Nakuru Living Lab

Wanyororo Dairy Cooperative: How to improve productivity, milk supply and access market for the value-added products?

What is our innovation case about?

Wanyororo Dairy Cooperative is located in Lanet, Nakuru county. We started our cooperative in 2009 with 203 shareholders. We do value addition of milk and sell products like pasteurized milk, yoghurt andmala, mainly to the urban market. The registered trade name is ‘Nakuru Fresh’. In this way, more income can be generated for the farmers. Most of our farmers are mixed smallholder farmers that also produce crops. Many of the smallholder farmers make use of intercropping and have a variety of crops. Animal waste is used to make compost. This plays an important role in improving soil fertility. Furthermore, members have biogas plants used as energy source. 

Our position in the food systems transformation towards regeneration and inclusion is:

The position of Wanyororo Dairy Cooperative is to foster circularity in mixed crop and dairy farming and therefore close the waste cycles. Furthermore, the collaboration among farmers enables access to relatively higher milk prices and income and therefore improves livelihood and more diverse food products.

What is our innovation challenge? How to improve productivity, milk supply and access market for the value-added products?

First, is how to increase milk productivity and this is related to feeds and feeding. Due to high cost of feeds in the market, how can we add value to the available fodder, produce own concentrates?  Secondly, how do we improve the cooperative governance to improve accountability and transparency and thus increase on the milk supply? Thirdly, how do we access market access for our value-added products?

Therefore, we would like to get in touch with you about your ideas on how to help us.

Take soon part in our online discussion and contact the Nakuru Living Lab Team to support us: Nakurulivinglab@gmail.com.  

What is our innovation challenge?

Challenges are related to feeding and housing of animals that affect milk production. There are also challenges on how to build capacity for efficient use of crop residues in dairy feeding and on animal waste management for composting. There is also the challenge about the suitable cooperative governance structure in a way that new members are attracted. This is needed to increase the milk supply. We are also looking for the right certificates to enter more different markets and packaging and transport.

Partners

  • Catholic Diocese of Nakuru (CDN): Financing in kind (Pasteurizer)
  • County government, livestock department: Financing in kind (Nitrogen tank)
  • County government, department of cooperatives – auditing
  • Egerton- Training
  • KAPAP project -Training
  • IFAD through SDCP Financing in kind (cooler, generator and solar system)