Nutrition in agricultural development: Intensive dairy farming by rural smallholders

This study concerns the introduction of intensive dairy farming among rural smallholders in Kilifi District, Kenya. Household surveys were conducted among dairy farmers, dairy customers and a comparison sample from rural locations. Dairy farmers were better off than the rural sample as regards household income, food production, food consumption and nutritional status of young children. These differences resulted from the dairy activities but also from greater involvement in crop cultivation and off‐farm employment.

Local milk purchases by dairy customers were mostly by wealthier households with wage employment. They had higher incomes and higher food consumption than the rural sample, and the children in these households had better nutritional status. Further analysis confirms a positive relation between milk consumption and nutritional status of children, independent of household income, energy intake and level of education. Other notable findings were the high incomes from off‐farm employment of dairy farmers; regular dairy customers are chiefly households with wage employment; milk consumption among the rural population was very low.

The results cast doubt on the importance of intensive dairy production as a means of livelihood for resource‐poor households and the importance of milk as a means to improve nutritional status of children in low‐income households.

Key words:

• Agricultural development
• rural development
• dairy farming
• household income
• milk consumption
• nutritional status
• Kenya

Notes

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