Researchers have assessed the cost-benefit and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions of climate-smart management interventions on 816 dairy farms in Kenya. These interventions aim to enhance milk productivity while simultaneously reducing GHG emissions. 

The project builds on previous research conducted on small dairy farms in Costa Rica, adapting the findings to the Kenyan context. The analysis utilizes data collected during the project, as well as information from an existing Kenyan Government initiative.

“Our main recommendations and findings are that relatively low cost interventions can increase farm production and reduce GHG emission intensity, however, the farmers who would benefit most are those least able to afford the interventions,» said Dr. James Gibbons, a Senior Lecturer in Ecological Modelling at Bangor University in Wales. 

Farm greenhouse gas emissions on the 816 farms were estimated using the Agrecalc tool, based on survey data previously collected by the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP), and funded by the Kenyan Government.

Researchers from Bangor University and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) participated in workshops with farmers in three Kenyan counties (Baringo, Kericho, and Bomet). During these workshops, they gathered financial cost data for implementing climate-smart management practices.

A manuscript has been prepared, summarising the data on greenhouse gas emissions and costs of implementing climate smart agricultural practices. The manuscript is entitled, Marginal abatement cost curve of climate-smart agricultural practices to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from smallholder dairy farms in Kenya, and it has now been accepted for publication by the Journal of Clearer Production.