Lead image for Strengthening Kenya’s meat industry through stakeholder engagement.
Kenya’s meat industry is a broad food system extending from livestock keeping and pastoralism to slaughter, processing, retail and consumption. It also connects with fisheries and the production and consumption of chicken and pork.
The sector supports household incomes, employment and food security, while creating opportunities for Kenya to participate more strongly in regional and continental food markets.
With an estimated 22 million cattle, 35 million goats, 28 million sheep and 6 million camels, effective governance and stakeholder engagement are important to its development.
Stakeholder management should be treated as a governance practice throughout the value chain. Livestock keepers, fishers, poultry and pig farmers, traders, transporters, slaughterhouses, processors, retailers, consumers, financiers and regulators have different interests, but their activities remain connected.
Disease outbreaks, transport disruptions, changing consumer preferences or new market requirements can affect several groups at once. Regular engagement provides an avenue for these concerns to be identified and addressed in policy and business decisions.
Information sharing is particularly important. For instance, the rollout of the animal identification and traceability system (ANITRAC) has introduced a system through which livestock can be identified and tracked along the value chain.
Since its enrolment it has been clear that more stakeholder education is necessary for its effective understanding and adoption. Farmers and pastoralists need to understand why animals are identified, what information is collected, how the system may affect movement and trade and their responsibilities under the system.
Traders, transporters, slaughterhouses and processors also require practical guidance on its application even as we grow our meat exportation. Communication should therefore accompany implementation and provide opportunities for stakeholders to ask questions and raise concerns.