NDUMBERI NAT. DAIRY FARMERS CO-OPERRATIVE SOCIETY LTD is a dairy cooperative located in Ndumberi, near Kiambu Town, Kenya. It was established in 1963 by dairy farmers to market the milk collected from its members

About the cooperative and its farmers

• Formation and Membership: Ndumberi Dairy Farmers Co-operative Ltd (NDFCS) was formed by a group of dairy farmers in the Kiambu Town area in 1963. It started with fewer than 100 members. Currently, it has 1,081 active members.
• Milk Production and Collection: The cooperative’s members produce a total of nearly 70,000 liters of milk daily. However, the dairy collects only a portion of this, about 12,000 liters per day, as there is no obligation for members to deliver all their milk to the cooperative. The average daily milk production per cow is around 4 liters.
• Mission: The cooperative aims to empower its members by providing farmer-focused services and marketing competitive dairy products. 

Farmer support and impact

• Stable Market and Prices: Ndumberi Dairy aims to provide a stable market for raw milk at competitive prices for its farmers.
• Livelihood Improvement: The cooperative’s initiatives have supported farmers in increasing milk production and income, improving their livelihoods.
• Training and Capacity Building: The cooperative provides training to farmers with assistance from government departments and research organizations, helping them enhance their dairying skills and cattle rearing practices.
• Infrastructure and Technology: The cooperative has received funding to increase milk production and develop Extended Shelf Life milk processing, which helps extend the market to arid and semi-arid regions.
• Community Support: The cooperative also takes up promotional activities for its members and the surrounding villages, including providing economic help, guidance, and employment opportunities. 

Challenges faced by farmers and the cooperative

• Limited Space for Cattle: Many small-scale farmers face a challenge of limited space for their cattle. However, some larger farmers have addressed this by building larger cowsheds where other members can keep their animals.
• Milk Collection Logistics: The early morning collection time for milk at the chilling center poses an inconvenience for farmers and collectors.
• Quality Control: The rapid collection process sometimes makes it difficult to test milk from all members, potentially leading to the inadvertent acceptance of lower quality milk.
• “Short-collection” of Milk: There have been reports of “short-collections” where some milk in the cans is not poured out completely during the process, resulting in losses for the cooperatives. 

Ndumberi Dairy Farmers Co-operative Society plays a crucial role in supporting its dairy farmers in Kenya by providing market access, training, and infrastructure, while also addressing challenges related to space constraints and operational efficiency.