Assessment of the Current Status of Milk Production and Farm-level Milk Losses among Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Mogotio Sub-county, Baringo County

Abstract

Smallholder dairy farmers account for up to 80% of total dairy producers and 56% of total milk production in Kenya. The reduction of farm level milk losses at the farm level is a critical point in the milk supply chain where improvements can contribute to increased income. The target population included 840 accessible smallholder dairy farmers and 120 dairy farmers who were purposefully sampled as study respondents during the baseline survey. Thirty farmers were purposefully chosen to participate in focus group discussions. A structured questionnaire, Focus Group Discussion guides, and a Key Informant Interview schedule were used to collect data. Focus Group Discussions and Expert Interviews yielded qualitative data. The data's reliability was then estimated using Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient, a measure of internal consistency. Data analysis required the application of both descriptive and inferential statistics. T-tests and the Pearson chi-square test of independence were used for inferential statistics, while measures of central tendency, dispersion and proportions analysis were used for descriptive statistics. According to the findings of the study, the most common milk losses included spillage (30%), excessive consumption by the calves (22%), spoilage (19%) and non-collection of milk due to free-range grazing (17%). Furthermore, most of the farmers (67%) used plastic milk containers. This is worrying because despite a wide variety of plastics existing it is only a few of them that are food grade approved. Microbial contamination through calf suckling is predominant with (71%) practicing free suckling methods which is known to reduce milk yield through milk rejection. The purpose of the study was to assess the current status of milk production and farm-level milk losses among smallholder dairy farmers in Mogotio Sub-county, Baringo County.