee to help in building the volume of milk he trans-
and efficiently.
ported, thereby increasing his income. He also struck an agree-
ment with farmers that he would sell their milk for five out of For the industrious youth, milk transport is
seven days a week and keep the proceeds from milk collected only the beginning of actualizing his dreams.
over the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) as compensation Through the proceeds, he has started to di-
for transport and labor. The proceeds from this arrangement versify his income by buying bulls for fattening
helped in accumulating his first savings. and resale. In 2010, he bought his first batch of
15 bulls that he fed for over 9 months.
Change in Fortunes He later sold them and bought 30
In 2008, EADD started implementation in Kyankwanzi and mo- bull calves; two for the value of
bilized smallholder dairy farmers, sensitizing them about differ- each bull he had sold. Sam says
ent aspects of dairy farming. At this time, the farmers experi- his biggest joy comes from af-
enced several challenges like low milk yields, unreliable markets, fording school fees for his
poor milk prices and delayed pay. Naturally, they embraced the siblings. He hopes to build
idea of a registered cooperative where they would collectively a house and buy a pick-up
bulk and market their milk, in addition to benefiting from ex- truck to ferry more milk.
tension services that would increase their dairy yields. How-
ever, a different thing attracted Sam; the op-portunity to grow
Brian Kawuma is a
his transport business through projected increased milk yields.
Communication Officer
He figured out that to do so successfully, he would become a at EADD Uganda


TANZANIA

Graduate Youth Excelling
in Dairy Processing

By Alice Mako’chieng inability to cope with the dry season - between August and
October - the company has found it difficult to supply their
Three Tanzanian youth are making it big in dairy farming. The customers. This hampers their efforts to expand.
trio, who live in Morogoro region, are led by Victor Mfinanga
4. Lack of understanding about the dairy business and
the Managing Director of Shambani Graduates Ltd. They start-
milk collection by the pastoralist farmers negatively affects
ed the enterprise that is trailblazing in youth and entrepreneur- consistency in supply and quality improvement. As a result,
ship in dairy farming, in 2006. It is a breath of fresh air in a sector the company has resorted to organizing and undertaking con-
often characterized by older people. stant training and extension work. This has stretched its focus
from its core business of processing and marketing.
The graduate of Tanzania’s Sokoine University of Agricul-
ture (SUA) decided against moving to the city to swell the 5. The youthful farmers would also like a simple in-
novative information system that can help small processors
It requires ranks of unemployment. They instead settled
for using their newly found skills to invest and
manage their supply chain efficiently as well as map a better
route to market their products.
sheer guts improve dairy farming in their locality. Today
6. The farm aspires to expanding into the Ultra Heat
to just do it the company not only collects and sells milk
Treated (UHT) business that does not require a cold chain.
from farmers, but also produces yoghurt made
and make of natural fruit flavors like passion, strawberry
This kind of business suits the local environment in Tanzania
where refrigeration in many stores and homes in a huge chal-
it happen and banana. They market their products as far lenge.
as Dar-es-Salaam, the capital of Tanzania.
Indeed the key to mobilizing productivity in agribusiness
is to create a strong value proposition to attract young people
Major Highlights: back to the land by providing support and other business en-
1. From an intake of only 30 liters in 2006, the firm ablers. Above all, it requires sheer guts to just do it and make it
currently processes 1,100 liters per day, and has a capacity to happen. For now, the three farmers are a tremendous inspira-
process up to 4,000 liters. tion to other young people, not only in Tanzania, but also in
2. The farm has three milk collection centers, serviced the entire region.
by Maasai farmers around Morogoro region. As with Maasai
culture, milk is mainly the domain of women but due to the
steady income the women have been getting from the busi-
ness, and seeing the improvement in their families’ livelihoods,
men are also turning to dairy keeping.
3. The farm’s major challenge is the oscillating milk
supply, falling as low as four times the supply during high
season. Because of this unpredictable supply and farmers’ Alice Mako’chieng is the Regional Project Mobilization Manager,
EADD Regional Office


