2009 to 2010 Increasing competitiveness of small holder dairy farmers under the Timau Dairy Project.


Funded by DANIDA through Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) The Timau dairy development project aims to improve rural household income of the smallholder dairy farmers by improving both production efficiency and increasing the volume of marketed milk. ABS TCM, Ltd will provide facilitation oversight for the smallholder dairy farmers in Timau through provision of strategic technical support and oversight for sustained improvement of efficiency and profitability of milk production; and marketing to increase smallholder producer income from sale of quality milk. The project key objective is to strengthen both the production base as well as the milk distribution systems in Timau/Buuri area targeting 5,000 smallholder producers thereby increasing house hold income by at least 30% and establishing a sustainable milk procurement, bulking and marketing enterprise owned by farmers at two clusters in the Timau Region of Meru.

2009 to 2010 Facilitator Oversight Nakuru Milk Shed - Kenya Dairy Sector Competiveness Program.




USAID funded and implemented in partnership with Land O’ Lakes, Inc. As a facilitator for the Nakuru Milk Shed, ABS TCM worked towards the KDSCP goal of increasing smallholder household income from sale of quality milk.  The three main objectives contributing to this overall goal were:
•    Increased competitiveness of the Kenyan dairy sector resulting from collaboration among sector stakeholders and increased capacity of public sector agencies to serve the needs of the sector.
•    Increased marketing of milk meeting quality standards by producer-owned milk bulking/cooling businesses.
•    Greater access to market-linked business development services and technologies by male and female dairy farmers and farmers producing dairy-related inputs.

To achieve a significant impact on Kenya’s predominantly poor rural agricultural population, the activity aimed at expanding its outreach to at least 15,000 smallholder farmers (30% of whom are women) and avail productivity enhancing technologies and credit services to over 2,000 of them.  This was achieved by bringing key dairy value chain stakeholders (processors, transporters, regulators, researchers, etc) together and enhancing their inter-firm relationships to be able to cooperate towards addressing competitiveness constraints.  It also involved working with and developing capacity of at least 50 business service providers, 20 of which were new service providers and supporting a number of bulking and cooling centers to attain set milk quality standards. Dairy cattle productivity in the target milk shed was expected to increase to 11 liters per cow per day and total volume of milk purchased from smallholder dairy farmers increased by 2,000 metric tons.

2007 to October 2011 East African Dairy Development Program (Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda).

The project is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and implemented by a consortium of partners lead by Heifer International and includes African Breeders Services- Total Cattle Management (ABS-TCM), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), TechnoServe (TNS) and the World Agro-forestry Centre (ICRAF).

EADD commenced operations in January 2008. The vision of success for the EADD project is that the lives of 179,000 families—or approximately one million people—are transformed by doubling household dairy income by year 10 through integrated interventions in dairy production, market-access and knowledge application.

Supported by lessons learned during the four-year pilot phase, the long-term vision is to scale interventions within the participating countries and to replicate the project in three other countries in the region by assisting 350,000 more families or 2.45 million additional people in the next six years.

The East Africa Dairy Development project aims to achieve its vision of doubling smallholder dairy income by improving on-farm production and market-access. The project seeks to improve on-farm productivity by:
•    Increasing the volume of milk produced
•    Improving milk quality and reducing loss through spoilage
•    Providing access to production inputs through business delivery services
•    Improving market-access by developing local hubs of business delivery services and chilling plants that facilitate market access
•    Linking producers to formal markets through processors
•    Increasing producers’ benefit from traditional markets

The project will accomplish these aims through coordinated, farmer-focused interventions that integrate to develop smallholder profit-participation in the dairy value chain. These interventions will generate information and develop innovative solutions, expand dairy markets and market access for farmers, and sustainably increase dairy productivity.

2007 to October 2012  Rwanda Dairy Sector Competitiveness Development Program

USAID funded dairy development program for Rwanda implemented in partnership with Land O Lakes, Inc. The project is mainly targeting People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) assisting them in dairy production. Main activities include breeding, dairy and natural resource management and milk quality. In addition to building sustainable extension support systems it also assist these groups in securing sustainable markets for their dairy produce.

