Our Vision for Dairy
Milk and Dairy production need to take their place in ensuring food security in emerging economies. They provide a route to economic prosperity, environmental improvements and huge opportunities for men and women.
As the global and local demand for dairy products continues to increase, smallholder dairy farming remains a promising future for rural and agricultural‑based communities in emerging economies.
Currently, the dairy industry in these economies is mainly based on subsistence farming with yields at 10% or less of the developed economies of the USA, Europe, and the Antipodes. Quality is rarely a consideration, with adulteration and contamination the norm. The volume of acceptable quality milk is perhaps 1% of that of developed economies. Routes to market are primitive and given the perishable nature of milk, up to 80% of milk produced ends up in informal markets sold by hawkers or disposed of.
A Dairy Value Chain requires a robust link with an engaged Processor to develop and supply a valued Consumer, and to value and help its primary Supplier, the farmer.
People in emerging economies deserve the opportunity to consume good quality milk. To overcome the quality issue inherent in emerging economies, our techniques take control of the quality chain and cold chain from farm to delivery to the processor. Milk from our farms meets the standards of developed economies.
MAIN CHALLENGE
Farmers lack three fundamentals to move out of subsistence:
1. Access to appropriate knowhow & technology
In many emerging economies there are not well educated and trained extension specialists who are up to date with modern farming practices including management, animal nutrition, animal husbandry, housing and data collection.
2. Access to capital
In emerging economies banks and financial institutions very frequently regard dairy farmers as high risk because they do not have loan officers or loan facilities to cater with this segment of the market. Dairy is regarded as high risk because milk is seen as a perishable product produced by animals that are at risk of disease or death and all dependent on a constant supply of feedstuffs that depends on climate for its production.
3. Access to formal markets
Due to the lack of access to formal markets and dairy processors in many emerging economies, approximately 80% of milk produced is sold through informal markets. Such milk has poor nutritional content typically due to spoilage and in some cases adulteration.
Our approach
Appropriate technical interventions that address the core inefficiencies in the dairy supply chain will greatly improve the livelihood of farmers and the nutrition of their surrounding community. venture | dairy address these problems in a number of ways bringing deep skills, experience, and cultural understanding to make long term sustainable change through a disruptive and proven farming model.