KENYA

“Rural Life is the Best”
Dairy Farmer Asserts

By Ann Mbiruru and he easily accesses the market through the farmers business
association. He credits this to EADD experts from whom he
This youthful urban to rural migrant “wishes” he had known
says he learned optimum feeding to increase production from
that “rural life is the best.”
his herd, as well as growing his own foliage that remarkably re-
Back to the Roots many youth, urban life is fashionable. It duces his cost of production.
promises greater opportunity. Riches-sans back breaking work,
“Father barely milked 5 liters of milk per day from three cows
right? Wrong! Paul Kimani disagrees. Caught by the media
and had no access to markets. The roads were impassable and
hype, Paul relocated in the 1990s, from his rural home in Olka-
getting to the shopping center to sell milk would take a whole
lau, a district in Kenya’s Central Province, to Mombasa, the Ke-
day. Then we only fed cows on Napier grass, but today I grow
nyan coastal town. To his shock, there was no easy well paying
my own lucern, desmodium and alfafa that when consumed by
job waiting for him. To make ends meet, he resorted to selling
the cows, increases their milk production. EADD
scrap metal, to “fill in the joblessness gap” before he landed his
has changed the shape of dairy farming in this I do not mind
“dream job. Life was expensive and hard. I spent all my income
paying for food, rent and transport. I had no savings,” he says.
area. Because of the farmer association, there are if my children
The big job never came. By the 15th year, he went back
businesspersons who specialize in collecting and
transporting milk for farmers. This saves us time
decide to
home, a prodigal son with nothing to show from his sojourns and we concentrate on production. We now have practice farming
in the city. Today Paul tells a different story. In his three acre a chance to increase our incomes and there is no because I now
farm,he tends to fodder and mixed food crop, and waters the turning back.”
cows every other hour. By evening, his wife and three children know you can
Four years on, Paul has never regretted his
join him in milking, with 10 liters being the lowest he expects
decision. He receives payment for his milk in
make money
from each of his two Friesian cows. His income has risen five-
fold from KES 3,000 ($32.--) to KES 15,000 (approx $161).
time. Being part of the farmer group comes with from it
other freebies as its MOU with a local bank, Eq-
He remembers vividly the day he moved back to Olkalau uity, has enabled him to take a loan to expand his farm. Paul
in 2008. “I did not know what I would do, but I knew I had bet- believes that, “Milk production is increasing because farmers
ter prospects at home.” EADD started implementation in Ol- have access to more information about dairy farming, access to
kalau around the same time. After the team visited his village extension services,
for mobilization, Paul was convinced to give dairy farming a and ability to negoti-
chance, even though he was skeptical, as he had witnessed his ate for better prices
dad practice it for many years without much results. He signed as a group. I do not
up as a member at the Olkalau Dairy Farmer Business Associa- mind if my children
tion where he would supply milk. decide to become
When Paul first heard of artificial insemination and the op- farmers because I
portunity it presented in improving his breed, he immediately now know you can
bought the idea. Today he boasts two heifers and hopes to make profits from
grow his herd to a number that he can sell to other farmers. His it.”
milk production is higher than what his father ever witnessed,


