SNV & PUM combine knowledge and expertise in Kenya dairy industry

SNV and PUM have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), building a strong foundation for cooperation.

PUM is a Dutch foundation whose senior experts provide business advice and technical assistance to organisations in developing countries and emerging markets, taking away bottle necks and facilitating sustainable paths for growth.

The MoU will faciliate PUM-experts to transfer their knowledge and expertise to the SNV Kenya Market-led Dairy Programme (KMDP). The KMDP programme is reflective of the 'aid & trade' policy of Minister Plouman and the Dutch Good Growth Fund. Within the aid & trade agenda, a clear goal for SNV and The Netherlands Embassy is to prepare the market for a more business-to-business and commercial approach.

"We have many large and small Dutch actors in the dairy industry, and corporations and farmers are keen to learn from our dairy experts. Ultimately with the aim to have both farmers and SMEs benefit from this approach." says Harm Duiker, SNV Country Director in Kenya.

"The new cooperation between SNV and PUM is a wonderful contribution to our aid & trade development agenda. We want our programmes to start from the Dutch expertise and experience that we have to offer. PUM-experts can thus become ambassadors for effective business in Kenya." D__r. IR. Melle Leenstra, First Secretary Economic Development and Food Security, Netherlands Embassy Nairobi

In the Summer edition of PUM Magazine, Thijs van Praag and Johan Koeslag interview Harm Duiker, SNV Country Director in Kenya and Anton Jansen, SNV Team Leader of the Kenya Marketled Dairy Programme (KMDP) about this new cooperation between PUM and SNV.

"In Kenya, 80% of milk is still produced by smallholder farmers. In the next ten to twenty years they will remain important for food security. For that reason, SNV works with 18 cooperatives for smallholder farmers whom we provide with support and education. On the other hand, we work with middle-size farmers, who have more land and cattle and who have rediscovered dairy as a very interesting commercial business opportunity."

"This amounts to almost twenty thousand farmers with a huge potential who can - with the right knowledge - take significant steps in the short term. That is where we work together with PUM, because especially this group is crucial in the longterm for food security and safety. PUM-experts are involved for a longer period of time, to ensure a structured cooperation and building solid relations with companies and consultants. We have chosen to also advise larger and more market-oriented companies, because they have the potential to grow and can and will invest in knowledge and innovation. By supporting these companies in better management practices, they in turn become an example for the smaller businesses."