The project takes place in Baringo County, which belongs to the arid and semi-arid belt of Kenya. It is an area particularly vulnerable to climatic phenomena, which cause a reduction in the rainfall regime and the flow of rivers, with unpredictable flood peaks and frequent floods. It is an area mainly devoted to agriculture, which, however, fails to provide an adequate income to the population and is made insecure by cattle raids, linked to the traditional form of farming in the wild.
One of the problems that make the food security of the local population complex is also the scarce variety of food and especially the reduced protein intake.

The project intends to enhance and strengthen local productions, in particular goat and cattle breeding.
Currently, milk and other derived products are sold exclusively with an informal system, without respecting health and hygiene protocols. The project therefore aims to increase the production, processing and sale of goat and cow milk and its derivatives and to contribute to making products more accessible and of better quality for the communities concerned and the population of the county.
The Emilia Romagna area will also be affected by awareness-raising activities that will promote the short supply chain and the enhancement of local productions.

Development of breeders’ groups

The project plans to involve 13 groups of farmers, 9 of goats and 4 of cattle with training days carried out by technicians from the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and veterinary services. They will be trained on techniques of production improvement artificial insemination, disease prevention and animal welfare. They will be aimed at 3 members of each of the 13 groups. A second 20-day training will focus on the managerial and organizational aspects of producer groups.
In addition, 5 knowledge visits to other farms will be promoted, based on the exchange of experiences, to encourage the creation of community relations.

Creation of a center for the collection, processing and sale of milk

The Milk bar will be a support service for goat and cow milk producers where they will be able to sell their product and, at the same time, improve its quality.
It will also offer a service for consumers, who will be able to purchase local and quality products supplied by a circuit certified by government standards at a sustainable price. The Milk bar will be built near the market in the town of Marigat and will be managed by the Rabai Group which deals with goat farming.
The center will be equipped with a refrigerator, a pasteurizer, milk containers, a cow’s milk vending machine, a laptop, quality control equipment and a yogurt-making machine. In fact, Mursik, the traditional yogurt produced by the Kalenjin, one of the tribes who live in the area, will also be produced.
Mani Tese will support the Rabai both on the technical aspects relating to the use of machinery and on the commercial strategy. A start-up fund will cover the payment of the first months of rent for the premises and the purchase of raw materials, the milk to be processed and resold.

Awareness raising in Emilia-Romagna

Discussions and exchanges with the project team in Kenya will take place with the local groups and associations of Mani Tese in Finale Emilia (MO) and Faenza (RA).
A social garden will be enhanced at Finale Emilia, managed by Mani Tese volunteers and dedicated to the promotion of food sovereignty and a sociality rich in hospitality, with particular attention to the integration of migrants. There will also be an event presenting the activities in Kenya with representatives of local and regional institutions.
In Faenza, Mani Tese volunteers and operators, representatives of institutions and citizens, will discuss with the representatives of Mani Tese and the local partner NECOFA in Kenya on the themes of the project and the possible connections with the socio-economic realities of Emilia-Romagna.