EU to fund €1.8 million project on innovative market-based livestock systems in Kenya

SNV, together with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and a local partner, the Kenya Livestock Marketing Council, have been awarded EU funding of €1.8 million under the Kenya Rural Development Program. The three-year project focuses on securing long-term food security through boosting agricultural productivity, enabling better responses to drought and improving livelihoods in arid and semi-arid lands.

Aiming to improve pastoral livelihoods through sustainable market systems,  the project will promote pastoral livelihoods diversification through strengthening viable enterprises in the livestock, fodder, and camel milk value chains, facilitate robust markets for livestock and livestock products through public-private partnerships and market-based systems, and consolidate knowledge to enhance climate change adaptation and market orientation at the community level and inform policy harmonisation.

Market engagement helps pastoralists to survive drought and adapt to climate change. The project will enable improved access and availability of fodder for 25,000 livestock keepers households and empower 1,000 female-led households through a more profitable camel milk trade. In addition, 25 vibrant livestock markets in arid areas will benefit from improved management including information flow. The project will also lead to a strong arid and semi-arid lands knowledge base offering replicable strategies in drought mitigation and adaption to climate change.

SNV has overall responsible for the project and will specifically take the lead for commercialisation of fodder production, commercialisation of camel milk, of strengthening livestock markets. ILRI is in charge of the development and dissemination of knowledge on livestock markets and climate change resilience. The Kenya Livestock Marketing Council will support policy dialogue and livestock markets on the ground. 

For more on SNV's work in the camel milk value chain in Kenya, please click here

For more on SNV's support to livestock markets in Kenya, please click here