Cows, community, and capacity: Perspectives from the field in Kenya

“I used to milk 6 L per day, before I started the trainings. Now, after being trained, I produce 33 L. And of course, from there, my life changed.”

Inspiring words like these have been echoed by many small-holder dairy farmers across rural Kenya who have participated in the Volunteers Engaged in Gender Responsive Technical Solutions (VETS) program, generously funded by Global Affairs Canada. These words are a testament to the important shifts many farmers have experienced after gaining access to knowledge-based training, opening the door to lasting changes in their everyday lives. This is the kind of transformation that Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord (VWB/VSF) is committed to fostering.

VWB/VSF partners with communities around the world to improve animal health, strengthen food security, support partner capacity building, and empower farmers through One Health programming. Notably, the VETS program operates through a gender-responsive approach by promoting knowledge transfer within households. Although women in Kenya are often central to daily animal care, they are frequently excluded from formal decision-making. The VETS program equips women with knowledge to actively shape livestock interventions that enhance both milk yield and quality. This summer, through the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), we had the opportunity to work with dairy farmers across Kenya, in partnership with Meru Dairy Cooperative Union and Wakulima Dairy (Figure 1).

FIGURE 1.

Animal Health Advisor volunteers Laura Vivas, Maddalena Jacobson and Technical Advisor, Dr. Karin Orsel, visiting a dairy farm in Mũkũrwe-Inĩ, Nyeri County, Kenya, to learn about dairy practices in Kenya.

FROM KNOWLEDGE TO ACTION

As Canadian veterinary students with VWB/VSF, we volunteered in Kenya through the Emerging Leaders Program within VETS for 3 mo. Grace and Méli-Jade were placed with Meru Dairy Co-operative Union Ltd in Meru County, whereas Maddalena and Laura were placed with Mũkũrwe-Inĩ Wakulima Dairy Co Ltd, in Nyeri County. In our roles as Animal Health Advisors, we collaborated with Extension Officers, who have vital roles in supporting farmers by identifying ongoing issues and helping them improve productivity. We delivered farmer training sessions on key animal health and production topics and conducted on-farm visits to address individual challenges faced by farmers. The most frequently covered topics included reproduction, calf rearing, cow comfort, mastitis management, milk quality, and nutrition.

During our placement, we also had the opportunity to assist in training new groups of Community One Health Champions (COHCs). These individuals are highly motivated farmers who have demonstrated strong potential to implement positive changes on their own farms and take on leadership roles by sharing knowledge and best practices with fellow farmers in their communities.

Working side-by-side with farmers and dairy staff in Meru and Nyeri highlighted that this knowledge transfer was never 1-sided. Although we contributed veterinary expertise and new perspectives, we gained equally valuable insights by observing daily practices, listening to farmers, and understanding challenges we had identified. This approach ensured that our training sessions were relevant and immediately applicable to everyday farm operations. These exchanges highlighted several recurring challenges, including management of mastitis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), difficulties related to artificial insemination (AI) along with the suitability of common dairy breeds, and, most critically, improper nutrition. Many of these issues stemmed from gaps in knowledge and limited access to practical training.

MANAGING MASTITIS, RETHINKING ANTIBIOTICS

Mastitis remains a major issue among smallholder dairy farmers in Meru, driven by limited resources, poor hygiene, and lack of routine testing. Cases are usually detected only once milk is rejected or clinical signs appear and are then treated empirically with broad-spectrum antibiotics such as cephalexin or gentamicin.

Routine testing is rare. Most farmers are unfamiliar with the California Mastitis Test (CMT; Figure 2), a common tool in Canada, and the kits are too costly for smallholder farmers who typically own only 2 or 3 cows. Empirical treatment without bacterial culture is the norm, partly due to the limited number of veterinary diagnostic laboratories. In Meru, milk samples can be sent to a human diagnostic laboratory for culture and sensitivity, but the expense is too high for farmers. The reliance on empirical antibiotic use contributes to antimicrobial treatment failures and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Through farmer training (Figure 3), we emphasized mastitis prevention to reduce the need for antibiotics and limit unnecessary use.

