Delivering greater dairy farm profitability in Kenya

After boosting farm profitability and productivity since 2022, a new partnership is taking the Dairy Hub project in Kiambu County to the next level.

The Dairy Hub project, supported by Tetra Pak East Africa and Tetra Pak Food for Development, ensures Tetra Pak’s customer – Githunguri Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society (GDFCS) – receives a reliable supply of quality milk from local smallholder farmers. The hub provides farmers with a stable market and hands-on technical training.

Between September 2022 and December 2024, the hub increased farm profitability by 26%, milk yield per cow by 17%, milk collected per farm by 92%, and the margin above feed cost by 103%, while the amount of rejected milk was reduced by 71%.

Boosting profitability and quality

Following the success of the Dairy Hub project, the partners launched a new two-year Public-Private-Development Partnership (PPDP) – Pathways to Profitable Dairy Farming – in May 2025. The initiative brings together Tetra Pak, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), GDFCS and the Kenya Dairy Board, with US$ 3.5 million in funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

The programme aims to make dairy farming more profitable through increased milk production, raise milk quality, promote environmentally sustainable farming practices, and expand opportunities for women and youth across the dairy value chain. A key milestone will be the creation of a Dairy Academy to serve as a centre of excellence for farm advisors and smallholder farmers. Early results are promising, with GDFCS milk deliveries growing from 90,000 to 250,000 litres per day and a projection of 350,000 litres by 2027.

“Building the capacity of customers via farm advisors and smallholder farmers through targeted training and collaboration is essential for creating a sustainable and inclusive dairy industry in Kenya,” said Jonathan Kinisu, Managing Director at Tetra Pak East Africa.

Over the next two years, the project plans to train more than 10,000 smallholder farmers in animal health, farm management, business skills and sustainable practices to strengthen long-term resilience.