changing lives, enhancing livelihoods - nestle … nestle... · currently one of its dairy experts...

MODEL MILK DISTRICTKABIYET, KENYA

a social perspective

CHANGING LIVES, ENHANCING LIVELIHOODS

NESTLÉ - MODEL MILK DISTRICT KABIYET, KENYA NESTLÉ - MODEL MILK DISTRICT KABIYET, KENYA2 3

It is estimated that 67% of all jobs in Africa are provided by agriculture. At Nestlé, we realize the importance of agriculture and the role it plays in alleviating poverty. Rural development is one of our CSV key focus areas, and we realize that in order to grow, we need to invest in developing our farmers.

Our wellbeing and that of farmers are closely tied together, but in many rural communities, limited availability of social and agricultural infrastructure diminishes the quality and quantity of the raw materials we rely on. So we work on capacity building and training farmers in sustainable production methods – both to protect our raw materials supply, and to have a positive, long-term impact on local economies and standards of living.

At Nestlé, we have ‘farmer connect programs’ that specifically look at ways to offering technical assistance and ensuring cooperation to meet the highest sourcing standards as well as increased income and higher standards of living for our farmers.

At the base of everything we do are our principles and values. Hence, our involvement in the East Africa Dairy Development program at Kabiyet reflects our commitment towards improving lives of our farmers. We endeavour to improve lives and enhance livelihoods in order to create sustainable communities. We are humbled by the life stories of our farmers in Kabiyet. It encourages us to do even better and work even harder.

The purpose of sharing this report with you is to help spread good ideas and to create a ripple effect. We are privileged to get an opportunity to partner with Heifer International and are also thankful to our other stakeholders and farmers who are playing a crucial role in making this program a success.

As we move forward, I strongly believe that together we can do even more and better!

Warm regards,

Ian J. DonaldRegion Head and Chief Executive OfficerNestlé Equatorial African Region Ltd

Message from the Region Head/CEO 3

Foreword 4

Introduction 5

Nestlé Kenya and Kabiyet Milk Village 9

Geographical Spread 13

Changing Lives, Enhancing Livelihoods 15

Stories of Substance & Courage 19

Contents Message from the Region Head/CEO

NESTLÉ - MODEL MILK DISTRICT KABIYET, KENYA4 NESTLÉ - MODEL MILK DISTRICT KABIYET, KENYA 5

Nestlé Kenya partnered with Heifer International on the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) Program in Kabiyet to close the quality gaps in the dairy value chain (from farm to factory gate) in Kabiyet. Kabiyet dairies is one of the twenty-one hubs of the East Africa Dairy Development project across Kenya. East Africa Dairy Development remains the main driving force behind this initiative while Nestlé is assisting the project in the Kabiyet area through the provision of technical support by a dedicated skilled dairy development agronomist stationed in Eldoret since 2011. Nestlé’s expertise to organize and develop the dairy supply chain has helped in developing a reliable, consistent and sustainable market for the dairy farmers. Results so far are visible, with better practices in place (at farmer and collection levels), improved milk quality and increased productivity (litres).

Nestlé is sharing sustainable best practices acquired from its dairy milk districts worldwide with Kabiyet farmers. It is engaging with East Africa Dairy Development, Kabiyet Dairies and Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) very closely so that these initiatives are institutionalized and can help bring about a long-term impact on the development of the dairy industry in Kenya.

An extensive interaction with the local dairy farming community in Kabiyet shows that Nestlé is highly regarded for its commitment to quality and is generally seen as a caring company that brought them more income generating opportunities. A cross section of farmers revealed that Nestlé’s technical training also encouraged women in their community to take up farming as a profession. There are now more women taking up dairy farming as a full time profession now than in the past (55% of registered dairy farmers at Kabiyet Dairies are women).

This report brings to light the impact of the project on the lives of a cross section of dairy farmers in and around the Kabiyet area. Nestlé Kenya is proud to be associated with East Africa Dairy Development in this project and is humbled by the impact it has had on improving lives and enhancing livelihoods. One of the biggest outcomes of the project has been the quality consciousness amongst the farmers. They see visible results in following the best practices and teachings. There is progress and prosperity amongst the farmers, with many indicators supporting the impact of Nestlé’s activities:

• Farmers are collectively thinking of setting up facilities (e.g hospitals, veterinary clinics) because they have more disposable income• Farmers are sending their children to school• A number of farmers have acquired assets and possessions during the past two years

Nestlé would like to thank East Africa Dairy Development for giving it the opportunity to partner in this initiative, its stakeholders and most of all the farmers for their cooperation and support in making this project a success. A special thanks is also due to Unjela Kaleem (www.urbanics.org) for her research, data collection, writing and production of this report.