2006 to 2008 Kenya Dairy Development Program


USAID funded and implemented in partnership with Land O’ Lake s, Inc., International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and World Wide Sires. This was an extension of the project that started in 2002 but built on completing establishment of a feed analysis laboratory capable of sample turn around time of 24 hours, establishment of sustainable milk quality service and dairy nutrition and feeding course for business service providers.

2006 to 2008 Business Service Market Development Project


Dairy Development in Western Kenya implemented in partnership with Technoserve, Inc., based on lessons learnt from the pilot BSMDP-Project No. D-SP-02 that developed the business hub model, this replication project introduced and improved on a sustainable basis the efficiency and profitability of milk production and marketing via a market-led BDS project in Western (Bungoma district) and Rift-Valley (Vihiga, Butere and Nandi districts) provinces of Kenya. The consortium is worked with existing private sector players, community based organizations, NGOs and relevant government entities to improve dairy management and milk marketing introducing the 3-Ton Club concept for farmers to form a dairy business club to improve management through better access to inputs, finance, breeding, animal health and extension services. The project provided technical support for farm level business service provision and linked smallholder farmers to the bulk milk chilling centers. Identified business service providers were capacity built on breeding and A.I. management, herd management, feed conservation, personal and milk hygiene, dairy production and assisted to access to credit. Achievements were:
Participation of over 10,300 smallholder farmers; 90% reduction in milk rejected at the bulk chilling hubs; capacity built 120 private service providers of which the majority (>52%) are experiencing business growth; Increased purchase of business service including A.I. and animal health services while herd management and fodder conservation largely remained an embedded service.

Lessons learnt were that capacity building of service provider’s should focus on training on multifaceted business service skills so that they are sustainable. Also, the hub model – milk check off system for providing services via the bulk chilling hub represents a good business model that enhances farmer access to service.


2006 to 2006 DFID-Business Service Market Development Project for Dairy


A key challenge in implementing dairy projects in different milk sheds of Kenya is that value chains differ by region entailing different strategies. This project focused on dairy scoping survey for Western Kenya.

2004 to 2005 DFID-Business Service Market Development Project for Dairy

Business Development Service Project implemented in partnership with Technoserve Inc., the project adopted and applied best practice BDS principles to facilitate provision of support services to four major dairy business hubs (Wakulima, Nyala, Afrodane and Muki dairies), thereby supporting the livelihood of over 8,000 rural dairy producers. The business hubs were producer businesses or dairy processors primarily established by farmers and investors to market milk. The Consortium developed a model that converges access and delivery of BDS via these enterprises hence their use as business hubs. These farmer-owned business hubs realized joint annual revenues of over $3 million, employed more than 70 people and have developed linkages with several BDS providers.

The project provided technical support for farm level business service provision and linked smallholder farmers to the bulk milk chilling centers. Identified business service providers were capacity built on breeding and A.I. management, herd management, feed conservation, personal and milk hygiene, dairy production and assisted to access to credit. Achievements were:
Participation of over 10,300 smallholder farmers; 90% reduction in milk rejected at the bulk chilling hubs; capacity built 120 private service providers of which the majority (>52%) are experiencing business growth; Increased purchase of business service including A.I. and animal health services while herd management and fodder conservation largely remained an embedded service.

Lessons learnt were that capacity building of service provider’s should focus on training on multifaceted business service skills so that they are sustainable. Also, the hub model – milk check off system for providing services via the bulk chilling hub represents a good business model that enhances farmer access to service.


2002 to 2006 Kenya Dairy Development Program
USAID funded and implemented in partnership with Land O’ Lakes, Inc., Kenya Dairy Development Program (KDDP) aimed to increase household income of smallholder dairy farmers by improving milk productivity and trade.  The key objectives were: 1. Consumer promotion and marketing activities, 2. dairy product quality, safety and affordability activities; 3. enhancing dairy productivity activities; 4. dairy industry capacity building activities.  Activities of ABS contributed directly to the following intermediate results of USAID’s Strategic Objective 7: 7.1.2 – Increased Use of Technology; 7.1.4 - Increased Participation of Private Sector in Delivery of Services; 7.2.2 – Performance of Market Systems Improved.
Specific activities facilitated by ABS were to improve milk productivity by promoting use of technologies such as improved genetics, best management practices and availability of dairy input services.  Increased milk trade achieved through development of market information database and availing information to smallholder farmers. This was achieved through project deliverables such as catalogue, newsletters, among key private and associated sector players within the dairy industry.   The program targeted medium and high potential areas of Kenya.

