NAIROBI, Kenya – Livestock farming in Kenya is crucial for the economy, contributing over 30 pc of the agricultural commodities’ farm gate value and about 10 pc of the national Gross Domestic Production (GDP).
It plays a significant role in the livelihoods of many households, providing income through the sale of animal products and employment opportunities.
With the cattle population expected to rise significantly by 2050, milk and beef production are also projected to increase.
Against this backdrop, experts in the livestock sector have devised critical interventions that Y News understands will significantly boost the industry if adopted.
How can the Kenyan government support livestock farmers
In an exclusive interview with Y News, Guyo Roba, the Head of the Jameel Observatory in ILRI’s Policies Institutions and Livelihood Program, observed that the Kenyan government could help pastoralists with livestock production.
“Which means investing in animal genetics and breed improvement and supporting communities in managing their resources, such as water and pasture,” said Guyo.
He noted that developing strategic water sources for people to access specific resources is one key investment area because dry land is not homogeneous.
“It is heterogeneous, meaning that the resources are distributed in different ways, so you have to develop water points in strategic areas for people to have mobility and essential capability to escape episodes like drought,” Guyo added.
Guyo, who conducts livestock research with pastoralists in Kenya and Somalia, indicated that the government can also support farmers with market systems, which means investing in the entire system and fixing structural issues in the market.
“It can also develop the right infrastructure and the right bilateral agreements or specifications between the buyer and the seller so that the livestock keeper is in a better position to sell their animals to the market for a profitable gain,” explained Guyo.
How the lucrative beef farming is performing in Kenya
Y News knows that the major types of commercial livestock farming in Kenya include dairy and beef farming.
Pastoralists and subsistence farmers in Kenya possess 90 pc of the country’s beef cattle. Patterns of rainfall impact the dispersal of beef cattle. Most animals in the Rift Valley Province are housed on ranches, specifically in the counties of Nakuru, Trans Nzoia, and Kajiado. The counties of Kwale and Kilifi contain larger ranches.
Many regions of Kenya are home to small-scale cattle farms. Investors looking to process meat to export the finished goods are increasingly interested in this industry. Once disease-free zones were successfully established along the Kenyan coast, Laikipia, and the North Rift, livestock began to be exported. The most recent livestock census indicates that Kenya has 5.4 million beef cattle.
When reached for comment, Boniface Kiteme, the Director of the Centre for the Training and Integrated Research in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Development, which is based in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, told Y News that programmes that help tap all potentials outside pastoral activities are needed.
According to Kiteme, pastoral activities can also be described as nature-based solutions or investments.
“We also need to see that the core pastoral activities are managed in a manner that can provide livelihoods without endangering the ecosystems they depend on for survival,” he explained.
What is the current status of Kenya’s dairy farming
Further, it is emerging that small-scale dairy farming produces 80 pc of the country’s milk, while large-scale dairy farming, where animals are raised only to produce milk for sale, accounts for 20 pc of the total.
The New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) is the largest milk processor among individuals. Eldoret, Nairobi, Limuru, Nakuru, and other locations have several medium-sized milk processing facilities.
The past several years have seen a notable increase in milk production and the processing of its byproducts, including yoghurt, butter, cheese, ghee, and powdered milk.
When dairy imports peaked in 2005, 10 million tonnes were exported. A recent livestock census found that Kenya had 3.7 million dairy cattle.
Why livestock insurance is crucial amid climate change effects
Meanwhile, Guyo announced that livestock insurance is becoming a key issue due to the devastating effects of climate change.
“But as long as livestock insurance under the subsidy is one key to minimising the cost, the long term is to invest in the entire system because livestock production encompasses production, marketing, and extension,” Guyo added.
Guyo also noted that essential policies must be in place to help people access international markets, preferentially enter profitable markets, better brand their products, and better market certain products depending on the species that they keep.
“So, the government and any other investors can make efforts to help people manage their livestock deaths and ensure that people profit from their animals because animals are assets, and you need to invest in them for prosperity. One of the best things that is key, specifically in managing the animals on a larger scale, is mobility,” Guyo explained further.
How Kenyan women can be supported to enhance livestock production
According to Guyo, women are the people who take care of small stock, such as sheep and goats, poultry, and weak animals in the herd.
“There are also good emerging opportunities where women have started participating in the market in pastoral areas: the sale of sheep and goats (current accounts), cows are like saving accounts and caramels like fixed deposit accounts,” he explained.
So, for sheep and goats, Guyo told Y News that some have better management skills and oversee marketing because the income from the sale is what they use to buy household items.
“Undoubtedly, they are already putting their footing into this space. I am saying they need to be supported in expanding their space, which also improves gender participation in production and marketing,” said Guyo.
Y News has further established that a rise in pork eateries, especially in peri-urban areas and meat processing plants, pushed up pig sales by 7.8 pc, and 388,200 pigs were slaughtered, up from 360,100 in recent years.
On the other hand, the country’s chicken population is anticipated to rise to 178 million by 2050.
