Dairy Hubs
Building sustainable local dairy value chains
The Dairy Hub model helps to build sustainable value chains1 via collaborative projects that assist smallholder farmers in caring for the health of their cows, leading to improved milk quality and quantity. Subsequently, our focus shifts towards connecting with local customers to meet the demand for affordable, locally-produced milk, benefiting both the farmers and the community.
The Dairy Hub concept
Dairy Hub projects are collaborative initiatives intended to help improve the livelihoods of smallhold farmers.Our international dairy experts provide technical assistance and training, and then we link the farmers to a dedicated dairy processor in a selected area.
By providing these services and setting up appropriate cooling infrastructure and technology, the farmers can supply more high-quality, locally produced milk and gain access to a wider market.
The impact of Dairy Hubs
Dairy Hub projects help to secure a long-term supply of locally produced, quality milk in emerging economies.
Since 2011, when we collaborated on the first Dairy Hub project, we have reached 67,808 farmers (97% of which are smallholders), and we currently have 22 Dairy Hub projects, four of which are new in 2023. In 2022, Dairy Hub projects involved 43,939 farmers (96.2% of which are smallholders) who have delivered milk to food and beverage manufacturers.
Additionally, as part of our efforts, we have made a significant commitment by joining the Global Dairy Platform Pathways to Dairy Net Zero initiative2.This commitment led us to establish a Dairy Processing Research Task Force, demonstrating our dedication to driving innovative research and development within the dairy industry.
Looking ahead, we aim to amplify the impact of our Dairy Hub model by expanding the number of projects and continuing to cascade knowledge and technical training to more smallholder dairy farmers.
School Feeding Programme
Helping vulnerable children get access to nutritious foods.
1A sustainable food value chain is a food value chain that: is profitable throughout all of its stages (economic sustainability); has broad-based benefits for society (social sustainability); and has a positive or neutral impact on the natural environment (environmental sustainability). Source: Sustainable Value Chain - What is it?
2The first of its kind in the world, the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero initiative brings together dairy farms and organizations throughout the dairy supply chain, promoting net-zero dairy production via optimized productivity and work to reduce emissions. Source: https://pathwaystodairynetzero.org