FOCUS ON EADD 2

Scaling Up and Out:
Creating Sustainable Business Models

T he East African Dairy Development (EADD) project is a
10-year dairy industry development initiative funded by
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, targeting smallholder
funding and implementation. This is mainly as a result of the
project’s track record and the goodwill the farmers have cre-
ated in the market.” Given the gains made in EADD 1, the scal-
dairy farmers in East Africa. The project, implemented by a ing up and out of EADD 2 anticipates that an additional 500
consortium of partners is led by Heifer International and in- 000-farmer families may benefit from EADD interventions in
cludes ILRI, TechnoServe, ICRAF and ABS-TCM. dairy farming.
A four-year pilot (2008-2012) was implemented in se- This inclusive approach puts sustainability at the core of
lected districts of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Results from EADD’s work in building business models from the farmer-up
a mid-term evaluation show that the project achieved most that are more sustainable and impacting for many beneficia-
of its milestones. As a result, Bill and Melinda Gates Founda- ries.
tion expressed an interest to continue supporting the project
into phase 2, popularly known as EADD 2. This new phase may Sustainability and Impact
commence in mid 2013, and would see the project scaling up are the twin words
and intensifying activities in the existing countries, as well as
scaling out in to two new countries: Ethiopia and Tanzania. EADD 2 will continue to create and build farmer businesses
centered on the Hub Model to connect more small-scale dairy
In preparation for the scaling up and out, earnest stake-
farmers to markets. Building hubs that can endure changing
holder consultations and fact-finding missions have been on-
social economical and political climates entails identifying and
going across the five countries. EADD Regional Director, Mo-
working with key actors in the dairy value chain.
ses Nyabila, and Regional Project Mobilization Manager, Alice
Makochien’g, lead the missions. EADD 2 will not be a new proj- The vision of EADD remains developmental. As such, sus-
ect but a continuation of EADD 1, with more emphasis in key tainability of hubs is important. To achieve this, EADD works
learning and building partnerships. EADD 2 strongly believes with the boards and management of hubs in strengthening
that, creating strong sustainable partnerships with key partners and anchoring them on robust commercial principles.
in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approach is the way to
transform the dairy industry in the countries of operation.
Moses explains that, “We are embarking on this pro-
cess of building partnership early. Beginning from pro-
posal development stage so that the resultant
project has a broad
stakeholder buy-
in from the word
go, with more
partners willing to
take their fair share
and work-
ing with
us in proj-
ect devel-
opment, co-


Local level producer groups face several challenges in main- A shared responsibility of Public Private Partnership (PPP)
taining sustainable commercial based business. To counter this, approach will bring about lasting change. It is also a wake-up
the proposed EADD 2 plans to bring in more partners with di- call for governments to stake up on investments in agribusi-
verse skills each focused to resolve a given challenge. The part- ness, especially supporting small-scale producers. In the end,
ners will come from the private sector to manage expertise in we all hope to transform the dairy sector in East Africa to take
the project that will benefit local communities through shar- its rightful place as a key agricultural contributor to the Gross
ing responsibility and key learning between local communities, Domestic Products (GDPs) of the economies of the region.
the government, donor partners and the private sector.

high demand by farmers exhausted
EADD KENYA the straws in three weeks. The compa-
At the same time, Sot dairy
opened three new agro-vets in vari-
UPDATES ny that has 228 members also opened ous locations in addition to a satellite
financial services in August. cooler at Longisa market center. The
EADD Kenya, in the Rift Valley
move will enable members of the dairy
Province, celebrated growth in the Kapcheno Dairies, also in the to access agro-vet advances. The sat-
activities of farms that are in the pro- province, started a new satellite ellite cooler will ensure that farmers in
gram. In October, Tanykina Dairy Plant cooler located in Ndurio. In the same far areas easily access milk collection
Limited not only moved from rental quarter, farmers in the area initiated services. Estimates indicate the sat-
premises to its own newly constructed the Mitigation of Climate Change in Ag- ellite cooler will collect an average of
building, but also made a bold move to- riculture (MiCCA) project, and formed 1,400kgs of milk per day.
wards improving the quality of its milk the Kaptumo cluster, which brings
by banning the use of plastic contain- farmers together to bulk and increase
ers and introducing aluminium cans. milk volumes, giving them an edge in
Kenya’s Minister for Livestock Devel- negotiating for better prices.
opment, Dr. Abdi Kuti presided over
Still on milk production, milk vol-
the relocation, accompanied by the
umes increased in various sites, with
area MP, William Ruto, who launched
most farmer business associations op-
the Kipkarren Financial Services Asso-
erating at over 100 percent capacity.
ciation branch in Lemook. .
Tinderet Dairies reported collection
of 6,000kgs from Maraba and Koilot
sites; as compared to 1800kgs collect- Lelan Highland Dairies suc-
ed in the two sites at the same period cessfully lobbied the government to
last year. Kipkellion Dairy Plant Lim- undertake road repairs in the area;
ited reported a collection of 9,000kgs while with the purchase of a 15,000-li-
per day as compared to 4,000kgs col- tre milk tanker, Metkei Multipurpose
lected per day in the second quarter. Limited improved the quality of milk
Elsewhere, Kabiyet Dairies Siongiroi dairy collected a volume of in the center. The bacteria load count
Company Limited purchased a 10,000 50,000kgs and Sot dairy had a sur- reduced from 12 million in May, to
milk-tanker to improve the quality of plus volume, handling over 12,000kgs 570,000 in September.
milk by maintaining the cold chain of a day. This has enabled the DFBAs to
milk on transit from the chilling plant to negotiate competitive prices with pro-
the processor. And Lelchego Com- cessors on behalf of farmers, leading
pany Limited reported an impressive to increased profitability for the chilling
uptake of Artificial Insemination (AI). plants. Chepkorio Dairy Company Lim-
Having received its first AI tank con- ited consistently operated at over 153
taining 100 straws in September, a percent capacity during the quarter.