Regards,

Svetlana ObruchkovaManaging Director - Nestlé KenyaManager - East Africa and Horn of Africa Clusters

“We believe we can make an important contribution to society by going a step beyond corporate social responsibility to create value through our core business both for our shareholders and society. We prioritize the areas of nutrition, water and rural development to create shared value; this requires long term thinking……”

Peter Brabeck-LetmatheChairman, Nestlé S.A.

Foreword Introduction


Creating Shared Value - CSV is the basic way we do business. We recognize that in order to create long-term value for shareholders, we have to create value for communities where we operate and for society at large. But we cannot be either environmentally sustainable or create shared value for shareholders and society if we fail to comply with our Corporate Business Principles. This involves compliance with

national laws and relevant international conventions, as well as our own regulations, which often go beyond our legal obligations. For example, we support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which stands at the basis of the UN Global Compact’s Human Rights Principles, and our CEO Paul Bulcke signed the UN Global Compact CEO Statement for the 60th anniversary of the UDHR.

What is Creating Shared Value for Nestlé? R ural Development is at the core of Nestlé’s philosophy and one of the key pillars of its commitment towards developing sustainable communities. Globally, Nestlé is working directly with 690,000 farmers who produce the raw material that goes

into Nestlé products. Moreover, 73% of our factories are located in the rural areas.

In keeping with Nestlé’s global commitment towards rural development, Nestlé Kenya (Ltd.) entered into a partnership with Heifer International in 2008, as they were setting up the East Africa Dairy Development Board. The East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) programme’s mandate was to develop a commercially viable dairy value chain in Kenya and Uganda to significantly enhance the livelihoods of farmers. The project was fully funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The EADD programme articulates several objectives and operational steps that will progressively improve the production, capacity and quality standards in the sector across the value chain.

Nestlé Kenya’s role in the EADD programme is focusing on providing technical support to farmers in Kabiyet. Nestlé is participating for two specific objectives;

(i) to put Nestlé’s international expertise and learnings for the benefit of the local dairy community in Kabiyet, and (ii) to establish a sustainable long-term procurement line of milk powder.

Nestlé’s contribution to the programme is through ensuring that quality standards are properly set up and that stringent quality control processes are enacted across the entire value chain.

In addition, Nestlé shares its expertise such as the elaboration of fresh milk quality management system processes and equipment specifications for ensuring fresh milk quality; support dairy farming community in improving dairy farming practices, from basic herd management (hygiene, cattle sheds) to productivity improvement (feeding, fodder cultivation).

By 2009, Nestlé started to work more closely with the dairy community in Kabiyet with the objective of setting up a Nestlé model dairy village, based on its successful milk districts in Pakistan and India. The idea is to encourage other farming communities in East Africa to replicate the model in their own countries and thereby bring about a change in peoples’ lives through sustainable community development.

A key impact of the programme has been on the lives of the local community in Kabiyet as well as the overall improvement in the socio-economic indicators of the area. Increased milk production provided for better income that enabled farmers to improve their living standards, provide for better education for their children, diversify businesses as well as acquire land and assets. This report gives us a glimpse of how Nestlé is changing lives and enhancing livelihoods across a diverse section of people in Kenya – we call it Creating Shared Value!

In Kenya, the dairy industry is the single largest agricultural sub-sector contributing 14% of the agricultural GDP and 3.5% of total GDP, thus a powerful engine of rural development.

Agriculture, 25% of GDP: a) Livestock, 50% of Agricultural GDP; b) Dairy sub-sector, 30% of Livestock GDP (3.5% of GDP)

Milk production in Kenya: Predominantly small scale farmers (2-5 dairy animals; 3-5 acres of land;) producing ~70-80% of the milk in the country.

