In one of the best demonstrations of the powerful socio-economic impact of a successful project, Siongiroi Dairy Plant is positively changing many lives in the Bomet District of Kenya. From dairy farmers to farm workers, transporters and other traders who derive income from milk delivered to the plant, the spin-off is massive. Slowly, a vibrant market center is developing around the plant and standards of living within the locality are improving.

"Siongiroi Dairy Plant has changed this place tremendously," says Mr. John Muge, the Chief of the Siongiroi Location. "It has helped in reducing hunger, since people are assured of income. Relief food that the people used to rely on during lean times is now history. Paying school fees is no problem for many. We have also witnessed the development of kiosks, butcheries, restaurants, lodges and related businesses." He says the increase in the number of animals slaughtered per day from two to eight in a few years is testimony to the center's rapid growth.

With USAID's financial and technical assistance through various organizations , partially, Technoserve Incorporated (TNS); American Breeders Service/TCM; and Heifer Project International (HPI). Siongiroi Dairy Farmers' Society started building its Sh6.2 million plant in early 1998 and began operations later in the same year. The coming of age of the plant largely demonstrates that with a little outside help, farmers can attain their objectives and help drive rural development. Clearly, what most of them lack is technical assistance and guidance to tackle problems that could be preventing them from realizing their true potential.

For farmers within Siongiroi and neighboring divisions, milk marketing has been a challenge for almost a decade. Mr. Sigowo Rotich, the chairman of Siongiroi Dairy Society's management committee sums up the frustration and despair that gripped dairy farmers seven years ago and almost led to the collapse of the industry in the area. "We were contemplating selling our improved cows and keeping local ones following the collapse of the now defunct Kenya Co-operative Creameries (KCC), a government parastatal," says Rotich. "KCC had collected about 20,000 Kilograms of milk and failed to pay us. We were experiencing problems with marketing our milk. Our children were often out of school for lack of fees."

It all began in 1995 when a group of dairy farmers met at Chebunyo market to explore ways of marketing their surplus evening milk. After deliberations, they approached the manager of the sole milk processor in the country by then, KCC. The Sotik KCC branch manager advised them to seek assistance from the Ministry of Co-operative Development, who in turn recommended several non-governmental development organizations specialized in the kind of services they were seeking. It was in this manner that the farmers were linked with Technoserve.

With USAID funding, Technoserve conducted a feasibility study on behalf of the farmers. Mr. Philip Kelel, the management committee secretary explains " Later in 1996, Wasonga, a Technoserve employee facilitated focus group discussions with dairy farmers within Siongiroi Division and agreed on the way forward. We agreed to contribute Sh5,200 each, Sh200 as registration fee, and Sh5,000 as share contribution. We continued to collect money and in 1998 approached the Bomet County Council, who gave us the current 1.8-acre plot on which the plant is located."

On September 1, 1998, already registered as a society, the farmers employed six members of staff to run and manage the plant on its behalf. A week later, a cooling plant was donated by Tetra Park, a private packaging company and the plant started operation with an intake of 632kg. This increased to 5,000kg by December the same year. By February the next year, intake had shot up to over 10,000kg, exceeding the installed capacity of 6,600kg. Efforts were made by the management staff and committee to get a hired tank from Spin Knit Dairy Ltd. The tank enabled the plant to receive a maximum of 12,000 kg per day.

Currently, the plant has an installed capacity of 18,900kg but is receiving 11,000kg of milk per day that is transported by road tanker to Spin Knit in Nakuru. Average milk production per cow is six kilograms, but this is expected to improve owing to USAID's assistance through American Breeders Service/TCM to provide high quality semen through artificial insemination (AI) to improve the dairy herd within the locality. Already, over 600 AI calves have been born and they are expected to sustain milk production. Currently, milk is collected from Bomet district, parts of Bureti and Transmara districts.

Siongiroi division falls under the dairy-maize growing ecological zone, which on many occasions does not receive rainfall throughout the year. Dry periods fall between January-February and October-November. Mr. Richard Ng'eno, the head of reception and procurement at the plant says they experience seasonal fluctuation of intake owing to changing pasture regimes. To help farmers cope with the dry season, USAID and Tetra Park further provided funds to Heifer Project International (HPI) to train the farmers on animal feeds and water conservation for dry periods. Through the facilitation of HPI, the Siongiroi Dairy Society management committee has toured Eldoret, Nakuru, Limuru, Ol Kalou, and Spin Knit (Nairobi). HPI owns 40 per cent of the equity for purpose of sustained support, while the farmers' society, whose current membership stands at 2,054 owns 60 percent.

With USAID's assistance, ABS/TCM has trained farmers on how to monitor and detect heat in animals and the right time to artificially inseminate cows in heat. Farmers have also been trained to provide clean, high quality raw milk. Siongiroi Dairy Plant intends to start processing milk once daily intake reaches 60,000 kg per day. "This will be, hopefully, within the next three years," says Mr. Joseph Koech, the plant accountant.