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The United Nations declared 2024 the International Year of Camelids to celebrate the contribution of camelids to food security, nutrition, economic growth, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Over the last two decades, recurrent droughts in northern Kenya have led to the loss of livelihoods and posed significant challenges to pastoralist areas. The droughts have exacerbated malnutrition, animal disease, and food insecurity.
However, pastoralist’s adaptive practices including strategic mobility, diversification of livestock species, expanding income portfolios and marketing, and investing in social-economic relationships, have enabled pastoral livelihoods to persist and often thrive, despite predictions that pastoralism as a way of life could come to an end.
Camel production, specifically Camelus dromedarius, has emerged as the top practice, partly due to climate change adaptation and economic significance.
The world’s dromedarius camel population is about 37.51 million – primarily found in Africa and the Middle East – of which 13.71 million are in eastern Africa. Kenya’s northern and southern pastoral counties account for about 80 per cent of the camel population, or about 4.722 million.
As at 2019, camel milk products were valued at US$10.2 billion Kenya is considered the leading camel milk producer in the world, producing about 1.165 million litres annually. Somalia and Saudi Arabia follow, with 0.956 million and 0.271 million litres, respectively. There has been increasing demand for camel milk, meat, and other products owing to their nutritional, medicinal, and cultural values worldwide, including in Kenya.
Camel rearing and the marketing of camel products are further strengthened by expanding the marketing infrastructure and external support of the camel milk value chain through resilience-building initiatives.
Camels and climate change adaptation
The global debate on methane emissions in industrial-scale intensive livestock production threatens the lives and livelihoods of small-scale extensive livestock producers, especially in low-income countries.
However, camels have lower emissions than other livestock and contribute to biodiversity conservation. Camels are, therefore, well suited to climate change adaptation. During the 2020–2022 drought, losses in camels were less than in cattle and small ruminants across the broader Horn of Africa.
Camels have proven to be the most resilient and adaptive animal, supporting millions of pastoralist livelihoods in the drylands. Even in the harshest conditions, camels can subsist on minimal fodder, feeding on drought-resistant shrubs and the leaves of tall trees. The camel converts the fat in its hump into water and can go without water for up to three weeks, making it an indispensable domestic animal in arid regions.
A camel can lactate for up to 24 months, and on average, a lactating camel can produce between 3 and 15 litres of milk per day depending on its breed, health, and its environment, providing a vital source of nutrition as well as income from the sale of the milk.
The camel’s physique – large hoofed feet, thick eyebrows, and long lashes – enhances its ability to withstand heavy desert winds and storms. Although camels are susceptible to pathogenic and bacterial diseases, they exhibit greater resilience to viral and microbial diseases, including foot and mouth disease and Rift Valley fever. Camel milk has high medicinal value, is anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, immune boosting, and has other health benefits. Lactose-intolerant individuals can also take camel milk.
Finally, allowing camels to roam freely over vast distances and feed on diverse shrubs and tree leaves ensures ethical camel dairying. This enhances the taste and aroma of the milk, keeps the camels stress-free, and provides high-quality milk production. The process benefits both the camels and the humans who depend on them, creating a sustainable and ethical food source.
Marketing of camel milk
The marketing of camel milk has restructured pastoralists’ livelihoods across the broader Horn of Africa, especially Kenya, Somalia, and parts of Ethiopia. Other products, including camel yoghurt, cheese, sausages, and cosmetic products, have bolstered the significance of the camel for livelihoods and economic growth. The camel milk industry has empowered millions of women, many of whom sell milk by the roadside or through cooperatives that collect camel milk and supply it to processing plants.
This tradition, where men herd camels and milk them while the women handle milk sales, has flourished and contributes to household food security and resilience to droughts, especially in regions where agriculture is challenging.
In northern Kenya’s Isiolo County, camel milk and meat cooperatives – often owned and managed by female pastoralists – have mushroomed since early 2000 and by 2024, there were six camel milk cooperatives, all owned and managed by women, while men provide technical services, including milk transportation and managing cooling facilities.
External support to these cooperatives has often been through co-financing facilities, training on milk management, and entrepreneurial skills development. The marketing of camel milk provides incomes and assets, as the proceeds are often reinvested in livestock production – especially in purchasing small ruminants – and other uses.
Technology and innovation
Technology and innovation are vital to strengthening the value chains of camel products and ensuring competition with other livestock goods. Young motorcycle riders with dynamic networks and expertise link women in urban markets to milk production/collection in rural areas and terminal markets in major towns.
These individuals ensure that, despite unfavourable weather conditions, poor roads, insecurity, and other variabilities in the rangelands, milk is delivered efficiently and in real time (this was the case even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when movement was restricted). These dynamic networks of young men and women, flexibility in ensuring reliable milk supply, and food-secure households, define pastoral resilience.
The motorcycle (boda boda) transport system has enabled the transportation of milk in challenging terrains, connecting remote villages to collection centres and cooling cooperatives in towns. Secondly, mobile money transfers have further streamlined the camel milk industry, enabling remote and secure payments, especially in areas with network coverage.
In some regions, pilot cooling stations and cooling trucks/vans have reduced milk spoilage caused by extreme heat. However, where the road terrain is rocky, vehicle breakdowns are frequent, rendering maintenance costly. Nonetheless, this vibrant, informal economy has helped pastoralist households which have often been left behind due to poor road networks (especially those connecting the animal production areas to markets), lack of access to energy and electricity, and scanty investments in different technologies.