Milk Production, Kenyan Context

Introduction


Nestlé Kenya & Kabiyet Milk Village

“Nestlé’s technical support has led to enhanced milk production but with quality. We are looking at a close partnership with Nestlé not only in Kabiyet but also in other regions across Kenya. We are aware of the impact the programme has had on the lives of the people in the Kabiyet area. We would like farmers in other areas as well to benefit from Nestlé’s expertise.”

Alice ChesireDirector Kenya Dairy Board

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Nestlé South Africa159’357 MT

Nestlé Morocco78’716 MT

KEY(o) - official(e) - FAO estimate(c) - calculated

Nestlé Zimbabwe3’030 MT

Africa’s Top Milk (cow) Producing Countries in 2011

In Kenya, the dairy sub sector is amongst the fastest growing sectors in agriculture, raking an average Ksh320 billion per year and supporting livelihoods for 10 million people. Kenya stands as the second largest milk producing country across Africa. Given

this, Nestlé is keen on working with dairy farmers to improve quality and quantity of milk.Nestlé Kenya is committed to the EADD programme and is assisting in a number of ways. Currently one of its dairy experts from Nestlé Pakistan, Tahir Mahmood, is based in Eldoret, working closely with farmers and the Kabiyet Dairies Company Ltd (a farmers’ cooperative) to raise the quality and increase the quantity of milk as per the international standards.

Nestlé is sharing with Kabiyet farmers sustainable best practices acquired from its dairy milk districts worldwide. Reduce the bacterial count in milk, using aluminum cans and chilling after 2 hours of milking, are just a few of the suggestions that farmers have implemented with clear results.

A key aspect for Nestlé is the farmers’ training and technical assistance, and it is thus engaging closely with EADD and Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) so that the undertaken initiatives and best practices are institutionalized across the entire value chain and help bring about a long-term impact on the development of the dairy industry in Kenya.


Swaziland

BurundiRwanda

Nestlé Milk Procurement & Dairy Development

Largest Dairy Output Countries in Africa

1. Sudan2. Kenya3. Ethiopia4. South Africa5. Egypt

Mio MT (2011) 5.374.064.053.263.00

• Countries with extensive dairy production in Africa are localized in the eastern part of the continent.• Sudan’s dairy production is only an estimate (before South Sudan independence), whereas Kenya is most likely the largest milk producer in Sub Saharan Africa.• Nestlé dairy operations in Africa are currently focused on 3 markets (Morocco, Zimbabwe and South Africa).• Among the top 10 milk producing countries in Africa, five are located within the Equatorial Africa Region (EAR).

The Kabiyet model milk village project involves all stakeholders in the dairy chain: dairy farmers, milk collection points, chilling and model processing plants and transporters. Nestlé is intervening from farm to factory gate to ensure that adequate quality standards are applied.

• At farm level - Nestlé specialists are conducting both on-farm and classroom training on animal welfare, breeding, feeding fodder management and toxin management for dairy feeds amongst others • At the chilling plant - Nestlé is developing Standard Operating Procedures for best practice management

Currently, there are 8,000 registered milk farmers (within the 20-30km radius of Kabiyet). Subject to seasonal fluctuations, about 4,000 farmers supply milk to the Kabiyet Dairies Company Ltd. on a daily basis.

Previously, a majority of the farmers were only able to meet their own household daily milk consumption and could sell the excess milk (if any) to hawkers at a lower price. In 2009, the initial supply of milk in Kabiyet stood at 1,600 litres per day. Following the setting up of the Kabiyet Dairies chilling plant and continued technical support from Nestlé to farmers, a steady progress has been registered in the quantity and quality of milk, which led to better payments for farmers and adoption of sophisticated milk collection and storing methods by the local cooperative.

“We are very happy with Nestlé, because it has made

us realize that while quality comes with a cost, the

benefit in return is higher prices for farmers. It has

made us aware about international best practices

and above all when Nestlé starts something we

know it’s here for the long term… Nestlé goes for

sustainability and long term commitment and does

not leave things incomplete.”

Belinda Kosgey, Plant Manager, Kabiyet Dairy Company Ltd.

The daily supply of milk now stands at an average of 38,000 litres, a significant improvement in quantity of milk from before. In addition, Kabiyet Dairies now has 15 collection centers, an increase from 5 collection centers in 2009. The cooperative also has 3 cooling plants and 1 tanker for milk collection.

