Constraints to Increased Milk Productivity and Coping Mechanisms in Smallholder Farms in Bomet, Nakuru and Nyeri County Milksheds in Kenya

Abstract

The demand for milk and dairy products is rising despite the low milk yield from smallholder dairy animals in Kenya. The aim of this study was to document dairy production system, constraints and coping mechanisms in smallholder farms in three milksheds consisting of New Kenya Cooperative Creameries in Bomet county, Happy Cow Limited in Nakuru county and Mukurweini Wakulima Dairy Cooperative Society Limited in Nyeri county in Kenya. A semi structured questionnaire was administered to 1146 dairy farmers in the three counties. Data collected included livestock inventory, feed resource and feeding systems, mating system, farm milk production and milk network, challenges in dairying and coping strategies. Nyeri had higher milk productivity at 8.3 liters per cow per day followed by Nakuru (5.7) and Bomet (5.4). The limitations to dairying included feed shortage (48.7%), lack of credit (17.4%), poor quality of available genetics (17.0%) and low farmgate milk prices (16.0%). The coping strategies to increasing milk production included increasing number of dairy animals (28.2%), improving animal genetics (25.3%), producing more fodder (21.9%) and purchasing feed (9.4%). The coping strategies adopted to alleviate feed shortage included reducing feed offered to dairy cattle (51.4%), prioritizing feeding of milking cows (33.7%) and selling stock (14.9%). In conclusion, poor dairy cattle performance was attributed to feed shortage and poor farmgate milk price. Coping strategies to increasing milk production included increasing number of dairy animals and improving animal genetics. Coping strategies to alleviate feed shortage included reducing feed offered to dairy cattle and selling stock.