for both staff and dairy farmers. The result in over 1,000 farmers benefit-
EADD UGANDA Uganda office has also set up a gender ing from 3,000 AI service providers, AI
UPDATES resource center that has various gen- infrastructure, training in breeding, re-
der resource materials. cords and feeding, by December 2011.
The collaboration has led to more
A regional gender and youth farmers receiving farmer advisory ser-
training workshop was conducted vices on breeding.
in Jinja, Uganda, with 23 participants
from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. The Four DFBAs, two in Jinja, one
training aimed at equipping EADD Gen- in Nakaseke and the last one in
der working focal persons and team Kayunga, were registered to le-
leaders with skills of identifying and ad- gally operate as co-operatives. And
dressing youth and gender concerns. It EADD exhibited at the Annual Source
also focused on identifying opportuni- of the Nile Agricultural Trade Show
ties that youth and women can exploit alongside Heifer International. The in-
in order to increase their participation in novative exhibition won a trophy for
dairy related activities from household, best exhibitor, livestock, and was third
community and chilling plant levels. runner up overall.
Key action plans developed included
EADD has continued to support
training of field extension workers and Finally, EADD Uganda project
Uganda farmer business association
DFBA leaders, and supporting forma- staff participated in a two-day re-
in development of annual operation-
tion of youth groups and linking them treat (26 – 28 October 2011) at Silver
al plans. 44 annual operation-planning
to various funding opportunities. Springs Hotel, Bugolobi, Kampala. The
meetings with 1,520 participants drawn
retreat doubled as a strategy and plan-
from the associations leaders, commu-
Elsewhere, EADD conducted ning meeting, where the draft AOPB
nity mobilizers and extension providers
a youth entrepreneurship-train- (write in full) for the no-cost and cost
have so far taken place. All four clus-
ing workshop, benefiting 168 youth extension periods was developed.
ters participated in 28 farm-based field
drawn from all the four clusters. 121
days that trained farmers on mod-
men and 47 women participated. The
ern day dairy farming. 2,700 farmers
training aimed to educate youth in EADD RWANDA
participated.
dairy farming in order to increase their UPDATES
awareness and level of participation in
leadership and agri-business activities EADD has continued to sup-
at household, community and DFBA port Uganda farmer business
levels. The workshop’s objectives in- association in development of an-
cluded: orienting youth participants on nual operational plans. 44 annual
dairy industry; dairy business chain op- operation-planning meetings with
portunities; introducing the youth to the 1,520 participants drawn from the
concept of working in dairy groups and associations leaders, community mobi-
under dairy cooperative societies; and lizers and extension providers have so
sharing practical experiences on the far taken place. All four clusters partici-
dairy value chain. pated in 28 farm-based field days that
trained farmers on modern day dairy
Meanwhile, EADD initiated a Further, EADD Kicked off a farming. 2,700 farmers participated.
collaboration with Department of collaboration with SCC-Vi Agro
Gender and Women Studies, MUK, forestry, aimed at ramping up AI Rwanda is experiencing a milk mar-
aimed at supporting EADD in gen- technology uptake in nine sites of Sem- ket crisis since April 2011. The crisis
der mainstreaming of its activities babule and Mityana Districts. This will was caused by an increase in milk


