East Africa Dairy Development Project

The East Africa Dairy Development Project (EADD) is "a regional industry development program implemented by Heifer International and a consortium of partners" including TechnoServe, ILRI, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and African Breeders Services Total Cattle Management Limited (ABS TCM LTD). "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have made a grant of $42.8 million to Heifer International, which includes $2.5 million matching grant. Combined, the grant and Heifer-raised matching donations totals $45.3 million for the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) project" The project operates in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Project sites are centered around Lake Victoria in the three countries of operation. The project seeks to integrate peasant and smallholder dairy producers into the market.

Vision and Objectives

 * "The vision of success for the East Africa Dairy Development project is that the lives of 179,000 families – or approximately one million people – are transformed by doubling household dairy income by the 10th year through integrated intervention in dairy production, market access and knowledge application."

The project includes:
 * "The development of 27 milk collection hubs, including chilling plants for bulking and holding milk for pickup by processors in refrigerated milk trucks.
 * "The formation of farmer business associations that will own and manage the plants and develop hubs of dairy business services;
 * "The use of artificial insemination to improve local breeds of dairy cows to produce more milk per day per cow. It will also focus on animal nutrition and health for better milk quality and
 * "Extensive training provided by Heifer International and its partners in dairy animal husbandry, business practices, and other subjects needed to for successful operation of a business to produce, process and market dairy products."

About the Project
The project establishes "refrigerated chilling plants at strategic locations where farmers can bring their milk for storage and pickup by commercial dairies." A second piece of the project involves using artificial insemination to impregnate local breeds of cows with bull semen from breeds of cows that produce a lot ofm ilk.


 * "The farmers will receive training in Heifer’s small community groups. These groups will be consolidated into “dairy farmer business associations,” larger groups with thousands of farmers. There will be 30 farmer business associations, each owning and managing one of the chilling plants.


 * "Chilling plants are the linchpin of the EADD project - the point where even a farmer with only one or two cows may join the profitable dairy industry. The East African Dairy Development (EADD) project is working to ensure that women and girls have the opportunity to not only work in the dairies but to become community leaders. In the dairy industry, this would include the farms, chilling plants, transportation lines, milk processors, sales outlets and finally the consumer."

As of 2008, the project operated in the following areas:
 * Rift Valley Province: Lelan Division, West Pokot; Soy Division and Kipkaren Division, Uasin Gishu; Oleguruoni Division, Kipkelion; Siongiroi Division, Bomet; Longisa Division, Sotik; Cheptalal Division and Cheborgei Division, Buret; Kabiyet Division, Nandi North; Chepkorio Division and Metkei Division, Keiyo
 * Central Province: Mweiga Division, Nyeri; Ndaragua Division and Ol Kalou Division, Nyandarua.

Contact Information

 * Web: http://eadairy.wordpress.com/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Gates Foundation
 * Heifer International
 * TechnoServe
 * International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
 * The World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF)
 * African Breeders Services Total Cattle Management Limited
 * Dairy Development Projects in Kenya

External articles

 * Paul Karaimu, "‘Unlocking the value of the cow’: New project to identify the best breeds for East Africa’s small-scale dairy producers," International Livestock Research Institute, March 7, 2011.