This document summarizes a study on the impact of dairy intensification in Kenya on young child nutrition. The study examined three levels of dairy production (no milk, medium, and high) across 27 focus groups and a survey of 94 households with children under 5. Key findings include: 1) Households with higher dairy production had greater milk and meat consumption and dietary diversity. 2) Children in households with higher dairy production were more likely to consume milk daily and meet nutritional requirements. 3) However, higher dairy production was also associated with introducing cow's milk before 6 months and lower rates of exclusive breastfeeding. The study concludes that dairy intensification can contribute to nutrition but should be combined with interventions promoting appropriate infant feeding practices.

1. Dairy Intensification in
Kenya and Young Child
Nutrition
AIFSC – ILRI
Food Security and Nutrition Workshop
September 11, 2012
Nairobi, Kenya
Amanda Wyatt
Senior Research Assistant
CGIAR Research Program - Agriculture for Nutrition and Health
International Food Policy Research Institute

2. East Africa Dairy Development
• Goal: To double the dairy incomes of
smallholder dairy farmers in the region
in 10 years through improved agricultural
methods and market access.
• Time period: Dec 2007—Dec 2011
• Location: Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda;
EADD2 in Tanzania and Ethiopia
• Partners: Heifer International, TechnoServe, International
Livestock Research Institute, African Breeders Services, World
Agroforestry Center
• Funder: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

3. ILRI and Emory University, June-July 2010
What is the impact of dairy intensification on young child nutrition?
Four pathways Nutritional Considerations
• Direct consumption • Household milk consumption
• Consumption patterns for different
household members (children <5 yo)
• Income • Food quantity and quality
• Intra-household decision making
• IYCFP
• Maternal time allocation • Childcare quality
• Food safety
• Exposure to health risks
• Synergy between disease and nutrition

4. ILRI and Emory University, June - July 2010
What is the impact of dairy intensification on young child nutrition?
• Three study sites in Rift Valley Province, Kenya
• Methods
• 27 Focus Group Discussions
• 3 groups of farmers
• Male farmers, female farmers, and female farmers with young
children
• 3 levels of dairy production
• No milk (0 ltr), Medium (0.1-5.9 ltr) , High (6+ ltr)
• Household survey, n=94
• Households identified by randomly generated GPS coordinates
• Selection criteria
• Resident child <5 years old

5. Results: Nutrition
• Milk consumption
• Household diets and diets of young children
• Infant and young child feeding practices

6. Milk Consumption of Young Children*
Parental report from the household survey
100
90
80
70
60
No milk (n=25)
50
Mid (n=28)
40
High (n=27)
30
20
10
0
No fresh milk 0.5 cup > 1 cup
*Young children defined as 6-60 months

7. “Without milk they won’t be healthy, their hair
would get brown, the kids wouldn’t get full and
their legs would be like this [indicated
bowlegs].”
“We want the children to have beautiful and
handsome faces, that’s why we give milk.”
“But when there is no milk the children are not
healthy. Their hair turns red and big stomachs
because they don’t get enough food.”
“It even helps their brains.”
Why is milk good for young children?
Selected responses from the FGDs with female farmers.

8. Household food consumption
7
6
5
4 No milk
3 Medium
2
High
1
0 *p ≤ 0.05; **p<0.0001
Staples Pulses* Veggies Fruits Meats* Milk**
Child dietary diversity
• Results groups
• Overall dietary diversity score • Other Studies
• 5.1 ± 1.2 • Rift Valley Province (Kenya DHS)
• 80% met min requirements • 56% met minimum reqs
• 100% consumed dairy previous
day • Western Province (Ekesa, 2008)
• No diffs between production • 30.6% had not consumed any

9. Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices
12
10
8 Cow's milk (n=80)
6 Porridge (n=81)
4
Mashed or semi-
solid foods (n=76)
2
0
No milk Emerging Advanced
• Engaging in increasing levels of dairy production was associated
with lower odds of EBF.
• Mothers from the high production group were nearly 4x more likely
to introduce cow’s milk before the child reached 6 months.

10. Lessons Learned: Dairy Intensification
• Appears to contribute to household dietary diversity
• Cow’s milk is key in the diets of young children, but level of
household dairy production is not an independent contributing
factor.
• Preference for cow’s milk and its availability in this
population may have a negative influence on EBF.
• Education and awareness should focus on age-appropriate intro of
milk and promote cow’s milk in maternal diets during pregnancy
and while BF.
• Maternal time allocation needs to be explored further.
• EADD is an example of a nutrition-sensitive
intervention, but to maximize nutritional benefits, it should
be combined with an investment in more nutrition-specific
interventions.

11. Acknowledgements
Collaborators Funding
• Int’l Livestock Research Institute • East Africa Dairy Development Project
(ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya • Global Health Institute, Emory
• Isabelle Baltenweck
• Delia Grace University
• Jemimah Njuki
• Thomas Randolph
• The Halle Institute, Emory University
• Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia • Program in Development
USA Studies, Emory University
• Craig Hadley (faculty, Anthropology, HDGH)
• Peter Little (faculty, Anthropology, Development
Studies)
• Claire Null (faculty, HDGH, Economics)
• Usha Ramakrishnan (faculty, HDGH, Nutrition)
• Aimee Webb-Girard (faculty, HDGH, Nutrition)
• Kathryn Yount (faculty HDGH, Sociology)
• Shreyas Sreenath (student, Economics)
• Amanda Watkins (student, Nursing)
• Anna Yearous-Algozin (student, Nursing)
• University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
• Prof. Erastus Kang’ethe
• Egerton University, Njoro, Kenya
• Samwel Mbugua