production from 14,000 liters in April c. Various government ministries will EADD Rwanda exhibited with dem-
to 38,000 liters in June, in the East- explore market opportunities to onstrations of Artificial Insemination
ern Province. Access to markets and Inyange equipment, good milk quality practic-
enhanced interventions in dairy by es and high quality feed and fodder.
d. Ministries of Agriculture, and com-
EADD, among other partners, has re- The project was awarded a certificate
merce, and the leadership in East-
sulted in the increase in production. of recognition.
ern Province, will collaboratively
In June, Rwanda’s main processor,
draft policies that will ensure access EADD Rwanda has commis-
Inyange, announced that 1.5 million lit-
to market, water and electricity, in sioned a consumer market survey
ers of processed UHT milk lay unsold
order to stimulate development of that will end in mid January 2012. The
in scattered warehouses in Kigali. As a
dairy farming. survey seeks to identify factors that af-
result the company scaled down milk
fect milk consumption. The results of
collection, from between 20-30,000
the survey will help identify key priority
liters per day in quarter two to 8,000-
areas for intervention.
10,000 liters per week in quarter three.
This marks a 25 percent decrease in
Chilling Plants have aggressively
farmer prices from 200 to 150 francs
sought relationships with alternative
per liter.
market traders. Matimba DFBA is par-
ticularly evaluating the opportunity to
reopen the cheese processing busi-
Meanwhile, the technical staff ness. The Nyagatare Dairy Farmers’
of milk processors, Savannah and Union has been evaluating milk-mar-
Inyange, visited New Kenya Co- keting options, and in quarter three,
operative Creameries (NKCC) in the dairy farmers’ union visited Rusizi
Kenya, accompanied by management District, a town bordering DR Congo,
of Inyange and its parent Compa- for a possibility of installation a cold
ny, Crystal Ventures. The processors room to hold milk targeting the market
were exposed to best practices of set- in Bukavu town in DRC. Bukavu has
Following the milk market crisis, ting up an efficient milk supply chain, a population of approximately 4 mil-
the country’s new Prime Minister, appropriate packaging and market lion people. Dialogue is ongoing with
Pierre Damien Habumuremyi led a segmentation. the Rwanda Milk Traders Association,
high-powered delegation on a visit to a representative body of about 2,600
the Mbare and Kirebe chilling plants, as milk traders operating in Rwanda.
well as the processor, Savanah, in a bid
To strengthen sustainability pillars,
to find a sustainable solution. He was
Rwanda country team has mobilized
accompanied by various government
chilling plants to set up DHES.
officials and Heifer International/ EADD
representatives. Most DFBAs in Rwanda cannot
afford to hire a DHES due to financial
The visit brought about the following EADD Rwanda participated in constraints. To counter this challenge,
positive resolutions: a 10-day exhibition from 20 to 31 EADD has placed its contingency funds
a. Inyange Industries will take over October 2011. All seven districts of to assist MCCs hire the DHES by meet-
Savannah plant in the Eastern Eastern Province participated in the ing 50 percent of the DHES salary for a
Province exhibition attended by players in eco- period of one year. To date, three sites:
nomic and social sectors, and private Matimba, Gahengeri and Gasi, have
b. As a result of the takeover, Inyange
business. International exhibitors came committed to raising the other 50 per-
will collect 33,000 liters per day
from neighboring countries in the East cent of the DHES salaries, and have
African region, and as far as Pakistan. been set as piloting sites.


