Brookside scales up support for dairy farmers with sustainable feed program

KENYA – Brookside’s Milk Procurement General Manager, Emmanuel Kabaki, has confirmed that the company is committed to helping dairy farmers through sustainable farming programs.

Speaking at Mariene in Central Imenti, Kabaki said the company’s fodder distribution program is meant to help farmers get quality planting materials that improve animal feed production and increase milk yields.

He added that Brookside has already given out more than 63,000 fodder cuttings to farmers in Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties.

Kabaki explained that this initiative is part of a larger plan to ensure farmers have year-round access to animal feed. This is important for increasing milk production and ensuring farmers remain profitable even during dry seasons.

He also said the company continues to work closely with farmers to promote climate-friendly, sustainable farming.

Brookside is also working closely with agricultural experts and extension officers to promote climate-friendly farming practices. Through these partnerships, the company equips farmers with the knowledge and resources needed to improve productivity and maintain high milk quality.

Kabaki encouraged farmers to take full advantage of the fodder distribution program and other support initiatives, emphasizing that better feed quality directly translates to higher milk output and more stable income.

Brookside Dairy increases farmer rewards to US$2.3M

Recently, the company disbursed US$2.3 million (KSh 303 million) boost to its farmer rewards program.

This increase, marking a 32–40% rise from the previous year’s payout, underscores the company’s ongoing commitment to strengthening its supply chain and empowering rural communities.

Brookside, General Manager for Milk Procurement, Emmanuel Kabaki, said the amount will benefit dairy groups and individual farmers across Kenya who signed up for the programme and have been supplying raw milk to Brookside in the six-month period between 1st December 2024 to 31st May, this year.

The farmer reward scheme, pioneered by Brookside six years ago, aims to recognise the crucial role raw milk suppliers play in the upstream phase of the dairy value chain. The payout has been appreciating over the years, as the processor’s base of contracted farmers continues to expand.

“The reward remains a statement of our excellent working relationship with all our 160,000 raw milk suppliers across the country. It has boosted the supply of high-quality milk, thus enabling us to continue supplying the market with high-quality products,” Kabaki added.

Additionally, Brookside has been conducting capacity-building programmes for its farmers across key raw milk production sheds, as it seeks to further increase the volumes supplied to it.

This year alone, more than 4,500 dairy farmers have benefited from Brookside’s extension services, which include field day trainings and the use of demonstration farms to showcase best practices in the dairy enterprise.

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