| dc.description.abstract | This thesis answers to the following research question: How to promote an increase in cow milk production in an environmentally sustainable - and inclusive way for smallholder dairy producers in Nandi – and Bomet counties, Kenya? This is done through a mixed method research design mostly consisting of stakeholder interviews and a producer survey. Promoting an increase in cow milk production in an environmentally sustainable way requires first of all an understanding of barriers to the uptake of improved practices. The main technical barriers are related to knowledge on feeding, reproduction cycles of the cow, and breeding. Socio-cultural barriers are related to the value people attach to cows and food - over feed crops. Promoting an increase in cow milk production in an inclusive, pro-poor, way, either means to promote a push from informal to formal; and to improve the unreliable character of the informal sector. In order to promote a push from informal to formal, the main benefit of participating in informal markets need to be created in the formal sector as well, which are a combination of the payment structure, which is often daily or weekly and in cash, and accessibility as milk is picked from the farm or from collection points along the road very close by. Therefore alternative payment schemes need to be developed and the accessibility and visibility of the formal sector needs to be improved. Further, the requirements to enter the formal market, which are quality standards and hygiene procedures regarding handling of the milk, form barriers to entry. Ways to incentivize smallholder producers to comply to the desired quality and hygiene practices are provisioning and explaining of (how to use the) correct materials. Crucial is the attention that needs to be paid to territorial embeddedness of chain activities. This study revealed differences on a local level with regards to the presence of certain actors in particular places, which has different impacts on the value chain dynamics. | |