Progress of Youth in Dairy Farming
By Alice Mako’chieng

The dairy farmer business associations / cooperatives in the showed that young women were less likely to participate in
EADD consortium are making great progress in inclusion of collective action compared to young men.
youth in the businesses. As at the end of June 2011, there was
The participation of youth as shareholders was reported
an encouraging number of registered youth farmers in those
at 24 percent, 17 percent and 10 percent in Kenya, Uganda
associations. Kenya reported 27 percent and Uganda 15 per-
and Rwanda, respectively. The youth in Uganda represented
cent of youth as being active as either members or sharehold-
47 percent of active suppliers, 15 percent of them being young
ers. However, the proportion of young women registering as
women. However, it is worthwhile to note that most milk
business association members was only 9 per-
Women youth cent in Kenya and 6 percent in Uganda. Previ-
transporters are also vendors, meaning they collect and supply
milk on behalf of several farmers. In Kenya and Rwanda, youth
constitute 12 ous findings from EADD base¬line survey and
participating as active suppliers constituted 21 percent and 18
percent of mid-term evaluation report showed that young
percent respectively, with, again, young women making a low
women were less likely to participate in collec-
the overall tive action compared to young men.
of 9 percent and 5 percent in Kenya and Rwanda respectively.

model farmers The dairy farmer business associations / co-
On average women youth constitute 12 percent of the
overall model farmers profiled by EADD across the region. Of
profiled by operatives in the EADD consortium are making
this, Kenya reports 22 percent (7 percent women) and Uganda
EADD across great progress in inclusion of youth in the busi-
13 percent youth (3 percent women).
nesses. As at the end of June 2011, there was an
the region encouraging number of registered youth farm- Employment opportunities in management, leadership,
ers in those associations. Kenya reported 27 per- or extension services by the dairy hubs have attracted and
cent and Uganda 15 percent of youth as being active as either benefited many young people. Most have at least secondary
members or shareholders. However, the proportion of young education and tertiary skills. Our reports indicate that youth
women registering as business association members was only make-up 70 percent of the business associations/cooperatives
9 percent in Kenya and 6 percent in Uganda. Previous findings management payroll in all the countries of operation. The par-
from EADD baseline survey and mid-term evaluation report ticipation of young women in tapping these opportunities is

Table 1-EADD June 2011- Key Youth Performance Participation Data
KE UG RW Overall

DMG, DFBA membership, Shareholding and Economic participation
% Of youth registered farmers in DFBAs 27 9 15 6 21 7
% youth farmers constituting CP shareholding 24 7 17 5 10 4 17 5
% of youth farmers constituting CP/TM active suppliers 21 9 47 15 18 5 29 10
% of Youth constituting Model farmers 22 7 13 3 0 0 12 4
% of youth hired in CPs/DFBAs 63 19 76 11 73 21 70 17

Participation in Leadership, decision making management structures
% Youth composing Board of directors 9 4 24 3 15 4 16 4
% of youth in BODs trained equipped with leadership skills 313 171 128 136 100 100 180 136
% of youth as Extension staff (AI, ESA, AHA, TOTs) 56 14 42 1 44 7 47 7


again low at an overall average of 17 per-
cent. This means that for every 100 Chill-
ing Plant/DFBA generated employment
opportunities, youths will take up 70 with
young women filling up 17 of the positions.

Participation in
Leadership, decision-
making and management
structures
The number of youth participating in
DFBA boards has risen with an overall aver-
age of 16 percent, where Uganda stands at
24 percent, Rwanda 15 percent and Kenya
9 percent. The total percentage of youth
constituting front line exten¬sion workers
stands at 47 percent, out of which women
make up only 7 percent. Some of the rea-
sons advanced for the low recruitment of
women relate to low number of females
taking up agricultural science courses, un-
attractive conditions in the rural areas and
the EADD/DFBA terms of engagement.


Imprint
East Africa Dairy
Development
Regional Office
P.O Box 74388-00200, Nairobi,
Nairobi
eadd@eadairy.org

www.eadairy.org
Like us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/EADDProject

Edited by:
Ann Mbiruru

Contributors:
Brian Kawuma,
Gerald Mutinda,
Jacqueline Kayitesi
Alice Makochieng
Jane Kithuka

The East Africa Dairy Development project is
a regional industry development program led
by Heifer International in partnership with
ILRI, TechnoServe, the World Agroforestry
Centre (ICRAF) and the African Breeders
Service Total Cattle Management (ABS-
TCM). The project is being implemented
in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

Eadd news volume 8

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