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From Partnership to Impact: Transforming Kenya’s Smallholder Dairy Systems

In Kenya, over 1.8 million smallholder farmers produce more than 80% of the country’s milk, yet productivity remains low due to high feed costs, poor forage systems, and weak links between research and farmers.

The Dairy Kenya Ireland Project funded by the Embassy of Ireland Kenya / Irish Aid linked the Kenya
© European Union 2026

By combining adaptive breeding, climate-resilient forage systems, and institutional innovation, the the Sustainable Dairy Farming initiative, led by KALRO in partnership with Teagasc and Greenfield International, is improving productivity, reducing costs, and strengthening farmer resilience amongst the 1.8 million smallholder farmers producing 80 percent of Kenya’s milk.

Farmer Innovation and Learning Hubs and co-operative supported networks continue to support knowledg

European Union 2026

Supporting knowledge exchange through farmer innovation and learning bubs and co-operative supported networks.

The initiative is addressing constraints such as high feed costs, poor forage systems, and weak links between research and farmers, by promoting forage-based dairy systems capable of supplying over 90% of animal nutritional needs. At its core is an innovative model that connects research, extension, and farmers through Dairy Innovation Support Units and cooperative-led Farm Innovation and Learning Hubs.

 

 

Key achievements

  • Demonstrating how improved forages can double milk yields resulting in higher farmer incomes and increased milk supply to cooperatives.
  • Increased farm incomes are impacting positively on household income and are being reinvested locally, stimulating rural economies and creating sustained incentives for continued technology adoption.
  • Farmer Innovation and Learning Hubs and co-operative supported networks continue to support knowledge exchange, sustaining peer-to-peer adoption beyond the project's direct reach.

The project demonstrates a scalable model for dairy transformation, delivering improved productivity, climate resilience, and value chain integration.

This Kenya-Ireland partnership demonstrates how long-term investment in knowledge systems and local institutions can deliver sustainable transformation in smallholder agriculture.