Effect of Supply Chain Management Training on Milk Production among Small Holder Dairy Farmers in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya

Abstract

The increase in the world's population and urbanization across the  globe have triggered an elevated demand for dairy products. In the  East Africa region, future projections indicate that the demand for  milk will have tripled by 2050. However, milk supply is not predicted  to  increase and match demand indicating an inevitable shortage in the  supply. Supply chain management is paramount in enhancing  efficient production and supply of products from the farm level to the  consumers factoring in the consumers' requirements in terms of  reliability, quantity, quality and price. It is therefore critical to do an  in-depth analysis on the importance of supply chain management  training intervention in the milk supply chains among smallholder  dairy farmers to respond to the shortfalls in future demand. This  study  consequently sought to determine the effect of supply chain  management training on milk production among smallholder dairy  farmers in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. The Rational Choice Theory  guided this study. The study adopted a descriptive research design. A  sample size of 1875 dairy farmers were selected to participate in the  study. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire and  analyzed  using SPSS. The Standard Poisson model results revealed that age,  education, and marital status of the household head, herd  size, road  condition, milk volume, distance to milk output market, and  household size were significant contributors to the use of  motorcycle  services. The study established that dairy farmers' supply chain  management training intervention significantly affected milk  production in Trans Nzoia County (F=39, p < 0.05) and therefore  concluded that supply chain management training intervention was  paramount in enhancing milk production. Therefore, this study  recommends that county governments should set up mechanisms  through which interventions will be enacted to help farmers enhance  their dairy yields. As such, the government should consider setting  up  workshops through which farmers will be enlightened on various  supply and value chain factors for optimal production.