2021 Seed Grant Award Problem Statements 

Agriculture / Food Security

Problem #12: Lack of value addition and affordable preservation methods of camel milk leads losses of about 50% of total milk produced in Kenya.

Country/Region of execution:  Kenya
Collaborating Organization: World Concern Development Organization
World Concern, an international relief and development agency founded in 1955. WCDO focuses on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable within society, providing capacity-building for partners, while having the flexibility to respond to disasters through relief and rehabilitation assistance. Currently World Concern is implementing roughly $30 million in programming in its 10 country offices located throughout Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Since 1991, WCDO has received, implemented and administered grants in excess of $59 million from USAID. WCDO headquarters is based in Seattle, WA, and the Kenya country office is located in Nairobi.
Problem Statement Description:  According to Musinga et al. (2008)*, camel milk production in Kenya in 2007 was estimated to have stood at over 340 million liters. However, only about 12% of the milk is marketed and of this, the bulk (83%) is sold in raw form to rural consumers.  That means that only 2% ever reaches urban consumers. Furthermore, from the remaining milk (88%) that does not reach the market, 38% is directly used by camel keeping households and their herders as part of their daily food requirements, and the remaining 50% (or 170 million liters) of product is lost across the value chain, indicating significant opportunities to improve efficiency. Little investment has been set aside for camel milk value chain development even though it’s the main food source of protein for most pastoralist in Kenya. Researchers also inform us that camel's milk is pretty much the closest you can come to a human mother's milk, particularly in terms of immune-boosting proteins like lactoferrin and immunoglobulins. Hence the need to look for innovative ways of increasing its shelf life through value addition.  World Concern would like to innovate value addition to the Camel Milk Value Chain by building the capacities of all actors and creating new products such as a camel milk yogurt and fermented camel milk and long life camel milk as well as camel powder milk which does not require refrigeration or a cold chain. This becomes more marketable to urban locations, and will also sustain the local communities in the lean/dry season when camels are not producing much milk. This can be extended to sheep and goat yogurt, long life milk, fermented mill and powder milk. The only current value addition in milk products in Kenya is for cow milk.  *(Musinga, M. Kimenye D, Kivolonzi P. The Camel Milk Industry in Kenya: Report of a study commissioned by SNV to explore the potential of camel milk from Isiolo district to access sustainable formal markets. (RMC, 2008))