Public-private partnership for sustainable production and marketing of goat’s milk in light of climate change

Abstract

In Tanzania, goat’s milk has a high market value due to its desirable nutritional profile and cultural recognition that it is beneficial to human health. A joint initiative between Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) that introduced dairy goats to Tanzania has resulted in approximately 400,000 goats in the region to this day, providing households and communities with milk and various other animal byproducts. In areas such as the highlands of Mgeta in the Morogoro region, where there was previously no production of milk, dairy goats have achieved an average milk production of 1.4 L of milk per animal per day. This led to a rise in milk consumption from 0 L per household per day in 1988 to 1.6 L per household per day in 2012. Although the joint initiative between SUA and the NMBU was successful in diversifying the diets and improving the livelihoods of the poor, farm group efforts to distribute surplus milk to larger and more distant markets has remained a challenge. Suboptimum feeding practices and low education levels in milk handling and entrepreneurship may explain this lack of progress. In order to expand milk distribution beyond the local market, the involvement of an established dairy company is required. This paper will look at collaborations between farmers, private-milk-processing enterprises such as Shambani Graduates Ltd. (SGL) and a research institution (SUA) to discuss the value of milk in human nutrition and the feasibility of a pro-poor value chain for climate-smart goat’s milk processing and dairy goat maintenance.