Demand and supply changes in the livestock sector and their impact on smallholders: the case of dairying in Kenya: a summary

Abstract

Smallholder dairy production in Kenya is one of the developing world’s success stories. Kenya's improved dairy cattle herd of more than 3 million is the largest in Africa, and significantly is held mostly by smallholders. As a result, dairy production is a major part of the agricultural sector and an important source of livelihoods for at least an estimated 600,000 smallholder farm families in Kenya (Omore et al., 1999). Compared to its neighbours, the country has a welldeveloped dairy production and processing industry, and the country has broadly managed to be self-reliant in dairy products, so that except during extreme dry years, imports are negligible.