[{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_u7v7BF4cNstfgiEjZH3BJdNqOwhb6I_2l3ktaEyyqIY.css?delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=ilri\u0026include=eJxFyUEOwCAIBMAPGXzTWrCSiBLU_7fppdcZE1bkqn1L0AXfOkeyD6dYEaY6w7DfTo7AHfC2MsdxdPqFzvBTuq4m_ABhESDP"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"html","selector":"section#modal","data":"\n\u003Carticle class=\u0022node node--type-impact-story clearfix\u0022 data-story=\u0022\/stories\/milk-run\u0022\u003E\n  \n  \n  \u003Ca href=\u0022\/stories\/modal\/2\u0022 class=\u0022card-link use-ajax\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022hero-wrapper\u0022\u003E\n          \u003Cfigure class=\u0022hero\u0022 style=\u0022background-image: url(\u0027https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/hero\/public\/2024-11\/50093929007_b1863ce86a_6k.jpg.webp?h=315ac87d\u0027);\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Cimg src=\u0027https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/hero\/public\/2024-11\/50093929007_b1863ce86a_6k.jpg.webp?h=315ac87d\u0027 alt=\u0022Joe, nephew of Samuel Ndung\u2019u\u0022 class=\u0022d-none\u0022 \/\u003E\n      \u003C\/figure\u003E\n        \u003Cdiv class=\u0022sharing-buttons\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Ca\n        href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/stories\/milk-run\u0022\n        title=\u0022Share on Facebook\u0022\n        target=\u0022_blank\u0022\n        aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Ci class=\u0022fa-brands fa-square-facebook\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022visually-hidden\u0022\u003EFacebook\u003C\/span\u003E\n      \u003C\/a\u003E\n      \u003Ca\n        href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/stories\/milk-run\u0022\n        title=\u0022Share on X\u0022\n        target=\u0022_blank\u0022\n        aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Ci class=\u0022fa-brands fa-square-x-twitter\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022visually-hidden\u0022\u003ETwitter\u003C\/span\u003E\n      \u003C\/a\u003E\n      \u003Ca\n        href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true\u0026amp;url=https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/stories\/milk-run\u0022\n        title=\u0022Share on LinkedIn\u0022\n        target=\u0022_blank\u0022\n        aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Ci class=\u0022fa-brands fa-linkedin\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022visually-hidden\u0022\u003ELinkedIn\u003C\/span\u003E\n      \u003C\/a\u003E\n      \u003Ca\n        href=\u0022https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/stories\/milk-run\u0022\n        title=\u0022Share on Whatsapp\u0022\n        target=\u0022_blank\u0022\n        aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Ci class=\u0022fa-brands fa-square-whatsapp\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022visually-hidden\u0022\u003EWhatsapp\u003C\/span\u003E\n      \u003C\/a\u003E\n      \u003Ca\n        href=\u0022https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/stories\/milk-run\u0022\n        title=\u0022Copy on Clipboard\u0022\n        target=\u0022_blank\u0022\n        class=\u0022share-button\u0022\n        aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Ci class=\u0022fa-solid fa-link\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022visually-hidden\u0022\u003ECopy on Clipboard\u003C\/span\u003E\n      \u003C\/a\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022container\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-10 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Cdiv class=\u0022title-wrapper\u0022\u003E\n          \u003Ch2 class=\u0022title\u0022\u003EThe milk run\u003C\/h2\u003E\n                      \u003Ch3 class=\u0022subtitle\u0022\u003EThe many roads to improving nutrition through milk\u003C\/h3\u003E\n                  \u003C\/div\u003E\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022content\u0022\u003E\n    \n\u003Csection class=\u0022container single-column-sidebar paragraph\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-7 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n            \u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-container\u0022\u003E\n        \n  \u003Cp\u003EBetween 2006 and 2022, the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture gave a cross-bred dairy cow to nearly half a million poor families in the country. The program was called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/socialprotection.org\/discover\/programmes\/girinka-one-cow-poor-family\u0022\u003EGirinka\u003C\/a\u003E, or One Cow per Poor Family, and aimed to reduce extreme poverty in rural areas by giving people simultaneously a source of income, manure for their crops,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.milkgenomics.org\/?splash=rwandas-one-cow-per-poor-family-program-turns-ten-years-old\u0022\u003Esocial status\u003C\/a\u003E and cohesion\u2014and, via the cow\u2019s milk, improve child nutrition.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut when ILRI scientists carried out a scoping study among Girinka families with young children in Rwanda\u2019s Nyabihu and Ruhango Districts, they found that most of the beneficiary farmers sold all their cow\u2019s milk in the market\u2014increasing their income but keeping no milk for their families.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThey wouldn\u2019t even have enough milk left for their tea,\u201d says ILRI economist Emily Ouma.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir children ate mainly starchy staples which lack key nutrients, a diet that often leads to malnutrition and stunting. (Around a third of Rwandan children under five are stunted.)