Kenya tipped on creating robust regional animal feed sector

Farmers carry bags of organic fertilizer and organic animal feeds from GPC company in Eldoret. [File, Standard]

Kenya is at a pivotal moment in its agricultural journey, with stakeholders calling for deliberate efforts to commercialise research findings for a sustainable animal feed sector.

This was the consensus during the country’s second Feed Sector Roundtable held in Nairobi, a critical forum supported by the Dutch Embassy in collaboration with key local and international partners, including Lattice, Larive and the Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET).

The meeting underscored the interconnectedness of the livestock and feed sectors.

“Without a robust feed industry, the livestock sector, which is vital to Kenya’s economy, cannot thrive,” said Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands Jorris van Bommel.

“If you talk about the livestock sector, we need to talk about the feed sector. We need to improve how we develop the sector and what we can do with the different partners in the sector.”

Kenya’s feed sector faces challenges, including fluctuating feed prices, insufficient quality standards, and a lack of access to affordable, high-quality feed for smallholder farmers.

These issues have hampered the productivity of livestock farming, a sector that supports millions of Kenyans.

The forum emphasised the need for stronger collaborations between the government, private sector players, and international partners.

Lilian Marenya, who is the head of programmes at Lattice - an organisation that gives innovative advisory and aquaculture solutions across sectors like agribusiness, food security and the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector - said nobody can work alone, and those in the feeds sector need to have a multi-dimensional conversation in a much-organised manner.

She said the partners have now moved from talking to action points and are seeking to close the gap between research and the market.

Agriculture Advisor at the Netherlands Embassy Elizabeth Kiamba reflected on the strides already made.

“We had an innovation mission earlier in the year on sustainable livestock, and there was a lot of collaboration between the Kenyan government, the Dutch government, and the various players in the sector,” she said.

The innovation mission focused on leveraging Dutch expertise in sustainable agricultural practices to enhance Kenya’s livestock value chain.

It explored opportunities for knowledge exchange, investment, and technology transfer, laying the groundwork for tangible improvements in feed production and distribution.

Kenya boasts a wealth of research on animal feeds, ranging from alternative feed sources to climate-smart innovations.

However, much of this research remains in academic institutions and has yet to be commercialised.

Regulatory frameworks

Stakeholders at the roundtable stressed the need to bridge this gap. 

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) were identified as a critical mechanism for driving change in the feed sector.

By pooling resources and expertise, these collaborations can scale up innovations, improve infrastructure, and streamline regulatory frameworks.

Successful PPPs in other agricultural sectors, such as horticulture, have demonstrated the potential of this approach.

Wouter Van Vliet, the CEO of Larive International, said if partnerships and technology were implemented well, Kenya could easily become a net exporter of animal feeds and not an importer within a short period.

The Netherlands, renowned for its efficiency in agriculture, continues to be a key partner for Kenya.

Dutch companies and organisations have expressed interest in investing in Kenya’s feed sector, bringing advanced technologies such as precision farming, feed formulation software.