EFFECT OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT TRAINING ON MILK PRODUCTION AMONG SMALL HOLDER DAIRY FARMERS IN TRANS-NZOIA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The increase in the world's population and increased urbanization across the globe have triggered an elevated demand for dairy products. In the east Africa region, future projections indicate that the demand for milk will have tripled by 2050. However, milk supply is not predicted to increase and match demand indicating an inevitable shortage in the supply. Supply chain management is paramount in enhancing efficient production and supply of products from the farm level to the consumers factoring in the consumers' requirements in terms of reliability, quantity, quality and price. It is therefore critical to do an in-depth analysis on the importance of supply chain management training intervention in the milk supply chains among smallholder dairy farmers to respond to the shortfalls in future demand. This study consequently sought to determine the effect of supply chain management training on milk production among smallholder dairy farmers in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. The Rational Choice Theory guided this study. The study adopted a descriptive research design. A sample size of 1875 dairy farmers was selected to participate in the study. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire. The primary data were analyzed using SPSS. The Standard Poisson model results revealed that age, education, and marital status of the household head, herd size, road condition, milk volume, distance to milk output market, and household size were significant contributors to the use of motorcycle services. The study established that dairy farmers' supply chain management training intervention significantly affected milk production in Trans Nzoia County (F=39, p < 0.05). The study concluded that supply chain management training intervention was paramount in enhancing milk production. Therefore this study recommends that county governments should set up mechanisms through which interventions will be enacted to help farmers enhance their dairy yields. As such, the government should consider setting up workshops through which farmers will be enlightened on various supply and value chain factors for optimal production.