Characterisation of Dairy Systems in the Western Kenya Region

From the Executive Summary
In the second phase of the Smallholder Dairy Project (SDP), as well as continuing work in central Kenya, attention was given to western Kenya where lessons learnt from the central and coastal regions of Kenya would be applied. Western Kenya shares a number of features that present an opportunity for smallholder dairy research and development. The climate is favourable for dairy production and average farm sizes are declining rapidly due to increasing population pressure.

These characterisation surveys follow in the sequential process from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis to identify potential sites and participatory rapid appraisals (PRAs) in the selected sites. Prior to these there were sub-regional reviews. Each step informs the design and analysis of next study, building each time a better knowledge and understanding of smallholder agriculture and dairy systems and the constraints, and refining the recommendation domains for the pilot interventions to be selected with farmers, market agents, regulators and policy makers. This study was expected to inform the next stages if more in depth studies were required in a particular area.

The objectives of the western Kenya dairy production characterisation survey were to:

• provide baseline data describing the status of the production sub-system;
  
• learn farmers' objectives and rationale in farming;
  
• identify and understand factors influencing dairy production, and the constraints and opportunities available to increase production;
  
• understand linkages between the production and consumption, processing and marketing systems, and their influences on production;
  
• identify recommendation domains for developing policy and technical interventions;
  
• identify and prioritise researchable issues that, if addressed, will be expected to generate technologies that can impact positively on the dairy system development.

In addition, and as a continuation to the surveys conducted in the other parts of the country (central district and the Rift Valley), the exercise was to provide an opportunity to:

• identify homogeneous groups of smallholder dairy producers in western Kenya based on household and farm resource endowments, production systems and market participation;
  
• further test and refine methodologies for the characterisation of dairy production systems, target group identification, and constraint and opportunity analysis to be used in other places with similar set-ups and potential for research and development.

The surveys in western Kenya were designed to gather information on broad agricultural activities. Survey sites were selected based on features described by the spatial mapping of factors crucial to dairy farming.

The research team included staff from International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MOARD). The main factors were spread of people, cattle, towns and roads. Factors that describe natural dairy potential: rainfall and humidity, altitude, soils and disease risk were also used. To cover as much of the variation in a district, two sub-locations were picked from each of the two most dominant clusters. At each site individual household interviews were held. A total of 1,576 households were interviewed using a questionnaire designed and pre-tested by a survey team consisting of MOARD, KARI and ILRI staff.

Results showed most households were agricultural and of those, more than two thirds had cattle. The Zebu cattle were more than 40%, while grades were only 13% of the households with cattle. This distribution did not change between households with cattle and those without. There was high preference for Zebu cattle, contrary to the fact that the agro climatic potential is extremely favourable for grade cattle production and the demand for milk is quite high in the region. Although tethering as the main system of keeping cattle is on the decline, stall-feeding is not very common.

The survey highlights the growing importance of dairying as indicated by the prevalence of milking cows and heifers in the herds. The main system of keeping cattle was grazing with some stall-feeding, but very little zero grazing was practiced. Grazing was mainly associated with the Zebu while stall-feeding was associated with crosses and grade animals. Cut and carry was common across all animal types whether Zebu or grade. But only less than 16% of the households supplemented their cows with concentrates.

About a fifth of the households purchased fodder and stored forage for the dry season. Maize was used as a fodder crop by removing thinnings to reduce the density by the majority of the farmers, but a third also used the extra plants to feed livestock. The survey shows potential for improving animal productivity through more intensification and utilisation of crop livestock interactions. There is room to further improve on the productivity of animals through better forage production and management.

Overall there is a need to study factors influencing the predominance of subsistence production and less of market orientation and specialisation.