They say that knowledge is power, and thanks to Bread and Water for Africa^®’s partner in Kenya, Baraka Farm , today there are some very powerful smallholder dairy farmers who are realizing great increases in their milk production.

Philimon, Stanley, Raphael, Paul and Samuel each have fewer than 10 cows, but with the training they received through the farm’s Practical Dairy Training Center they learned how to more than double the amount of milk they were getting from those cows without increasing their number.

Course modules included feeding, an introduction to various zero-grazing options, production of the milk in a sanitary and hygienic manner, and calf-rearing. Future courses will include the topics of cow health, fertility and farm record keeping.

While there is much to be learned in a classroom setting, more than half of the training is spent on the farm doing practical hands-on training on a small model farm, similar to the circumstances in which the students operate their own farms.

And for those who cannot make it to Eldoret to take the class themselves in person, Baraka Farm has started posting videos on youtube for anyone with a computer to view and learn from. For example, see the video below, it is now possible to gain information about calf rearing from the farm manager Jos Creemers himself.

There can be no doubt that for the small Kenyan farmers Philimon, Stanley, Raphael, Paul and Samuel the knowledge they obtained through the course will benefit more than just themselves alone, but their families, and those they share the knowledge with in their own communities.

Through your support of Bread and Water for Africa^® you are helping to put more, and safer, milk into the bellies of children and making Kenya a more prosperous place to live, one small farmer at a time.