Competitiveness of Smallholder Milk Production Systems in Uasin Gishu County of Kenya

In Uasin Gishu County of Kenya the rapidly declining household land sizes are a pre-requisite to increased intensification in dairy production. Although various dairy production pathways are used by farmers in the County, it has not been established which one of them would be comparatively competitive to enhance commercialization process and lead to attractive returns to smallholders investing in milk production. The objective of this paper is to estimate competitiveness in the smallholder dairy production sector in Uasin Gishu County. Stratified sampling and proportional sampling followed by random sampling within the stratum were employed to select 246 smallholder dairy farmers. Zero grazing, semi-zero grazing and open grazing production systems are analyzed separately using the gross margin, net margin and return on investment. The results indicate that the gross margin and net margin in smallholder milk production (Kshs/liter) were significantly influenced by the intensification pathway adopted. The gross margin and profit per liter decreased with an increase in the level of intensification with free grazing system and zero grazing having mean profit of Kshs. 20.19 and Kshs. 8.25 respectively. The returns on investment for free grazing, semi–zero grazing and zero grazing milk production systems were 34.07%, 40.22%, 25.67% respectively. Intensive milk production is relatively more profitable, however profitability of milk production/liter however reduced with intensification due to the higher feed and labour costs in more intensive systems. In conclusion, smallholder dairy production was an economically viable enterprise in Uasin Gishu County. Milk producers need extension services and finance to improve on feed production and utilization technologies in order to increase their profitability. Suggested future works include determining the options of improving market access so that it’s positive contribution to dairy competitiveness is strengthened. Keywords: Milk production; competitiveness, profit and intensificatio

Assessing the Economic Efficiency of Dairy Production Systems in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

The objective of this paper is to estimate economic efficiency in the dairy production sector in Uasin Gishu County of Kenya. Zero grazing, semi-zero grazing and open grazing production systems are analyzed separately using the Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier cost function. In a second stage we examine the degree to which the calculated efficiency correlates with a set of explanatory variables using a censored regression model. The results indicate that each of the three milk production systems is relatively inefficient, with potential in all cases for reducing input costs or increasing output. Economic efficiency increased with the level of intensification of milk production, with open grazing, semi-zero grazing and zero grazing attaining 0.43, 0.51 and 0.69 respectively. The maximum likelihood estimates of milk production were an increasing function of cost of feeds and equipment in the three production systems with statistical significance of 5%. The estimated determinants of economic efficiency were positively related with education and social capital, and negatively related with gender, land size and market access. Keywords: Dairy production; Economic efficiency; Frontier cost function and Intensificatio

Milk quality and hygiene: Knowledge, attitudes and practices of smallholder dairy farmers in central Kenya

Milk production is an important livelihood source for smallholder dairy farmers in low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Kenya. However, milk quality and safety are a challenge due to unhygienic handling and non-adherence to food safety standards. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and adoption of milk quality and food safety practices by smallholder farmers in Kenya.Ten Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), involving 71 smallholder farmers, were held to collect qualitative data on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) of smallholder dairy farmers in Laikipia, Nakuru, and Nyandarua counties. Additionally, data were collected through a cross-sectional administered to 652 smallholder farming households. The results of the study revealed low knowledge level and negative attitudes towards respecting antibiotics treatment withdrawal periods, milk quality standards and food safety regulations. Farmers stated they had received low levels of training on milk quality and safety standards. The majority of farmers adopted animal health measures and hygienic measures such as hand washing and udder cleaning. However, unhygienic milking environments, the use of plastic containers, the use of untreated water, and lack of teat dipping compromised milk quality and safety. Currently, milk production, handling and consumption could expose actors along the dairy value chain to health risks. The adoption of milk quality and food safety practices was influenced by farmers' knowledge, socioeconomic characteristics, and choice of marketing channel.There is a need to improve farmers' knowledge and attitudes and implement hygienic control, disease control and antibiotic residue control practices in the milk production process to meet required milk quality and food safety standards. Awareness campaigns and training programmes for smallholder dairy farmers could foster behavioural change and lead to an improvement in milk quality in Kenya