Fostering a Sustainable Feed Sector: Kenya-Netherlands Collaboration Drives Progress
In December 2024, the second roundtable session “Future-Proof Feed Sector Kenya”, jointly organized by Larive International and Lattice Consulting, marked a pivotal step toward transforming Kenya’s animal feed value chain. This roundtable was a follow-up of the first roundtable, which had been organized in March 2024. With 74 key public and private stakeholders participating, the event emphasized collaboration, innovation, and policy harmonization across the sector.
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Crafting the Roadmap for a Sustainable and Resilient Animal Feed Sector in Kenya
If you talk about the livestock sector you need to talk about the feed sector, and we need to improve how we develop the sector what we can do together with all the different partners in sector the meeting today is about this.
Our biggest role as a group Lattice and Larive is really to create the momentum that begins to drive this change and the fact that we are so keen on having what we call a road map that is actionable.
What as Larive and Lattice we were trying to drive today is a ripple effect put a stone in the middle of the of the pond and take those ripple effects across because again we're going to have to move hand in hand as single entities will not be able to solve the key challenges right so you need multiple players coming together and that starts with a clear understanding of a road map towards implementation. And I think that's exactly what we made.
I'm really particularly very excited because from today we've moved from act from talking to action points and the fact that everybody was vested in it really shows that there's concerted efforts towards making sure that the sector begins to work and operate for the country and the region and Africa as wide. So we're very excited towards that the key thing that came out is the disconnect between research or academia we may call it and the market and for us is really beginning to see how do we close this particular gap what's the nexus and how can we use research academia into commercialization of the
same.
Key moments out of the round table today include the ability to really drive down the cost of animal feed in Kenya by taking actionable steps everybody has come to the realization that you cannot work alone and we now need to have a multi-dimensional conversation and different stakeholders playing different roles but in a much more organized and consequential manner so that we can solve the problem.
Specifically, one of the major costs in animal feeds manufacturing is access to raw material.
We have quite a diverse group, and we expect quite diverse interventions that we can be able to sort of formulate a way forward so the road map in itself is the long term but there are some quick wins that can be made and we'd want to work on them.
Other solutions that came forth today were very much on utilizing what's there today so existing ingredients and optimizing the combination of those ingredients into feeds. A tougher top subject also discussed today was of course taxes. Taxes on raw materials drive up the price of feeds and at the same time Kenya has the ability to be the regional powerhouse in feed production. So when you take put on a different pair of glasses and look at Kenya as the potential exporter of feed into the EIC region then now that discussion on removing taxes on raw materials comes in a completely different light and probably a more attractive business case.
The Embassy of the Netherlands in Nairobi not only helped bring together a diverse group of stakeholders—from policymakers and researchers to private sector leaders—but also underscored its commitment to supporting a sustainable, resilient agricultural economy in Kenya and the broader East African region. Through its involvement, the Embassy fostered cross-border knowledge exchange and strengthened partnerships that are critical for long-term sector growth.
Key outcomes of the sessions included enhanced stakeholder engagement, policy alignment, and the establishment of collaborative initiatives such as working groups and research projects.
Participants also explored actionable strategies to reduce feed costs, improve regulatory timelines, harmonize tax policies, and commercialize innovations.
The roundtable sessions concluded with the formulation of a collective agenda, charting a course for future action. This agenda, backed by strong bilateral cooperation and shared ambition, sets the foundation for a future-proof and inclusive feed sector in Kenya.
