Files
Abstract
Agriculture plays a crucial role in the economy of sub-Saharan Africa. A feature of
particular significance about the region is that the majority of households are heavily
dependent on agriculture as their major source of livelihood. Smallholder agriculture is the
principal producer of staple foods and cash crops, accounting for very large shares of
national production and marketed output. For the respective countries, therefore, the
performance of smallholder agriculture has crucial implications for the overall economic
development process including the alleviation of rural poverty. The demands created by
steadily increasing populations, and the pressing need to increase agricultural productivity
means that these countries must continuously adopt methods to intensify agricultural
production.
Livestock production is an important consideration in the agricultural development of the
region. Livestock, and especially cattle, have historically played multiple roles both in
economic life and in socio-cultural traditions of African people. Cattle have been valued not
simply as a source of food (milk, blood and meat) and hide but also as a visible form of
wealth and a source of social prestige. In certain parts of the region, cattle still provide a
valuable source of draft and traction power both for the plough and for transportation carts
whereas in Arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL), cattle still provide a valuable security against
famine. Traditionally, cattle were a valuable item in the payment of bride price while beef
was a valued food item in ceremonies. Moreover, cattle manure is still valued as a fire-fuel
and building material in ASAL whilst in arable areas it is valued as a fertilizer. In brief,
cattle have retained their multiple roles among the African people. The relative importance
of each role, however, varies with production and ecosystems (Freeland 1998; Fitzhugh
1998).
In the high potential areas, the economic importance of the cow has increasingly shifted to
commercial milk production while at the same time retaining the complementary role of
sustaining soil fertility for sustainable agricultural production. In such area, increasing
population pressure interacting with the need to sustain soil fertility has driven the change in
production structure with dairying becoming an important component of agricultural
production. .
Eastern Africa is Africa’s most promising region for dairy production. The region is
predominantly rural, with over 80 per cent of its inhabitants deriving its livelihood heavily
from agriculture. It holds over 40 percent of Africa’s cattle resource of about 222 million
(FAOSTAT).
This study looks at the development of dairy industry in two east African countries⎯ Kenya
and Uganda (Figure 1). From the early 1910s, Kenya has developed a dairy industry that
ranks among the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. The industry is especially noted for its
smallholder base. Uganda, on the other hand, has a large unexploited potential for dairying.
In order to highlight special aspects of the respective country’s industry, the study looks at
the countries in turns. The study seeks to take a historical look at the respective dairy
industries with a view to identifying major turning points in their respective developments.
We then apply the DE-A-R framework in analyzing the circumstances surrounding
ii
respective turning points, including the socio-political forces that influenced the specific
forms of change. Our purpose is to identify the forces, and key actors, that have driven
changes in the systems, and to understand the impact these changes have had on the overall
production, on smallholder incomes and on the environment by comparing across countries.
We hope to identify key ingredients necessary for achieving successful smallholder dairy
growth elsewhere.