FIGURE 2.

Animal Health Advisor volunteers Grace and Méli-Jade demonstrating the use of the California Mastitis Test with dairy farmer Rhoda Mugambi of the Kigakia Dairy Famers Co-operative Society.

FIGURE 3.

Volunteers Méli-Jade Léveillé-Blais and Grace Friesen discussing a mastitis case with Extension Officer Charles Nkanata in Meru County, Kenya.

BREEDING MORE PRODUCTIVE HERDS

When Kenyan farmers were asked about the challenges they faced on their farms, successful pregnancy was one of the most common responses. Despite widespread utilization of artificial insemination, farmers face constant difficulties regarding heat detection, silent heat, and conception. There are several factors that contribute to successful breeding, including but not limited to: AI timing, AI technique, breed characteristics, comfort, health, and nutritional limitations (Figure 4).

FIGURE 4.

Animal Health Advisor volunteers Méli-Jade Léveillé-Blais and Grace Friesen training a group of dairy farmers on the topic of breeding efficiency in Nkandone society, Meru County, Kenya.

In Kenya, AI can only be performed by veterinarians, which greatly reduces its availability to farmers. Many already struggle with heat detection, and even when they do recognize it, they must call a veterinarian to inseminate their cow. To optimize fertility, AI needs to be performed within 12 to 18 h after the first observation of estrus. However, with very few veterinarians available (Wakulima Dairy, for example, has only 4), it is often difficult to adhere to the proper timing of insemination, leading to poor conception rates.

One of the leaders of a community group raised an interesting concern, “with climate change on the rise, cross-breeding appears to be the way to proceed, although most farmers believe a pure genetic line is superior.” Based on this feedback, we discussed introduction of ideally suited breeds such as Ayrshire and Jersey into Kenyan farms, since the prominent breed used for dairy in Kenya are Holsteins. However, Holsteins have poor feed efficiency and are susceptible to ticks, parasites, diseases, and heat stress local to Kenya, greatly decreasing their reproductive success. By promoting better-suited breeds, the goal is to enhance feed efficiency and fertility in herds overall and thus increase the rate of conception.

In addition, poor body condition is an important factor contributing to unsuccessful conception. Cows in poor body condition will not have energy reserves necessary to support fetal development and may not display estrus. Recognizing the close relationship between nutrition and fertility, a strong emphasis was placed on feeding in our training sessions.

FEEDING FOR THE FUTURE

“Before I received training on how to feed the cow and calf, our animals were dying,” recalled a smallholder dairy farmer when reflecting on her past experiences. Her story captures a common and critical challenge for many farmers in rural Kenya: improper nutrition. This issue is often driven by limited resources and knowledge of nutritional requirements of cows at various stages of lactation and development. Furthermore, it impacts nearly every sphere of animal health, including heifer rearing (Figure 5), reproductive success, disease resistance, and overall herd productivity.

FIGURE 5.

VWB Animal Health Advisors Maddalena Jacobson and Laura Vivas pictured with dairy farmer Mundia after helping him treat pneumonia in his calf. Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri County, Kenya.

The nature of this challenge is rooted in limited access to essential resources such as finances, quality feed, and water. One farmer, who had long struggled with low milk production linked to poor nutrition, explained: “During the dry period, we’re just feeding and we’re not getting milk, so we’re not selling, and there’s no money. It’s kind of discouraging.” The lack of resources makes appropriate feeding difficult, even when extension officers do their best to guide and support them. “Most of the farmers have limited feed for their cows. Some of the farmers don’t have large lands for planting fodder. So, they lease, but they do not get enough income from their farm and it becomes an issue,” explained an Extension Officer at Meru Dairy. In some areas, even water access becomes a challenge during the dry season, with farmers struggling to secure enough for both crop irrigation and livestock care.

