The summit was a two-day event and on the first day Agriterra and the young farmers were invited to take part in a round table discussion. Alongside dairy farmers from various countries and continents, experiences on inputs, farm management, access to markets and so on were shared. It became clear each farmer is working in quite different conditions, but the type of challenges are similar: how to improve production, how to increase quality of milk, how to add value and have access to the market?
Agriterra contributed by a presentation on the role of dairy cooperatives in Kenya adding value to its members’ milk. Raju Sharma, a dairy farmer from Nepal, shared his personal story and ambitions as a dairy farmer.
During the closing ceremony, Caroline Njeri Gathogo, member of Ndumberi Dairy Cooperative in Kenya, was invited on the podium. She explained her reason for resigning her former job and why she choose to start dairy farming. She explained she joint the cooperative to market her milk and a saving and credit cooperative to have access to loans.
If it wasn’t for the delegation of young farmers of Agriterra, the voice of farmers in general, and in particular the perspective of young farmers in developing countries, would have been hardly heard during the summit.
