Accommodating diverse actors and practices in the climate-development nexus: The case of Kenya’s dairy sector

Summary

The complex challenge facing Kenya's dairy sector involves reconciling human development needs with climate change mitigation efforts. While reducing greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production is crucial for mitigating climate change, the sector is also expected to continue to meet nutritional demands and support livelihoods. A predominant development pathway involves implementing agricultural climate change mitigation practices and market formalization.

This thesis addresses the seeming disconnect between this uniform pathway and diverse livelihood priorities and practices. It does so by capturing diverse livelihood priorities and dairy farming practices in Kenya’s dairy sector and by searching for ways in which this diversity is currently accommodated in practice. To enhance the success of interventions in the climate-development nexus, the findings emphasize the importance of building interventions based on observed solutions in practice, instead of perceived solutions.