To address this issue regarding nutrition, the VETS volunteers shared practical, cost-effective feeding practices aimed at providing a balanced diet and improving body condition among cattle of small-scale farmers. These recommendations were tailored to each specific region, recognizing that feed availability varies between lower- and higher-altitude areas. Farmers shared that providing their cows with both higher-quality and greater quantities of feed led to noticeable improvements in calf development, breeding, and milk production. These positive outcomes not only enhanced herd productivity but also increased household income, enabling farmers to sustain these practices over time.

MANY VOICES, 1 SUCCESS

In light of these challenges, farmers continually spoke about the positive impacts VETS volunteers have had on their dairy production and outcomes. Many recounted their situations before and after the trainings, noting not only improvements in milk production but also the resulting increase in income, which directly transformed their daily lives. “We have tripled our monthly revenue. We can have electricity and our children can get an education. We always have food on the table now to sustain ourselves,” shared one small-scale dairy farmer. Beyond income, farmers also noted changes in household communication, particularly between husbands and wives. By approaching farm management through a gender-sensitive lens, many have come to recognize the value that every member contributes. Whether in the dynamic between farmers and their workers or within the relationship between spouses, improved communication has led only to positive outcomes. One farmer reflected on how his wife now manages the majority of their dairy operation. “When we got all that knowledge [from the trainings], I even started becoming friends with my wife,” he recalled with a smile.

This impact is reinforced by the close collaboration between volunteers and Extension Officers. Working hand in hand, they exchange knowledge and tackle the challenges faced by Kenyan dairy farmers. This partnership not only strengthens the influence of training sessions on farmers but also builds sustainable knowledge capacity within the community. As an Extension Officer explained: “We have learned new training skills from [the volunteers]. Before, we were not training about gender. We now train our farmers on a new topic; communication within farmers. It makes families stronger, and farmers now have more cows because they collaborate.” Through these exchanges, Extension Officers broaden their expertise in animal health to include topics such as gender, allowing them to continue passing that knowledge to farmers long after the volunteers have gone. In this way, the program creates a lasting effect and ensures a sustainable impact.

The roots of this collaboration stretch back more than a decade. For Meru Dairy, the story began in 2014, when 2 volunteer veterinarians focused on an ongoing issue identified by the Dairy’s animal health team: cow comfort. Not only did volunteers discuss this issue and provide advice to the farmers, they also rebuilt cow stalls, using only materials already available on the farms. On 1 farm, after rebuilding a single stall, milk production jumped by 8 L in just 1 wk! The results were undeniable and from that moment, Meru Dairy began welcoming VWB/VSF volunteers year after year. Placements grew longer, evolving from a few weeks to several months and now include a variety of programs such as the ELP program, which the 4 of us were part of this year. A similar pattern was observed at Wakulima Dairy, where volunteer support has likewise strengthened farm management. Looking back over the collaboration, a Meru Dairy team member captured it in a few words: “The impact has been phenomenal [...] It might seem small, but I can tell you, the knowledge and skills that [the farmers] acquire, the opportunity that they get to ask questions, the impact is big.”

TOWARD STRONGER HERDS AND COMMUNITIES

Through the ELP placement, we gained insights into the farmers lived experiences by observing daily practices and engaging in discussions to hear firsthand about obstacles farmers have identified within their communities. By learning directly from farmers about the local realities of dairy farming, we were able to identify challenges affecting dairy farming in Meru and Nyeri counties.

VWB/VSF strives to bridge the gap between small-scale farmers and access to knowledge by working together with local partners to fully understand local limitations and challenges, while being guided by a One Health approach. This collaboration ensures that capacity-building and knowledge exchanges are relevant, practical, and reflective of the needs of the community. Ultimately, perspectives obtained from our time as volunteers in Kenya help contribute to an understanding of local challenges and potentially guide more effective, community-centered initiatives.

As we return to Canada, we reflect on the lessons we learned and shared, the challenges we observed, and the positive impact VETS volunteers have contributed to supporting communities where we worked. Looking ahead, we hope these partnerships will continue to grow and inspire new generations of Kenyan farmers and Canadian volunteers to work together toward healthier herds, stronger families, and more resilient communities.

If you are interested in volunteering with VWB please visit www.VWB.org.