Partnership evaluates needs of East African dairy farmers

MILK is the major source of income and nutrients for smallholder farmers and their families in East Africa. However, the lack of technology and equipment bars them from increasing their output from farm to market. Nestlé is not new to assisting farmers in the region, and has taken up another opportunity to improve the milk industry in these sites. For the first time, the company will engage in a two-year project with Global Good, a collaboration between Bill Gates and Intellectual Ventures, to evaluate the needs of farmers in Kenya and Uganda, as well as expand the utilisation of a milk container called ‘Mazzi’ there.

The 'Mazzi' is a durable plastic container for milk collection and transport

One of the problems amongst farmers is transport of milk from farm to the collection centre or chilling station, according to Maurizio Vecchione, senior vice president of Global Good and Research at Intellectual Ventures.  Without the proper container for the milk, it spoils and spills during transit. The solution to this is the Mazzi (Kiswahili word for milk) plastic container which is designed to protect the quality and quantity of the milk whether this is transported by hand, bicycle or draft animal. It has a wide mouth so that farmers can milk using both hands; a detachable black funnel to help identify signs mastitis or udder infection in cows; and a lid that prevents spills. Compared to milk buckets and jerry cans, the Mazzi containers are easier to clean since the interior is smooth.  In this project, Nestlé pledges to supply 3,000 Mazzi to the farmers.

In November, Nestlé and Global Good will start field evaluation work to identify other deficiencies and bottlenecks in the rural dairy value chain for smallholder farmers. Their new partnership may lead to further projects in other parts of the world.