The Kabiyet model milk village project involves all actors in the dairy chain: dairy farmers, milk collection points, transporters, chilling and processing plants. Nestlé Kenya is intervening across the entire value chain to ensure that adequate quality standards are applied to guarantee optimal milk quality. It is envisaged that the positive social and economic impact of these efforts, though already visible, would have a far greater effect on the overall development of the dairy sector and community in the long term.

KEY

State of milk production in Africa

Nestlé Kenya & Kabiyet Milk Village

East Africa Dairy Development Objectives and Operational Steps

Programme Objective 1To generate information for decision-making on the dairy value chain, and to develop innovative solutions for use of resources that increase income;a) Establish and maintain a knowledge-based projectb) Generate necessary research to inform project analysis and decision-making

Programme Objective 2To expand dairy markets and increase market access for smallholder farmers;a) Organize smallholder dairy farmers to effectively bulk and market dairy productsb) Ensure steady, cost-effective supply of goods and services to farmers and farmer groupsc) Expand dairy markets

Programme Objective 3To increase dairy productivity, efficiency and sustainability;a) Organize and strengthen dairy farmers to manage dairy businesses with efficiencyb) Increase on-farm milk production through the adoption of productivity enhancement technologiesc) Sustain production and quality of milk through improved animal healthcare and nutrition

NESTLÉ - MODEL MILK DISTRICT KABIYET, KENYA12 13NESTLÉ - MILK VILLAGE, KABIYET MODEL

Geographical Spread

In Kenya, most milk is produced in Rift valley and the central districts. The local community takes immense pride in being dairy farmers and every household owns few heads of cows - larger number of cows means greater position of respect and power within their community. Their main income is through dairy farming and agriculture, mainly maize and tea cultivation.

Major Dairy Farming Areas in Kenya

a) Dairy Cattle Dairy farming areas: Central Western part of the country - Central Rift Valley, Central and Eastern Regions. - 85% of the total dairy cattle herd (dairy breeds or improved crossbreeds).

b) Dairy Output Milk supply to the industry (estimated 645 tons/day in 2012; KDB unofficial data) from Rift Valley, Central and Eastern Regions

The Kabiyet Dairy Company Ltd. spread is within

the 30kms radius of Kabiyet with access to about

8,000 farmers comprising 12,000 households.

The current milk production stands at about 38,000

litres per day. There is a potential for increasing it

upto 100,000 litres per day (in the high season).

Province Cattle numbers (‘000)

Improved Local

Rift Valley 1895.1 2791.5

Central 852.9 105.8

Eastern 304.1 1801.2

Nyanza 211.7 1570.9

Western 192.3 755.3

Coast 100.3 1,201.6

Nairobi 22.8 5.0

Northeastern 0.1 1,089.6

Total 3,579.4 9,320.9

Source: FAO (2011)

AREA T/D

1. Eldoret/Kitale 145

2. Nyeri 127

3. Nairobi 106

4. Kericho 75

5. Meru 62

6. Naivasha 50

7. Baringo 30

8. Embu 27

9. Nakuru 22

No. per sq km00 - 2.1182.118 - 10.7810.78 - 33.97333.973 - 56.24556.245 - 131.083

Kenya dairy cattle distribution and density


Changing Lives, Enhancing Livelihoods

The Kabiyet milk program, aside from improving the quality and quantity of milk, has also played another significant role which relates to the social and economic impact of the project on the lives of the local farmers and community.

Traditionally, the Rift Valley region has always been a dairy area due to its geographical as well as suitable climatic conditions. A majority of the people’s livelihoods depend on dairy and agricultural farming, most farmers rely on traditional farming methods.

“Kenyan Farmers are inherently quality conscious

and with just a little technical support they adapted

to best practices very quickly. It is very heartening

to see their quick conversion to the use of aluminum

and food-grade plastic containers for milk storage as

well as the post milking care of cows.”

Tahir Mahmood, Nestlé Agronomist, Eldoret

In the past years, lack of chilling plants in the area and absence of technical knowledge about the right feed and basic care and hygiene for cows resulted in poor quality and quantity of milk, which directly affected the average earnings of the farmers.

Moreover, significant quantities of milk were wasted due to irregular milking and milk collection timings. Given these reasons, the dairy sector was not seen as a source of high earning and hence was failing to enhance interest in dairy business amongst the younger generation.