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn wealthy countries, families can supplement a vegan diet with vitamins and high-protein meat alternatives like tofu, quinoa and plant milks. But\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ilri.org\/news\/scientists-influencers-bringing-evidence-and-balance-global-livestock-debate\u0022\u003Ethat\u2019s not possible in low-income countries\u003C\/a\u003E, where people eat very small quantities of animal-sourced foods, says ILRI economist Isabelle Baltenweck. In those places, increasing consumption of milk, eggs and meat can\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cgspace.cgiar.org\/items\/add38745-6844-4899-9d59-e359205a7da1\u0022\u003Edramatically improve nutrition outcomes\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003Caside class=\u0022col-md-3 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n                   \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--contacts paragraph--view-mode--default\u0022\u003E\n            \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--author\u0022\u003E\n      \n  \u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/picture\/public\/2024-11\/IMG_3137_resized_0.jpg.webp?itok=ByH_K2d1\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022200\u0022 alt=\u0022Emily Ouma\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-picture\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022wrapper\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Ch4\u003E\n  Emily Ouma \n\n      \u003Csmall\u003E  Senior scientist, Agricultural economist\n\u003C\/small\u003E\n      \u003C\/h4\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--author\u0022\u003E\n      \n  \u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/picture\/public\/2024-11\/Silvia%20Alonso%20Alvarez-%20small.jpg.webp?itok=AkPxXsdy\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022200\u0022 alt=\u0022Silvia Alonso Alvarez\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-picture\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022wrapper\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Ch4\u003E\n  Silvia Alonso\n\n      \u003Csmall\u003E  Senior scientist, Epidemiologist\n\u003C\/small\u003E\n      \u003C\/h4\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--author\u0022\u003E\n      \n  \u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/picture\/public\/2025-05\/Isabelle%20Baltenweck.jpeg.webp?itok=agnlEFwU\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022200\u0022 alt=\u0022Isabelle Baltenweck photo\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-picture\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022wrapper\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Ch4\u003E\n  Isabelle Baltenweck\n\n      \u003Csmall\u003E  Program lead, People, Policies and Institutions\n\u003C\/small\u003E\n      \u003C\/h4\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n          \u003C\/aside\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/section\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022container single-column-sidebar paragraph\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-7 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n            \u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-container\u0022\u003E\n        \n  \u003Cp\u003EAnd yet, on its own, keeping livestock\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s12571-023-01382-4\u0022\u003Edoes not guarantee access to these important foods\u003C\/a\u003E, Baltenweck says. \u0022If farmers get a good price for their product at the market, they will often not keep it for the family to consume. They will sell the milk, the eggs, the meat, and then buy something cheaper but not as nutritious.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn Rwanda, for instance, the Girinka scoping study identified gaps in people\u2019s knowledge about when to introduce milk, how much to give, and the nutritional importance of animal-sourced foods for growing kids and pregnant and breastfeeding women. In Rwanda, low milk consumption can partly be traced to the country\u2019s troubled recent history, Ouma says, since many livestock were also killed during the 1994 genocide, resulting in a generation of rural people who did not raise cows. \u201cSo milk became a bit alien.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \n  \n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022video-wrapper\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Ciframe src=\u0022https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/media\/oembed?url=https%3A\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch%3Fv%3DswOutD49PHY\u0026amp;max_width=0\u0026amp;max_height=0\u0026amp;hash=qMGPdDk-Gz--vXAWX6xACLbWmuOdTThXkb8ogjKdXFk\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022113\u0022 class=\u0022media-oembed-content\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 title=\u0022More milk, meat and eggs for growing and nourishing Rwanda\u0027s next generation\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\n\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EILRI joined forces with the Government, Three\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.threestonesinternational.com\u0022\u003E Stones International\u003C\/a\u003E, research non-profit\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.rti.org\/\u0022\u003ERTI\u003C\/a\u003E, and village health workers to educate women\u0026nbsp; about the importance of animal-sourced foods in a healthy diet and empower them to keep some of their cow\u2019s milk at home. The scientists conducted a field experiment using a randomised research methodology (including control groups who were not given the information, or not given a cow) to measure the intervention\u2019s success. They targeted women since they tended to be in charge of both caring for the cow and feeding the children.