In line with the market facilitation approach of USAID’s  Business Development Services program, ABS achievements in the key areas of service provided included:
Strengthened delivery of dairy input services to >87,000 smallholder farmers; strengthened capacity of breeding management service providers to deliver best management services and improved genetics to the farmers by training 387 A.I. service providers who inseminated over 120,000 units of proven genetics; transferred seven (7) A.I. equipment technologies; more than 250 service providers business skills were strengthened; developed five (5) market information systems to increase over 100,000 smallholder dairy farmers’ access to market information as follows: interactive voice response platform, web portal www.eadairy.com, radio program “Kilimo Shambani”, information centers and dairy newsletter. Participated in Pesticide Evaluation Report and Safe Use Action Plan (PERSUAP) and trained BSP’s on integrated pest management (IPM) practices, facilitated biogas installations and use.

Overall, this project strengthened delivery of dairy inputs and services to small-holder farmers, built capacity of breeding management service providers to deliver best management practices and improved genetics to the farmers. It also introduced udder care and management service to minimize loses due to sub-clinical mastitis and transferred technologies for on-farm milk quality assessment to promote milk quality. In addition, this project developed dairy market information systems to increase smallholder dairy farmers’ access to market information and facilitated biogas installations for natural resource management.

2001 to 2002 Smallholder Dairy Development, Market Linkages and Nutrition Awareness
Funded by USAID and implemented in partnership with Land O’ Lakes, Inc. and Heifer International, the project bridged the work between year 2001 to 2002 when the Kenya Dairy Development program started. This scaled up work done in Kadongo, Bomet and Malindi replicating to Ol kalou and Kiplleion regions of Nyandarua and Kericho districts respectively.

1998 – 2001 Project to assist privatization of the dairy industry in Kenya.
Funded by USAID and implemented in partnership with heifer International, the project built on the successes of the previous dairy project targeting Kadongo, Kilifi and Bomet districts and focused on helping smallholders and self help groups to set up and operate profitable dairy programs; Creating agribusiness entrepreneurs to deliver private sector extension services; Establishing a self-supportive, non-profit “Dairy Entrepreneurs Support Trust” to provide loans and advance training to farmers and entrepreneurs after support from aid has ended; Empowering and served farmers by establishing an independent commercial feed analysis laboratory to service Kenya and the entire Horn of Africa and a liquid nitrogen plant facility to service farmers in western Kenya; Strengthening the management capacity of dairy farmers, self help groups and associations of dairy entrepreneur to operate distribution, breeding, milk collection, milk cooling and marketing services; Opening the market for US genetics, veterinary products, feed additives, dairy equipment, breeding products, processing equipment and related dairy products.

1999 – 2000 Uganda funded Ankole cattle germplasm project
Funded by USAID and implemented in partnership with Heifer Project International, the project provided technical assistance in collecting and freezing Ankole bull semen, characterization of Ankole beef and carried out a market study for Ankole beef exports.




1996 – 1998 - To privatize artificial breeding and assist milk collection and marketing in Kenya
The project was funded by USAID and implemented in partnership with Heifer International and Technoserve, Inc. It established a commercial feed analysis laboratory and liquid nitrogen plant in Kenya. As a consortium lead grant, pioneered farmer owned milk chilling plants and assisted in the establishment of the first three milk-cooling plants (Siongiroi, Manyeso and Kipkellion) now owned by dairy farmer companies. Furthermore, established an agribusiness school that is private and build capacity of business service providers/entrepreneurs and extension workers in technical and business skills. Founder and Trustee, Dairy Entrepreneur Trust Fund to sustain USAID activities post donor funding.