Nestlé’s technical support equipped the Kabiyet farmers with knowledge about various breeds, balanced feed/silage making, milking methods, animal hygiene and health. Extensive one-to-one sessions and trainings with communities led to a visible change in thinking amongst the farmers’ towards dairy farming. They quickly realized that just by adopting good practices they are not only able to increase the quantity of milk but also the quality, which resulted in better price per litre for them. Moreover, they also acquired the basic techniques to improve the quality of feed by growing vegetation on their farmland, thereby reducing the input costs and thus maximizing the profits.

Nestlé is closely working with the Kabiyet Dairy Company Ltd, a cooperative set up by the local farmers there. The impact of Nestlé’s contribution towards the dairy industry is not limited to the farmers alone. Since 2009, Kabiyet has seen significant growth and prosperity. There are income generating opportunities for the youth and many young people could be seen working side by side with their farmer parent. Moreover, the local dairy plant, NKCC Limited also benfited from the improved quality and quantity of milk as well as Nestlé’s technical advice.

“Nestlé’s work has led to increased income generating opportunities for farmers especially for women, who took up dairy farming as a profession and now we have more women in dairy farming in Kabiyet – out of the 8000 registered dairy farmers at Kabiyet Dairies, 55% are women. Moreover, the whole town benefitted from prosperity as a result of employment opportunities created through Nestlé’s interventions in the area.” Abraham Rugut, Chairman of the Board, Kabiyet Dairies Company Ltd.


An extensive interaction with farmers and local communities at various levels shows that Nestlé is highly regarded by the community at large for its commitment for quality and is generally seen as a caring company that brought them more income and opportunities.

A cross section of farmers interviewed during the course of this report, revealed that Nestlé’s work with farmers also encouraged women in the community to take up farming as a profession. As a result, there are increasingly more women in dairy farming now than in the past.

Aside from bringing in prosperity, the project also altered the prevalent traditional social trends in society. Women have now started to play a more significant role in the dairy sector and are also acquiring education specifically in dairy sciences to take it up as a preferred profession.

The impact of this programme is many fold and at several levels. It is difficult to catalogue the feedback of the thousands of dairy farmers attached with this project, however, the following few case studies of the farmers in the Kabiyet area provide a snapshot of the vast social and economic impact of the programme.

“One of the biggest outcomes of the project has been that farmers are united. There is progress and prosperity

everywhere. This building (Kabiyet Dairies Chilling plant) and the town shops are there only because of the

progress Kabiyet Dairies has made - now they have a market to sell milk at better prices.

Farmers are collectively thinking of setting up hospitals and facilities because they have more money….. they

send their children to better schools now – Nestlé has changed our lives at various levels.”

Belinda Kosgey, Plant Manager, Kabiyet Dairies Ltd.

Kosgey holds a Diploma in Dairy Science and a degree in Food Science Technologies

Changing Lives, Enhancing Livelihoods

2009 2013

Employees 7 62Kilos per day (initially) 1600 38000Registered Farmers 4000 8000Ksh per kilo (average) 8 - 12 31 Milk Collection Centres 5 15Cooling Plants 0 3Collection Truck 0 1

Snapshot of Progress at Kabiyet Dairies Company Ltd from 2009 to 2013

Beneficiaries of growth and progress - local community


Meeting Elizabeth is akin to meeting an entrepreneur maestro – she has made use of all the techniques about multiplying income and growing business as per the teachings of international business schools. However, this woman has not been to any formal school but learnt the business techniques on the job.

Elizabeth is a mother of 6 children, medium physique but with larger than life strong will and energy. A visit to Elizabeth’s house leaves one with inspiration and courage. She proudly shows her newly built (concrete) house and the bio-gas powered kitchen. She even gives a demonstration of her newly installed electric powered water borehole pump. It is difficult to miss the pride of achievements, courage and hard work in her petit demeanor.

Elizabeth got into the dairy sector out of the sheer need for earning a living for herself and her children. Just a few years back she was under extreme financial difficulties with dilapidated living conditions. In 2009, she started dairy farming with only one cow. She was quick to adopt all the best practices and follow on the guidance provided by the Nestlé Agronomist and soon saw the benefits of it. From 4 litres of milk per day to 28 litres (per day) and 3 cows today, Elizabeth is not only monetarily in a more comfortable situation but the increased income has also allowed for business diversification and enhanced living standards.

