NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 28 – The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) have partnered to launch the “MoreMilk 2” initiative, designed to enhance the safety, quality, and regulatory compliance of milk produced by small-scale businesses.
The four-year project, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office aims to improve milk handling practices, empower vendors, and improve market access for Kenya’s informal dairy sector, which supplies around 75% of the nation’s milk.
Targeting small-scale dairy businesses in Nakuru, Nyandarua, and Uasin Gishu counties, the project focuses on addressing the challenges dairy vendors face in the informal market.
These challenges include inadequate support, poor handling practices, and difficulties in ensuring milk quality and safety.
By providing a capacity development and certification scheme, the initiative will support the gradual transition of these businesses into certified enterprises, increasing consumer trust in their products.
Likewise, it seeks to offer small dairy businesses access to modern technology, resources, and knowledge, thus increasing regulatory compliance and ensuring safer milk for consumers, thereby creating a sustainable, professionalized dairy sector.
KDB Managing Director Margaret Kibogy asserted the move is committed to building an enabling environment for small and medium dairy enterprises to thrive.
“We are committed to building an enabling environment for small and medium dairy enterprises to thrive,”she said.
Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General of ILRI, emphasized the importance of the partnership in achieving the initiative’s ambitious goals.
“By combining our expertise in research and regulation, we are making strides toward improving livelihoods, advancing public health, and contributing to Kenya’s food security.”
This project builds on the success of its predecessor, MoreMilk 1, which the partners say demonstrated that informal vendors can improve milk safety and handling when given the right support and training.
As part of the project’s broader goals, the MoreMilk 2 initiative also seeks to address gender equity by encouraging collaboration between men and women in the informal sector, strengthening opportunities for all involved.
