The dairy industry is among the fastest growing agricultural subsectors in Kenya. Yet, national milk production is virtually unchanged in the last decade, increasing only slightly from 3.64 billion liters in 2010 to 3.98 billion liters in 2019. Sustained increases in dairy productivity require quantities and qualities of feed that provide essential macronutrients and minerals.

In 2019, the Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems (KCDMS) Activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) contracted RuMeth International to carry out a baseline dairy animal nutrition study of the critical dietary and nutritional constraints to smallholder dairy productivity in its focus areas. The study centered on RuMeth’s Ruminant Methane Assessment (RMA) methodology. The findings demonstrate that improved feeding and simple changes in the basal ration may greatly increase productivity and reduce the amount of methane (CH4) emitted per liter of milk produced.

KCDMS and USAID recognize that the relationship between animal productivity and enteric methane emissions offers significant opportunities for low cost greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. They also recognize the potential use of the RMA to assess and quantify methane emissions mitigation and productivity in livestock projects. The KCDMS baseline study offered a unique opportunity to demonstrate that potential.

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