Strengthening Kenya’s meat industry through stakeholder engagement

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

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.

The same approach should extend to meat production with key information on disease prevention, feed, markets and applicable standards as well as sustainable production, handling, safety and market access is easily availed to consumers.

Kenya is seeking to move beyond reliance on live animal exports towards local slaughter, cold-chain investment, feedlots and value addition. Retaining more value within the country can create opportunities for producers, processors, transporters and retailers while improving household incomes.

This sector is closely linked to food security. A functioning animal-protein value chain can provide livelihoods while increasing the availability and choice of nutritious foods.

Food security, however, requires safe products, functioning markets and reliable consumer information. Stakeholder engagement can help identify gaps between policy objectives and the realities experienced by producers and consumers.

This is increasingly important as meat processors expand their advertising and use of digital platforms. Technology can improve consumer awareness, but it can also amplify misunderstanding.

Claims concerning food safety, nutrition, animal welfare or environmental performance can spread rapidly and influence public confidence. Businesses therefore have a governance responsibility to ensure that public communications are accurate, accessible and supported by evidence.

Other key concerns include environmental conservation, waste management and the impact from climate change to livestock, fisheries and pastoral livelihoods. Engagement with communities, regulators and industry participants can help integrate these concerns into sector development.

The Kenya Meat Expo 5th edition coming up provides a practical forum for such engagement, bringing together producers, processors, innovators, investors and consumers through exhibitions, panel discussions, masterclasses, business forums and deal-making opportunities.

A well-governed animal-protein sector ultimately depends on informed stakeholders, credible information and meaningful engagement across the value chain, creating stronger livelihoods, greater consumer confidence and a more resilient food system.

Tyneketra Wanja is a lawyer and certified professional mediator

Reporting originally appeared via Business Daily. Read the full source for additional context.