Today, Elizabeth’s children are in private schools in the city (Eldoret) and her eldest daughter is studying at the local university.

ENTREPRENEUR GURUELIZABETH JELAL JEPNAGETA

“I owe my success to the constant

support and guidance of Nestlé.

They are like the village wise men

for me - they guide, teach and come

to help when one needs them. The

comfortable life that I have today is

all because of the milk – I call it my

milk blessings.”

Stories of Substance and Courage

Economically, Elizabeth is in a far more comfortable position than before; she is not only able to meet all her family’s needs but also provides for education of 3 orphans in her community. Moreover, she has recently bought a small eatery in the village where she has employed staff to run it and uses the surplus vegetables from her garden.

Her future plans include buying more cows of superior quality and increasing milk production up to 100 liters per day. With her enterprising spirit and hard work, this seems like a minor challenge!


The calm and serenity that Laban’s house reflects is quite opposite to his personality. His passion about dairy and his enthusiasm to train his fellow farmers is written all over his face. He greets with a big warm smile and proudly shows his accolades and training certificates received from the Kabiyet Dairies Company Ltd in recognition of his training work to fellow farmers. He is very well respected in the community for his knowledge about dairy management, animal breeding, animal feeds and feeding quality.

Laban was selected to be one of the master trainers due to his keen interest and knowledge in dairy farming. He is now one of the best master trainers in the Kabiyet area.

Laban’s life changed in 2008 when after finishing high school he was unemployed and decided to buy one cow with some of his family’s savings. He very quickly picked up on the benefits of using the right feed for cows to boost milk quality and production.

His correct feeding method and overall care resulted in an output of 16 litres per day of milk from just one cow as compared to 4 litres initially. With the increased income he bought 2 more cows and raised the milk production to almost 32 litres per day.

Laban’s strict adherence to quality feeding methods and post milking care of the animals has resulted in top quality milk that earns him the highest rate per liter (Ksh 32). Economically, Laban feels that he is a happier and prosperous man and it is all because of dairy.

Parents of 2 school going boys, both Laban and his wife proudly show their very neat and organized house and farmlands. His wife equally shares in the work and looks after the cows and the farm when Laban is in the field on training assignments or installing borehole pumps - he has invented a simpler water pumping mechanism for boreholes and does this as his side business.

The positive impact of dairy income is very visible - from one cow, they now own 3 cows and 3 heifers, in addition to owning significant size farming land and a house. Laban is also a share holder in the Kabiyet Dairies Company Ltd.

Future for Laban means more cows, which will bring him more income so that he can build a separate annex for each of his growing sons. With the determination in his eyes and a will to go forward, his dreams are likely to be realized soon.

TRAINING IS HIS MANTRALABAN KIPKEMBOI TALAM

“Nestlé has changed our lives beyond imagination.

Now I can dream of owning a truck and sending

my kids to a university in Nairobi – now I have the

means to think and dream.”



Pauline, mother of 8 children, dreams of buying herself a nice and expensive dress and going to Nairobi for holidays. Five minutes into the conversation with her and one realizes that this dream is not so far away from reality.

Pauline has come a long way with just two cows producing 2 litres of milk per day to 20 litres of milk per day now. The number of cows is the same, but the additional milk production is due to improved diet for cows and milking techniques.

The additional 18 litres of good quality milk raised Pauline’s income to significant levels allowing her to invest not only in her children’s education but also provided enough cash for business diversification.

Pauline’s two daughters are studying at the Eldoret University and one of them is studying at the African Institute in Eldoret, to be a community health worker.

Interestingly, both daughters after completing university education are planning to follow in their mother’s footsteps and would like to have cows of their own as a side business.

Pauline is saving money to construct more rooms in her house and buy at least 3 more superior breed cows. She does not want to take a loan and feels confident that the income from the dairy will enable her to do all this soon.

DESTINATION NAIROBIPAULINE LEITING

“I have been into dairy since my childhood but

I was unaware that by changing certain plants

in cow’s feed, not only the milk production

improves but the quality as well – all this was

taught to us by Nestlé. Our input cost is very

little compared to the high income we get from

the milk.”



