The dairy industry contributes to the economic development of developing countries, and milk or dairy products prevent malnutrition and food insecurity. There are only a few donor-funded dairy projects implemented in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. It appears the sector lags behind other agricultural development projects in terms of projects funded. I am wondering whether it is costly and challenging or just a lack of interest. I can't respond to these questions, but I would like to provide my thoughts on the benefits of dairy development to smallholder farmers.
Some of us may consider them as luxury products that poor households can’t afford, or some individuals might be lactose intolerant and milk wasn’t part of their traditional diet. Others may ask why do we tell smallholder farmers to plant grass or maize for dairy cows if they can’t produce sufficient food for themselves. Furthermore, some argue that milk production is capital intensive because milk is a perishable product that requires an expensive investment in a cool chain, etc. Well, these are legitimate concerns, but a good strategy, education, technical, and managerial approaches address them.
Dairy sector development ends poverty
I witnessed, during my many years of experience, smallholder farmers lifted from poverty by improving milk production. Most developing countries spend millions of dollars importing milk and dairy products. Selling milk is a sustainable source of income for smallholder dairy farmers. Think about a cow producing milk every day, even during holidays, that farmers can consume and sell milk. Yes, there is a dry period during which milking is halted, approximately 50 days or longer for certain breeds, but dairy cows can be a treasure for farmers. Providing farmers technical and managerial training improves their productivity and efficiency. Farmers may put aside a plot of land where they plant grass for their cows. That approach raises the question of feed and food competition. If farmers have to wait a few months to harvest cereal, for instance, the grass is harvested every few days and milk produced from it sustains farmers’ daily income. Of course, we can’t stop them to produce cereals, but balancing milk production and their traditional crops is the role of agricultural technicians. Farmers would save money from the income they get and purchase food for their families. Later when they realize the benefits, they may focus entirely on milk production. Thus, their living standards can improve and feed and food competition becomes an irrelevant issue.
Promoting milk production improves food security
Farmers who produce milk consume a portion of their production and consequently balance their diet. In some areas or countries, farmers prefer to sell more milk to get more money and only save a small portion of the milk produced for their children. Research conducted in Niger in the aftermath of the food security crisis in 2005 reported less infant malnutrition for children of livestock farmers than the average of the country because these children regularly consumed milk before the crisis. In other words, milk improves the nutrition status of children. Moreover, the argument on getting more money to buy food also remains relevant for food security.
How about other challenges?
Well, like any agricultural project, dairy projects have also challenges that can be addressed, but the question is about the interest in investing in the dairy sector.