The role of Dairy Cooperative Societies in providing services to Small-Holder Dairy Farmers in Kiambu District, Kenya

Abstract

1bc role of dairy cooperative societies in providing services to small-holder dairy farmers in Kiambu District, central Kenya was studied. Staff from 15 cooperative societies were interviewed during October to December 1992. In addition, 80 randomly sampled farmers from 6 randomly selected Societies’ were questioned as to the current and potential services their cooperative society could provide. 1bc primary objective of each society was to market milk for smallholder farmers. The price paid to farmers varied from K.sh. 5.00 to K.sh. 7.00. (US $ 0.15 to US $0.20) per litre and was influenced most by the proportion of milk the cooperative society was able to sell locally. A secondary objective for dairy societies was to provide inputs, such as, credit and technical services to their members. Their ability to provide input services increased with the number of members and the amount of cooperative levy charged on milk sales. The farmers sampled ranked the need for higher and more prompt payment for milk as their major concerns and the provision of veterinary services as a secondary concern farmers felt that dairy cooperative societies should assume more milk marketing and service responsibilities. Both the recent deregulation of milk marketing and the withdrawal of many government technical services should influence dairy cooperative societies to assume a greater role in these areas.