Civilina exudes happiness and positivity. A former kindergarten teacher who accidently came into the dairy sector, and has since never looked back. Her mother, a ninety six year old lady, gave Civilina her family land as a gift. Civilina left her teaching job and decided to test her skills in the dairy sector. Blessed with good business acumen, she landed full spectrum into dairy farming. A combination of hard work and hunger for learning and desire to do better, Civilina grew her assets from just 2 cows to a small herd comprising 3 cows and 5 heifers in just two years.

Civilina keenly followed on the best practices and teachings from Nestlé and due to her hard work, she was made the promoter farmer. She now shares her experiences with other farmers in the area. She advises other members, especially women of her community on preparing silage and planting the right shrubs for grazing.

Civilina wants to achieve zero grazing and has already started to plant the right shrubs for this purpose on her land. She is building a bigger shed to house more cows. She aims to increase her milk output by at least 60-70 litres per day. She feels that by investing her money in dairy farming now, she will reap greater benefits in future.

She proudly points towards a building across her farm, where her children study and live. Her dream is to fly on an airplane and go to Nairobi with her children. With her determination and strong will – the sky is the limit!

FROM CLASSROOM TO OPEN SKIES CIVILINA JEPKORIR

“Dairy income is my back bone and it allows me

to put money in other businesses as well as send

my children to a boarding school – my son wants

to become a doctor and my daughter wants to

be a nurse – I know that with my cows I can fulfill

their dreams.”



Ruth Chirchir is a woman with a fighting spirit. She realized very early in life that perseverance ultimately pays off. One of the regular visitors to the Nestlé training sessions, Ruth followed very keenly on the animal feed techniques along with pre and post milking care of her cows. This drastically improved the quality and quantity of milk. From 3 litres per cow before, she now gets 15 litres per cow. The significant increase in milk production provided her with the much-needed money to feed her family of 5 children.

Earlier, Ruth was financially struggling with low income and dismal future but now she sends her children to a modern school and is also building a concrete house for her family. She plans to buy at least 6 more cows and more land for grazing. Next year she plans to build a proper shed for her cows.

Her bright smile leaves one with the confidence that a prosperous future indeed awaits her.

FROM ADVERSITY TO PROSPERITYRUTH CHIRCHIR

“Nestlé came to me like an angel from God, I was struggling and had no money and did not know what to

do – but this project benefitted me and my family has a bright future ahead.”



There is calm and serenity when you visit Henry’s home and farm. Though the cow shed is constructed in close proximity to his home, the place is immaculately managed and looks clean and organized. There is an order and purpose in all that Henry does and this is evident in the way he has worked his way up in bringing his family out of poverty.

Father of six children, Henry was struggling to meet his family’s needs. He had two cows with very low milk output (3 litres per day) and hence had to take a significant loan to meet his family’s needs. A keen learner, he attended Nestlé’s training sessions on feeding, silage making, animal care and practiced his learnings on his 2 cows.

Soon after, he saw a tremendous change in the milk output of his cows (15-20 litres per cow). This enabled him to not only pay off his loan but to send his children to school and construct a proper brick house for his family.

Henry is confident of his continuous prosperity and is planning to increase the size of his herd to ten cows so that his milk production can reach up to 200 litres per day. Given that he repaid the previous bank-loan in full, the banks are eager to loan him a larger amount this time round as they are sure of the timely repayments. For Henry, this means a window of support for the fulfillment of his dreams.

BEATING POVERTY, MAKING PROGRESSHENRY KIPRONOSANG

“My life has changed beyond imagination.

Earlier, milk was barely enough to meet my

family’s needs but now there is plenty. Milk

is income for me. I built a shed for my cows

because money comes from my cows and I want

to look after them well.”



Mother of 4 children, Albine Sugut has an infectious laugh. She talks with passion and conviction that can only come when one is confident of her present and is hopeful of the future. With tears in her eyes and a heavy voice, she tells how poor she was. She could not afford to send her children to school. Today, it’s a different scenario.

She stepped into dairy farming two years back by accident. At that time, she had one cow producing only 2-3 litres milk per day, barely enough for her own household milk needs. Determined to improve, she went to the Kabiyet Dairies and asked for help with improving the milk quantity. She followed the best practices and witnessed amazing results in a short span of time.

From 3 litres per day, her milk output increased to 20 litres per day. Realizing the benefits, she immediately bought one more cow with the increased income and the rest is history. Today, she is a proud owner of 7 cows and her children are enrolled in the local school. A smart businesswoman, Albine realizes that investing in dairy would get her better earnings, she is now planting fodder plants and is moving towards zero grazing.

