The USAID funded Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems (KCDMS) is turning lives of small holder poultry farmers since the five-year program was rolled in the country.
The project which was designed to increase agricultural production and reduce poverty and malnutrition levels in Kenya has spurred rapid growth in agriculture by offering competitive, inclusive, and resilient market systems in the horticulture and dairy sectors.
The agricultural sector is the backbone of the economy, contributing approximately 33 percent of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product, but producers continue to face constraints that limit growth and perpetuate food insecurity.
The programme partnered with private sector actors to transform agricultural market systems, create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, and encourage government-level reforms to offer sound investment opportunities to farmers..
According to Teresiah Wairimu Ng’ang’a, a Founder and Director – Jolly Poultry and Jolly’s Footprints Ltd in Kajiado County the company has been working with farmers and working with the community through various forums to empower farmers in income generating activities under the program.
She said in an interview that small holder farmers were trained on best practices in rearing chicken particularly the indigenous breeds targeting the livelihood of the rural women in the community.
Ms. Wairimu says as a social entrepreneur she brought back her professional experience to the community having gone to study and traveled in various countries where she realized that the practice in the Kenya poultry value chain was economically counterproductive in offering tangible benefit to peasant farmers.
“I had to figure out how to ensure the community and the women secured a source of livelihood that they can really boast of. So the company was form five years ago in Nkoroi to promote the poultry value chain as the agent of change for women because livestock sector was predominantly the preserve of the men folks” she said
She said through the KCDMS the were able to come up with innovation systems, with focus on the indigenous bird poultry value chain and interacted with the off-takers like the Eastmeat who link them with farmers interested in buying chicks at discounted prices.
Ms. Wairimu said farmers were offered 40 chicks and get 10 for free after four months and get ready market for mature birds at Eastmeat Company through the Women and Youth Economic Transformation Unit which is the distribution and aggregation model under the system.
She says this model tries to create small businesses around the value chain where the company through the KCDMS has enlisted over 6,000 farmers and over 100 youth currently engaged in the model.
The mother units on the other hand is a business concept farmers picks up the chicks and grows them for three weeks and disposes them off to the community around under the household out growers to rear them to maturity.
“Under the KCDMS program we are working with over 10,000 farmers and have the capacity to distribute between 15,000 to 20,000 kienyeji birds on a monthly basis but exploring on mass circulation of the Kroila breed from India which were had premiered in Uganda and Tanzania” she said.
KCDMS Eastern Region Market Sytsems lead Jane Biashara says the project which has been for the last five years covers Makueni, Taita Taveta and Kitui the impact of global factors including Ukraine war, climate change occasioned by severe drought was worst felt after most of their livelihood were shuttered.
She said with USAID supported KCDMS embarked of promotion of poultry farmers and the project grantees developed market systems to facilitate businesses in the value chain to make the project sustainability.
“We had like five main grantees including jolly footprints which was tasked to avail quality chicks for farmers to reduced mortality rates of the chicks while another was global chicken organic” she said.
She said they first create a link with the hatcheries for the provision of quality chicks who partnered with Global Chicken Organic to offer farmers the birds and quality feeds at discounted prices
“We advise farmers on the appropriate feed for faster maturity of birds feed and marketing outlets through an off taker so that we also strengthen the business and encourage new entrants in value chain” she said.
EastMeat Director Meshack Mwau says they were currently operating in 32 counties and had diversified their scope beyond the poultry sector since they partnered with KCDMS in the value chain.
We also developed better storage facilities with the support of KCDMS to cope with the demands from supermarkets and other related clients unlike previously when chances of meat or the chicken getting spoilt were very high.
“The capacity that we always do produce on a daily basis. I can break it into the three products. For the capons, we have to do 1,500 kilograms a day. For the improved Kienyeji, that is around 500 to 600 kgs a day. And then for the pure Kienyeji, we have to do around 300 kgs on a daily basis” he said.
He said the Eastmeat had 76 branches country-wide and were the chief supplies to leading supermarkets including 76 branches of both Quick mart and Carrefour and to complete the supply chain partners like Jolly Prince come on board to bridge the production gap.
“I have monthly turnovers of 10 million in Capon and in Kienyeji. That one has grown for the last two years. Because we used to have an average of about 4 million sale in a month. The capacity that we are actually pulling from the farmers, it is still not meeting the market. Because the quality that we are getting” he retorted.
Eunice Musyoka Director Global Organic Chicken (GOC) say they started as a self-help group back in 2018 before the partnered with KCDMS and extended our scope beyond Makueni County where they had enlisted at least 4000 poultry farmers.
“We slaughter 1200 birds daily sell chicks charging Ksh 100 per chicks while 30,000 per chicken mash. The owner pays for the chicken for a month. We have done a lot of work. By the end of the month, the owner pays for the chicken” she told KNA during an interview.
By Wangari Ndirangu
Caption
PIC 1: Dr. Teresiah Wairimu Ng’ang’a – Founder and Director – Jolly Poultry and Jolly’s Footprints Ltd showing her kroilla birds which are a dual purpose bird good for meat, but it’s also good for eggs.
PIC 2: Brooder chickens – indigenous bird at Jolly footprints ltd
PIC 3 ; Meshack Mwau The Director and founder for East meat Supplies Limited he does turnover of 10 million in Capon and in Kienyeji monthly
