The dairy industry in Kenya is expanding rapidly, attracting entrepreneurs from various backgrounds. However, many new dairy farmers face a significant challenge: the lack of skilled workers to manage their farms effectively. This shortage of trained dairy farm attendants leads to inefficiencies and losses, discouraging potential investment in dairy farming.
To address this, Meru Dairy Union (MDU), in partnership with 2SCALE, collaborated with Meru Youth Service (MYS) and Meru National Polytechnic. The aim was to bridge a crucial skills gap in the dairy industry while providing meaningful employment for Meru County’s youth.
The journey began in June 2023, with the recruitment of 77 young individuals, interested in dairy farming, from vulnerable households across Meru County. These youth were enrolled in a three-week paramilitary training program by Meru Youth Service, funded by the County Government of Meru. The paramilitary training focused on instilling discipline, changing attitudes, detoxifying participants from substance use, and building self-esteem. These youth were also trained on essential skills such as emergency response, drug abuse awareness, command-taking, discipline, entrepreneurship, and communication.
Following the paramilitary training, the youth took a two-month college-based training at Meru Polytechnic. The institution developed a Dairy Farm Attendant curriculum tailored to dairy industry’s needs and approved by the Technical and Vocational Training Authority (TVETA) in Kenya. It covered a wide range of topics, including dairy cow rearing, feed formulation, milking techniques for both manual and machine-assisted, record-keeping, fodder production, heat detection, and dairy value addition.