Now that she has a brick house for her family, Albine wants to construct a proper dairy shed to accommodate the superior variety of cows that she is planning to buy soon.

With enough income in hand now, Albine is also experimenting with other small businesses to further supplement her overall income – her poultry, vegetables and passion fruit gardens are just some of the initiatives that this dynamic woman is working on. Given her passion, she will succeed in this as well.

DOING THINGS WITH PASSIONALBINE SUGUT

“You see me happy now but I was

not like this two years back. It is only

because of the Nestlé man (agronomist)

who taught me how to feed my cows,

take care of them and the results

are amazing….. now I have money

to even think of doing things that I

could never have imagined. Thanks to

EADD and Nestlé, I feel I am financially

comfortable now.”



For Aziz Kasougi, dairy farming is in his blood. In his community, cows were considered a part of life and a provider of food for the family. However, his thinking started to change around 2009, when the Kabiyet Dairies was formed. He wanted to benefit from this development and for his community to progress.

He gathered his small dairy farming community around the idea of increasing their milk production. However, they did not know how to. The community in his village struggled not only with quantity but also with quality of milk production.

In 2011, he started to attend the training sessions on animal feeding, silage making and pre and post milking care. Aziz adopted all the best practices and within a short time witnessed a significant increase in the milk production from his two cows. From 3 litres per day previously, the production jumped to 17 litres per day per cow.

Aziz is also a promoter farmer and has trained 9 other farmers in his community. He feels happier that his community is progressing and a number of farmers have constructed brick houses and there is prosperity around. “The graph of my progress is only going up since 2011, I have prospered and there is no looking back.” He proudly shows his recently acquired possession including a radio and a solar powered lamp.

His future plans include acquiring more cows and sending his children abroad for higher education. He also wants to study for a diploma in dairy sciences so that he can serve his community better. He is confident that with ‘milk money’ its all possible.

BRINGING PROSPERITY TO THE COMMUNITYAZIZ KASOUGI

“The money from the milk enabled me

to put my kids to school, build a house

and buy things for home. It was due to

the training that we now have more milk

….dairy farming has been in our blood,

but we were stuck in the traditional

methods. Thanks to Nestlé we learnt the

new techniques on how to improve milk

quantity and quality.”


CHANGING LIVES, CREATING LIVELIHOODS34

Prisca and Maurine are medium to large size dairy farmers who have equally benefitted from the trainings on animal feed and hygiene just like the small farmers. Although their income was supplemented by other sources than dairy, nevertheless, they feel that they have benefitted hugely from Nestlé’s technical training support.

Prisca is a retired teacher and is into full time dairy farming. Her children are all grown and settled except for one daughter, who is studying medicine in Nairobi. Prisca takes a keen interest in her community’s welfare and has been very instrumental in setting up the Kabiyet Dairies during its initial stage. She feels that because of better returns in dairy, young people are now joining in the dairy farming. She sees a bright and prosperous future for the dairy industry.

Maurine, a diploma holder in Business Administration, got into dairy farming after marriage. Initially, she was not very interested but slowly developed an interest and took it as a full time vocation. Her cows were producing average quantities of milk, however, she attended the training sessions and encouraged her farm boys to attend as well. Her business progressed very well and the increased milk production enabled her to invest into tea farming.

Both Prisca and Maurine are an example in courage and hard work for their communities. They regularly advise the women in their community on dairy farming and encourage them to join.

Many women have followed in their footsteps and are taking up dairy farming as a source of their regular income.

WOMEN OF SUBSTANCEPRISCA RONO AND MAURINE KEMPOI

“Nestlé’s technical support enabled me to

enhance milk production and quality - I get more

milk and my community gets benefitted.”

Prisca Rono

“Milk gives me money to invest into other cash

crops. Dairy is my first choice and the rest is

because of that.”

Maurine Kempoi

NESTLÉ - MODEL MILK DISTRICT KABIYET, KENYA36

Nestlé Kenya LimitedPate Road, Industrial Area

P.O. Box 30265 - 00100 Nairobi, KenyaTel: +254 020 3990000 • Cell: +254 729 110 713/4

Fax: +254 020 532572 • E-mail: [email protected]

CHANGING LIVES, ENHANCING LIVELIHOODS

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