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003Caside class=\u0022col-md-3 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n                 \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--testimonial\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Ci class=\u0022fa-solid fa-quote-left\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\n  \u003Cp\u003EWe\u0027ve seen this pardoxical situation where milk markets improve in a country, and you actually have child stunting getting worse.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ci class=\u0022fa-solid fa-quote-right\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph--type--author\u0022\u003E\n    \n  \u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/picture\/public\/2025-05\/Isabelle%20Baltenweck.jpeg.webp?itok=agnlEFwU\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022200\u0022 alt=\u0022Isabelle Baltenweck photo\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-picture\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022wrapper\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Ch4\u003E\n  Isabelle Baltenweck\n\n        \u003Csmall\u003E  Program lead, People, Policies and Institutions\n\u003C\/small\u003E\n      \u003C\/h4\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n          \u003C\/aside\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/section\u003E\n\n  \n  \u003Csection class=\u0022single-column paragraph container\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-10 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Ch3\u003ENUTRITION IS EVERYONE\u2019S CONCERN\u003C\/h3\u003E\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n        \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-7 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-container\u0022\u003E\n          \n  \u003Cp\u003ENine months later, Ouma\u2019s team surveyed the families. They found that women\u2019s knowledge of nutrition had increased significantly\u2014but they weren\u2019t buying eggs and they were still sending all their milk to market. \u201cThey didn\u0027t really apply what they had learned,\u201d says Ouma.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat happened? The cows were only producing a small amount of milk,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s12571-023-01382-4\u0022\u003Esuggesting the need\u003C\/a\u003E for accompanying interventions to increase productivity and improve animal nutrition, too.\u0026nbsp; But there were gendered reasons as well. \u201cThe women said they still could not convince their husband to retain more milk at home or to give them money to buy eggs. So that\u0027s when we realised, okay, we need a specific intervention for men.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUSAID provided top-up funding for an extension to the program. The village health workers identified male \u2018nutrition champions\u2019\u2014men who had demonstrated an interest in nutrition during the previous iteration of the program\u2014and Three Stones trained them to reach out to other men in the community. They found new places to meet, since men didn\u2019t feel comfortable in women\u2019s spaces, and also used text messages and outdoor loudspeakers to pass on the message.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd when the Rwandan Government incorporated advice on animal-sourced foods into the national counselling cards distributed by community health workers, they included images of men engaged in feeding their children.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EInterestingly, some women did not want their husbands to participate in the men\u2019s nutrition program, Ouma says. \u201cThey felt that it showed that they were failing. To see a man even helping with cooking, the women feel as though they are inadequate\u2026So we have to also change the mindset. Improving nutrition is for the benefit of the family, and it\u0027s good to involve both women and men, because each play different roles.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \n  \n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022video-wrapper\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Ciframe src=\u0022https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/media\/oembed?url=https%3A\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch%3Fv%3DLBS6wEY26T0\u0026amp;max_width=0\u0026amp;max_height=0\u0026amp;hash=q33T24BBLEBPx-Xt8uOhfIRKV6h1sMTyZKWfWitZAss\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022113\u0022 class=\u0022media-oembed-content\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 title=\u0022Gabura Amata Mubyeyi: Engaging men in supporting maternal and child consumption of milk in Rwanda\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\n\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the end of the six-month Engaging Men extension, when the researchers returned to survey the participants, significantly more children aged 12-59 months had consumed milk two or more times in the week prior compared to those in non-participating families. More fathers had purchased milk and eggs for their children, and men and women increasingly made nutrition decisions together.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat was a real learning point for us, such that now any other nutrition intervention that we implement, we will always involve both men and women, even if we need to use different approaches for each gender,\u201d says Ouma. \u201cThat has informed an intervention that we\u0027re currently running in Uganda.