The dairy industry plays a significant role in Kenya’s economy, contributing 6-8% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Annually, the industry produces an average of 652.4 million litters of milk, with earnings to producers estimated at Sh23.78 billion ($151 million) from its over 1.8 million smallholder milk-producing households. However due to being predominantly composed of small-scale, often unregulated producers, there is a challenge of food safety, especially from the presence of antibiotic residues in milk, resulting from certain animal husbandry practices.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a global threat to human health. Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, including antibiotics, antiseptics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitic treatments, over the years, has led to the rise of drug-resistant pathogens, leading to the global organization to highlight its significance back in November 2021.
With Kenya’s dairy sector a vital component of the country’s agricultural landscape, specialists in the sector such as Teresia Ndung’u, Director for Livestock Production in Nyandarua County and a doctoral student at Egerton University, have been tackling this issue head-on, looking for solutions which will help bolster food safety in Kenya and East Africa as a whole. Through her research, Teresia Ndung’u has managed to discover a reagent capable of detecting antibiotic resistance.
“I had previously participated in a project known as Quality Based Milk Payment Systems, and antibiotic residues emerged as a real challenge to the processor and the consumer. With access to milk samples from different cows, I came across a reagent able to detect whether micro-organisms were resistant,” she said.
Recognizing the need for affordable and user-friendly testing methods, Teresia embarked on a mission to develop innovative, cost-effective solutions to detect antibiotic residues at the farm level. “In our milk collection system, we have a number of farmers grouping together and the testing cost is very high, with one test going for over Sh300. I felt that coming up with a solution that will be relatively cheaper for our farmers and a test that is simple to use would be helpful, so that farmers and processors can identify antibiotic residues at the farm level. Once antibiotic residues get into the value chain of animal products, whether milk, eggs, or meat, there is no other process that can eliminate them. So, we need to identify them at the farm level,” she said.
This is quite crucial for small-scale farmers as while solutions for testing antimicrobial resistance exist on the market, they remain inaccessible to the majority of small-scale farmers in Kenya. Approximately 80% of the country’s milk producers are smallholders who lack the resources to afford expensive testing methods. Addressing this disparity is crucial to ensure the widespread adoption of effective solutions and mitigate the risks associated with antimicrobial residues.
Teresia’s groundbreaking work has been made possible through a scholarship supported by the World Bank International Development Association (IDA) funding for the Center of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture and Agribusiness Management at Egerton University. The Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence Project (ACE II) has also played a significant role in strengthening the capacity of higher education institutions in the region. With a focus on industry, agriculture, health, education, and applied statistics, ACE II has provided funding and support for research projects like Teresia’s, enabling the development of solutions to critical challenges in the dairy sector.
Addressing the issue of antimicrobial residues in Kenya’s dairy value chain requires collaboration among various stakeholders. Government agencies, research institutions, dairy boards, and industry players must work together to develop and implement strategies that promote responsible antimicrobial use, enhance farmer education, and establish stringent monitoring mechanisms throughout the value chain. Continued efforts and collaboration among all stakeholders are vital to ensure a future where antimicrobial resistance is effectively managed, and the dairy industry thrives in a safe and sustainable manner.
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