Transforming Kenya's dairy industry through sustainable consumption and production practice

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines how integrating sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices across the dairy value chain can increase productivity and economic growth in Kenya while reducing environmental degradation.

• The dairy sub-sector is a significant contributor to the national economy, accounting for approximately 15% of the total agricultural sector's GDP and contributing between 6% and 8% of Kenya's overall GDP. The value chain is valued at over KSh 184 billion (USD 1.7 billion).
• Growth in the dairy sub-sector is limited by several systemic issues, including low productivity, poor service delivery, limited skills and knowledge, and the prevalence of informal trading and marketing systems.
• Kenya's dairy cattle industry produces approximately 12.3 million tonnes of CO2-eq, with methane making up 96% of the sector's greenhouse gas emissions profile, followed by nitrous oxide at 3% and carbon dioxide at 1%.
• The research identified 20 impactful and replicable SCP practices across the value chain, including silage preparation and feed formulation for fodder production; artificial insemination, embryo transplant, and dairy track monitors for breeding and health; and the production of value-added products like cheese, ghee, and yoghurt.
• Resource recovery and renewable energy practices can reduce the sector's carbon footprint and costs. These include using bioslurry from biogas as fertilizer to replace synthetic options, using biogas for cooking and water heating, and adopting solar appliances for lighting and water heaters.
• Marketing innovations such as automated milk vending machines can reduce environmental pollution by eliminating packaging and increase farmer returns by removing middlemen. Social entrepreneurship is also highlighted as a way to improve bargaining power and access to formal markets for small-scale farmers.
• Policy recommendations for the Kenyan government include expanding extension services, supporting research and development through the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization, and implementing the Dairy Industry Regulations of 2020 to standardize milk quality, pricing, and trade.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). Transforming Kenya's dairy industry through sustainable consumption and production practice. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kenyas-dairy-sub-sector-sei2022.028.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Transforming Kenya's dairy industry through sustainable consumption and production practice. n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kenyas-dairy-sub-sector-sei2022.028.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Transforming Kenya's dairy industry through sustainable consumption and production practice |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kenyas-dairy-sub-sector-sei2022.028.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendtransforming, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Transforming Kenya's dairy industry through sustainable consumption and production practice}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kenyas-dairy-sub-sector-sei2022.028.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }