The Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems Activity (KCDMS) is a five-year USAID program funded activity under Feed the Future, a U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative. The initiative’s goal is to help increase agricultural production and reduce poverty and malnutrition in Kenya. The KCDMS activity is being implemented in 12 counties and designed to spur competitive, resilient market systems in Kenya’s horticulture and dairy sectors.  Kenya is one of the fastest-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Rising incomes and public and private investments in agriculture lay a strong foundation for Kenya’s continued growth trajectory.

However, 90 percent of smallholder farmers still grow maize or other staple crops that have low-income generation potential. Smallholder dairy producers, who supply 70 percent of Kenya’s domestic milk supply, are constrained by nutrient-deficient animal feed; limited quality control and food safety measures; insufficient aggregation and cooling infrastructure; and a lack of productive dairy cows and in-country processing. These challenges inhibit agriculture’s potential to reduce hunger and poverty, and hinder Kenya’s economic growth potential. Export and value-addition opportunities in horticulture, although growing, are currently reaching only a fraction of the country’s smallholder farmers.