THE SARARA FOUNDATION’S
Milk to Market Program
The Milk to Market program enables indigenous Samburu women to sell their excess goat milk to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary – supporting their economic growth and helping rehabilitate rangelands.
Born from a need to supply Reteti’s elephant orphans with locally sourced milk during the pandemic, the program today not only benefits the entire Reteti herd, but economically empowers local Samburu women, supports the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary with a superior milk formula, and takes measures to reduce stress on the surrounding environment by improving animal husbandry and pasture management through more sustainable practices.
Transforming lives and the landscape
There’s a ripple effect throughout the conservancy with every bottle of milk that’s provided to Reteti – and it reaches far and wide!
Boosting the welfare of the entire community, it also supports the rehabilitation of Namunyak’s rangelands – the very landscape in which Reteti’s elephants will ultimately be rewilded and released.
Economic empowerment
Women have been called the “hidden hands” of pastoral production as their roles have largely gone unrecognised and unpaid. Today, there are nearly 800 women in Namunyak, across 9 manyattas (villages), who collectively supply 511 litres of milk every day.
Through the sale of their goat milk, the Milk Mamas are earning stable incomes – many for the first time! The program has also helped them to open their first bank accounts. They can now afford to pay their children’s school fees, save for the future, and support both their families and the broader community.
Natural, locally sourced milk for Reteti’s elephants
The program ensures that Reteti Elephant Sanctuary has a sustainable supply of a superior milk formula. During the first year of the program, the new goat milk formula had a 100% success rate with calves under 6 months – which is historically the most challenging stage of their development.
The goat milk has also reduced the need to import tinned milk – halving Reteti’s annual milk budget, and reducing the carbon footprint associated with importing milk.
Rangeland rehabilitation
The Milk Mamas and Eco Rangers are continuously working on restoring deteriorated land by constructing bunds, collecting grass seeds, reseeding, building gabions to manage erosion, and more.
The rehabilitation of rangeland enhances both pasture accessibility and soil health, paving the way for the creation of seed banks. These banks then facilitate the cultivation and collection of seeds for pasture growth (known as seed bulking).
It’s also helped to significantly reduce tension between communities and wildlife over resources, particularly during dry seasons.
Educate a woman, uplift a community
The Milk Mamas receive monthly training from the Eco Rangers to discuss holistic land management practices, such as animal husbandry, rangeland management, grazing practices, erosion control and more.
Through these sessions, the Mamas are equipped to produce higher-yielding livestock, prevent excessive grazing, and enhance the rangeland's condition. Elevating the amount and quality of feed for their livestock also contributes to more consistent food availability for the community.
Follow the milk
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06:00
At daybreak, a new milk journey begins by milking the goats. The milk that’s not needed for household use is brought to the milk market.
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08:00
The milk market opens! We collect milk from over 750 Mamas across the conservancy with the help of a team of motorcycle riders.
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09:00
Our intrepid team of motorbike drivers crisscross the conservancy to collect the milk from the remote manyattas.
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09:30
Upon arrival at Reteti, the milk goes into our solar-powered pasteurisers; and then to our milk kitchen where the bottles are prepared.
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11:00
Once pasteurised and cooled, the milk is taken to the milk kitchen where the elephants’ bottles are prepared.
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11:45
Bottled and ready for the noon feed. Our (t)rusty wheelbarrow helps transport our milk bottles to the boma.
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12:00
Glug, glug, glug! Each elephant drinks a 2-litre bottle every three hours. The milk that was delivered will be used in the bottles of the next 8 feeds.
Our Impact
2021 - 2023
Milk Mamas
Currently, 748 Milk Mamas supply Reteti with fresh goat and camel milk every day.
Milk collected
In 2021, the program started with 160 liters of milk per day. Today, the Mamas sell 512 litres of milk to Reteti per day.
Rangeland Rehabilitation
More than 1,600 bunds have been built and over 100 acres of land has been reseeded with indigenous grass seeds.
Expansion
Starting with one village, the program now includes 9 different manyattas – and a team of 9 motorcycle drivers who collect and deliver milk from these remote villages to Reteti.
Machinery
When we first started out, the fresh milk was heated over a fire to be pasteurised. Today, we have 2 industrial-sized pasteurisers and a cooler – as well as added solar to operate the machinery.
Cost Savings
Switching to community milk has resulted in a monthly saving of $45,000 for Reteti. As milk is not imported from overseas, the money goes directly to the community.
Feedback from the community
FUTURE OF THE PROGRAM
Our goal is to expand the Milk to Market program throughout Namunyak to create meaningful change for hundreds of community members – especially women – without harming the very ecosystem the program is designed to protect.
With the potential to double the number of participating women, while also preserving a broader portion of the Namunyak ecosystem, we aim to expand the Milk to Market program to further the reach within Namunyak Community Conservancy.
The logistics of a remote landscape make it challenging to expand – the milk can easily spoil or spill on the way to Reteti because of long travel distances, bad roads and heat exposure. Solutions like a milk dispensary and dairy equipment are needed to ensure that we don’t become a victim of our own success.
We are also set to explore alternative milk markets, such as hospitals and schools – as having more outlets will add resilience to the program, and help develop additional economic opportunities.
News from the Milk Mamas and Eco Rangers
At The Sarara Foundation, we focus on equipping the indigenous Samburu community to continue to live alongside wildlife, retain and celebrate their unique cultural heritage and live sustainably and prosperously in a modern world for many generations to come.
Development in pastoral areas worldwide falls far behind that of other programs, creating poverty and vulnerability. Pastoralists suffer from both low-impact investments and unsustainable investments, which have combined to weaken natural resource management and pastoral economy and have contributed to the degradation of pastoral resource
Meet the Team
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Saidimu Leakono
ECO RANGER
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Hendrienah Letiwa
ECO RANGER
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Baraka Lekerpees
ECO RANGER
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John Looku Lekupanai
ECO RANGER
SUPPORT THE MILK TO MAKERKET PROGRAM