Capacity Building for Strengthening the Livestock Value Chain

Project number: NICHE-KEN-271

Project title: Capacity Building for Strengthening the Livestock Value Chain

Requesting organisation: Egerton University

Description: This project aims to fill a significant capacity gap in Kenya in the design, development and operation of an agribusiness incubator and centre of excellence for the LVC benefiting young male and female graduates and livestock entrepreneurs.

The livestock sector has been slow in transforming to global competitiveness, has poor alignment between research, education, training, extension, business development, entrepreneurship and has not been gender sensitive. Young graduates and potential entrepreneurs are ill-prepared and ill-equipped for business development. Consequently, most expect to be employed rather than become job creators. For livestock production to be sustainable, it is imperative to improve on the efficiency of the LVC to allow for adoption of more integrated and holistic approaches. Adoption of these approaches requires stakeholders that are practically oriented, entrepreneurial and conversant with the different livestock technologies, innovations and management practices (LTIMP).

This project also aims to provide practical training and extension and outreach services on LTIMP that are labour market oriented, gender sensitive and pay sufficient attention to business development and entrepreneurship. This project is a logical outcome of an earlier NICHE project that built the capacity to deliver competent graduates for enhanced competitiveness in the dairy sector. These experiences will be transferred to the whole livestock sector. Therefore, capacity is needed to operate a sustainable incubator and centre of excellence that are profitable.