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\n\n        \u003C\/div\u003E\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/section\u003E\n\n  \n  \u003Csection class=\u0022single-column paragraph container\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-10 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Ch3\u003ESAFE MILK AND PROFESSIONAL VENDORS\u003C\/h3\u003E\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n        \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-7 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n        \u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-container\u0022\u003E\n          \n  \u003Cp\u003EFamilies without their own cows must buy milk from the market, instead.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn Kenya, about 70 percent of milk is sold in unregulated local markets. Because value chains are shorter and there\u2019s less processing and packaging in the informal sector, \u201cproducers get more money and consumers pay less,\u201d says Baltenweck, meaning more people can afford animal-sourced foods like milk.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n        \u003C\/div\u003E\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/section\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022container single-column-sidebar paragraph\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-7 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n            \u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-container\u0022\u003E\n        \n  \u003Cp\u003EBut historically, governments have either ignored the vast informal sector or chosen to criminalize it, periodically cracking down on unregistered milk vendors. \u201dThe problem is that at the moment, the legal requirements are too far from the reality in which these informal businesses operate. It would require enormous financial investment that they are not in a position to make,\u201d Alonso says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EInstead, in Uasin Gishu county in Kenya, Alonso and her team designed and trialled \u0027MoreMilk\u0027: a triple-pronged intervention designed to improve food safety in the markets, promote milk intake in children, and professionalise informal-market milk vendors. \u201cThey were at the centre of all this,\u201d says Alonso.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers hoped to transform the vendors into \u0022agents for healthier diets\u201d Alonso says, promoting nutrition messaging to their consumers. At the same time, the increased sales and renewed trust could become incentives for the vendors to adopt better milk safety practices.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKey to all this was the milk marketing campaign. The research team developed a simple logo encouraging families to give every child two cups of milk per day. They printed the logo onto caps and aprons and milk measuring jugs and gave them to the vendors, as well as onto a staggered series of calendars and stickers the vendors could give away in turn to their customers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEverywhere in the world, if someone hands you things, you are likely to return to that shop because they give you things for free. Kenya is no exception,\u201d says Alonso. \u201cThe thinking behind this is the vendor becomes a preferred and trusted agent.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe calendars featured fun milk facts: did you know that Cleopatra bathed in donkey milk? That a whale produces more milk than an elephant? But they also provided aspirational messages about milk\u2019s role in child development, and important information about how to look after it:\u0026nbsp; cook it, cool it and cover it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/inline\/public\/2025-06\/Display%20of%20MoreMilk%20messages.jpg.webp?itok=JMoQgHiV\u0022 width=\u00221600\u0022 height=\u00221067\u0022 alt=\u0022MoreMilk messages\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-inline\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n\n    \u003Cfigcaption\u003E\n        A milk vendor in a town in the highlands of Eldoret in Kenya. MoreMilk campaign stickers (right) are on the wall for his customers to see. \n\n          \u003Cspan\u003ECredits:   Photo ILRI\/Kabir Dhanji\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n      \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThrough these messages, the vendor was empowering their \u0026nbsp;customers to demand better milk, to buy only from reliable vendors, and to keep the milk clean. So it was a very rounded approach,\u201d says Alonso.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers also designed an innovative curriculum for teaching vendors, and upskill them on food safety, nutrition and negotiation via role play and interactive discussions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe wanted to make sure that the training was delivered in a way that supports learning and maximizes the ability of the vendors to put their knowledge in practice. We actually prepared the trainers on how to teach adults,\u201d says Alonso. \u201cI think in agricultural extension that\u0027s not usually done.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003Caside class=\u0022col-md-3 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n                 \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--testimonial\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Ci class=\u0022fa-solid fa-quote-left\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\n  \u003Cp\u003EThe informal sector is such an important source of food security and livelihoods for people in Africa. It can be so critical to what consumers choose to consume and what they give to their children.