Capacity Building on Dairy Production & Management for Improved Performance, Productivity & Resilience under Pathways to Prosperity Coffee - Kenya

1.0 INTRODUCTION Solidaridad Network is an international solution-oriented civil society organisation working through eight regional expertise centres to transform markets to make them more sustainable and inclusive. Our eight regional expertise centres include Asia, Eastern and Central Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Southern Africa, South America, West Africa and our global Secretariat in the Netherlands. Solidaridad Eastern and Central Africa, one of the regional centres, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with country offices and programmes in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. We bring together supply chain players and engage them with innovative solutions to improve production, ensuring the transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy that maximises the benefit for all. We facilitate strengthening of local capacity in developing countries, support the creation of enabling environments for economies to thrive, and improve market access. Solidaridad embraces the public-private and people partnerships (PPPP) in order to test innovations, speed up change, and take success to scale. Globally, Solidaridad works around Coffee and other 12 commodities/sectors (http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org) 2.0 The Pathways to Prosperity Coffee Project in Kenya Summary The Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) Coffee Project is a 7-year project funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs supporting smallholder coffee farmers through 3 pathways: (i) creating viable and resilient production systems ii) catalysing inclusive service delivery systems, and iii) championing inclusive markets. The programme will co-create and implement tailored interventions to facilitate transformation in the coffee sector, contributing to increased sustainable production (productivity and quality) and incomes, enhancing resilience to the impacts of climate change and other shocks, and the creation of decent jobs and inclusive supply chains. The P2P project aims to build the capacity of 101,500 smallholder coffee farmers (30% women and 15% youth) from Bomet, Kisii, Nyamira, Kericho, Nandi, Bungoma, Transnzoia and West Pokot counties. Also, strengthen the leadership and governance of 84 Coffee Cooperative Societies within the project regions and provide a platform for cooperatives to link & interact with over 500 service providers in their respective regions to establish long-term relations that serve the interests of both. The intended long-term impact is that small- holder coffee farmers thrive by participating in the supply chain that is economically viable, socially responsible and environmentally sound by 2029. Smallholder coffee farmers will have an opportunity to participate in economically viable value chains by increasing their productivity through adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP’s) for increased incomes. It prioritises the inclusion of women and youth. Environmental conservation is a key element focusing on adoption of climate resilient practices, implementing carbon projects as well as adopting agroforestry. 3.0 Background Coffee remains the main cash crop for many smallholder households in Kenya’s highland regions, yet most farmers depend on a single harvest cycle that generates income only once or twice a year. This seasonal pattern creates long periods of limited cash flow, during which households often struggle to meet basic needs or invest consistently in essential farm management practices such as fertiliser application, pruning, pest control, and labour. Diversification into complementary farm enterprises is therefore critical to stabilising household income and to sustaining investment in coffee production throughout the year. Dairy farming is one of the most practical diversification options available in coffee-growing areas and it generates regular daily or weekly income while integrating well with existing coffee-based farming systems. However, the productivity and profitability of smallholder dairy systems are often constrained by inadequate feeding and fodder conservation, poor breeding decisions, weak calf management, preventable animal-health challenges, sub-optimal housing, inconsistent milking hygiene, limited quality testing, post-harvest losses and insufficient knowledge of climate-smart dairy farming technologies. Additionally, other factors like poor milk handling, use of unclean containers, delays and exposure to heat often undermine milk quality even when production practices at farm level are good. These interventions are expected to improve dairy productivity, animal health and milk quality while promoting more efficient use of locally available resources and reducing production costs. Practical demonstrations will reinforce farmer learning, support adoption of improved practices and establish accessible learning points within the target communities. Overall, the intervention aims to enhance the resilience, productivity and sustainability of dairy enterprises, while contributing to more consistent household income alongside coffee production. 3.0 Objectives The overall objective of the assignment is to strengthen the capacity of coffee-farming households participating in the Pathways to Prosperity Coffee Project to improve the productivity, profitability, resilience and sustainability of their dairy enterprises.

The specific objectives are to:

- Strengthen farmers’ knowledge and skills in improved dairy production and management practices to enhance animal productivity, milk yields, milk quality and overall farm performance. - Improve dairy herd performance and productivity through better feeding, breeding, animal health management, calf rearing and access to targeted artificial insemination and veterinary services. - Promote climate-smart and resource-efficient dairy farming practices that strengthen integration between dairy and coffee production systems, including improved utilisation of manure through biogas where applicable and compostin