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ci class=\u0022fa-solid fa-quote-right\u0022\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph--type--author\u0022\u003E\n    \n  \u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/picture\/public\/2024-11\/Silvia%20Alonso%20Alvarez-%20small.jpg.webp?itok=AkPxXsdy\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022200\u0022 alt=\u0022Silvia Alonso Alvarez\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-picture\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022wrapper\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Ch4\u003E\n  Silvia Alonso\n\n        \u003Csmall\u003E  Senior scientist, Epidemiologist\n\u003C\/small\u003E\n      \u003C\/h4\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n          \u003C\/aside\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/section\u003E\n\n  \n  \u003Cfigure class=\u0022full-width-image paragraph\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/hero\/public\/2024-11\/52944571161_5d929c8d60_6k.jpg.webp?h=0b5b1a43\u0026amp;itok=NIasLNnY\u0022 width=\u00222400\u0022 height=\u0022960\u0022 alt=\u0022Mama Chumba in her shop\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-hero\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n\n\n\n    \u003Cfigcaption\u003E\n        Winnie Cherono decants a supply of fresh milk at her shop near Eldoret, Kenya\n\n          \u003Cspan\u003ECredits:   Kabir Dhanji\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n      \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\n  \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022container single-column-sidebar paragraph\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022row\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022col-md-7 offset-md-1 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n            \u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-container\u0022\u003E\n        \n  \u003Cp\u003EAt the end of the project, results were mixed. There were minimal improvements in milk safety\u2014probably because MoreMilk only worked with vendors, says Alonso, and couldn\u2019t address problems earlier in the supply chain. Most Kenyans boil their milk when they take it home, anyway, she points out. \u201cSo it\u0027s likely that the health risk is pretty minimal, whether you buy it from the formal or the informal sector.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOn the other hand, children whose families bought milk from the vendors engaged in the program did consume more milk\u2014around 40ml on average per day. \u201cI do think that this same approach can be used more broadly, whether it\u0027s milk or meat or something else\u2014you can really use the vendors to market good diets to people.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPerhaps even more importantly, \u201cwe could demonstrate that this is not a hopeless sector,\u201d Alonso says. \u201cThe people working in the informal sector want to do better. And if you \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10568\/130981\u0022\u003Egive them the tools, they can thrive\u003C\/a\u003E. Ultimately, the Kenyan government saw in this project a very clear path for transforming the sector\u2014into what ultimately will become better milk.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat transformation is already underway. The ILRI team is working with the Kenyan Dairy Board to expand MoreMilk to three other Kenyan counties, and possibly nationwide.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \n  \n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022video-wrapper\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Ciframe src=\u0022https:\/\/fifty.ilri.org\/media\/oembed?url=https%3A\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch%3Fv%3DWCVC2WjUmts\u0026amp;max_width=0\u0026amp;max_height=0\u0026amp;hash=L8aRKmihvl-XCJsI602fPbLtaZbIMuzGvNTrU69noZI\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022113\u0022 class=\u0022media-oembed-content\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 title=\u0022Climate and Us: Climate resilient cows could ensure a healthy supply of nutritious milk\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\n\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThese two dairy projects in Rwanda and Kenya demonstrate the thoughtful line ILRI walks between science and impact, says Baltenweck.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe are not activists or development agencies, we\u2019re researchers\u2014it\u0027s always about providing the evidence in a very robust way, in an ethical way, and not shying away from the facts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the same time, ILRI researchers are increasingly prioritizing work that has tangible outcomes. It\u2019s a fine balance, she says:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKeeping our scientific rigor at the same time as we re-orient the way we work and our partnerships so that we are able to do very good research that makes a difference.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E--\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EStory written by Kate Evans, science writer\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003Caside class=\u0022col-md-3 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n          \u003C\/aside\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/section\u003E\n\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/article\u003E\n","settings":null}]