Besides milk, camel meat is gaining popularity in small towns and cities, often through informal women-led cooperatives producing local nyirinyiri or koche (sundried and oil-fried camel meat). Just recently, Masterslices, a certified camel products factory, opened in Isiolo and has begun producing camel sausages, nyirinyiri, bone marrow, and even purified camel hump fat for culinary use. Camel products also have potential in the cosmetics industry. High quality camel milk can be used to produce soaps, shampoos, lip balms, and body oils. Even the camel hump, traditionally consumed as food, can be processed into moisturisers and creams, further expanding the economic potential of camels.
Camel milk toffees, camel milk chocolates, or even “camelcino” coffee drinks could be innovative ways to connect pastoralist economies with global markets without losing their cultural heritage. In a time of climate crisis and rural-to-urban migration, promoting entrepreneurship in the pastoral sector can encourage young people to stay connected to their livelihoods by creating value-added camel products.
Constraints and threats of camel production
Despite the camel’s great stamina and its ability to withstand harsh climatic conditions, camel production is mired in significant challenges. First, pastoralists face challenges in detecting diseases that affect their camels due to a lack of infrastructure and inadequate testing facilities, especially in the vast drylands of northern and southern Kenya. There are only two labs for testing diseases in the entire Marsabit and Isiolo counties and both facilities are severely under-equipped to manage outbreaks.
This lack of infrastructure renders camels vulnerable to disease outbreaks; in effect, there has been a rise in unknown and mysterious camel diseases that cause sudden death. Limited access to veterinary health centres where medicines are stored, along with insufficient testing kits and vaccine storage, makes it difficult to safeguard camels from disease outbreaks. Compared to research in cattle, poultry and agriculture in general where investment is high, there is scant research being undertaken on the emerging zoonotic camel disease and its potential cure, especially in the drylands of Africa.
Secondly, aggressive infrastructure development, such as the construction of roads, wind and solar farms, and military fencing diminish the vast grazing lands that camels require. These limitations can hinder the resilience of camels, even as they remain crucial in the face of climate crises. A member of the milk cooperative in Isiolo observed,
“I used to graze my camels in peri-urban areas. They feed on anno [Euphorbia tirucalli] and it was less labour-intensive. But now, plots are privatised, resorts are opening up in all corners, and the military has forced us out of our prime grazing area. We cannot go south or northeast for fear of the Meru, Turkana, and Samburu. We are simply squeezed from all corners, and I wonder about the future of the camels we rely on.”
Thirdly, camels have a slow reproductive rate (13 months) compared to other livestock species, such as goats whose gestation period is about five months. The slow reproduction is due to the short breeding season, the longer time it takes for the camel calf to mature and in turn reproduce, and the difficulty with artificial insemination, especially semen collection. One respondent explained: “Although camels can lactate longer and produce more milk, the waiting period is longer, sometimes the animal miscarries for two consecutive pregnancies and carries the subsequent pregnancy for 13 months.” Research shows that camel calves take longer to mature, conceiving for the first time at the age of 4 to 5 years.
Finally, a high percentage of camel milk is wasted due to a lack of energy-powered infrastructure – such as scaling cooling plants – in the rural grazing areas. In Kenya, it is reported that up to 50 per cent of camel milk is wasted through postharvest losses owing to a lack of cooling infrastructure at collection points, transportation over long distances, and poor hygiene. In addition, the traditional practice of preserving milk by smoking alters the taste, which is sometimes not appealing to other potential consumers, thus limiting the potential for marketing in supermarkets and grocery stores.
Re-examining camel production for climate change adaptation
Despite a lack of animal health facilities and extreme climatic conditions that result in frequent drought, floods, and disease outbreaks, camel production continues to flourish. Women and young pastoralists, often considered vulnerable without substantial livestock ownership, benefit from the marketing of camel milk and meat through brokerage, the provision of transport services, and membership in cooperatives, earning a reliable income. These groups engage in the trade based on trust and flexible networking relationships between milk producers in the hinterlands, milk collectors, and the milk sellers in town. They align their market participation with ecological sustainability and cultural preservation, ensuring that their livestock resources are safe and reliable, despite the seasonal cycles.
These relationships differ from the modern market’s fixed supply-demand model but allow flexibility to counter shortages and increase productivity in an always uncertain world. Payments are often made on a monthly basis through mobile money transfers (Mpesa), ensuring a sustainable income for the families. Understanding the role of women, young pastoralists, and technology in enhancing the marketing of camel products amidst the turbulent ecosystem will inform and guide future investment in camel production as a reliable livelihood to improve food and nutrition security.
Considering the health benefits of camel milk – including a high level of insulin and its potential benefit to diabetic patients, and the high levels of vitamin C, iron and B vitamins – the government and those humanitarian agencies working with young children should consider ways of promoting camel milk consumption in schools and dispensaries to boost children’s immunity to diseases. There have been calls – including at the recently concluded pastoralist leadership summit in Wajir, Kenya – for the establishment of a Centre for Camel Excellence in the region to support camel disease research, and explore the economic and environmental impact of camel production.
Meanwhile, energy must be integrated into the pastoralists’ way of life. Solar farms that provide power in cities should also support pastoralists by running cooling plants for perishable products like camel milk, especially during droughts. The dairy industry should process the surplus milk produced by camels during the rainy season into long-lasting products like yoghurt, cream, and powdered milk. Investment in biosafety and handling protocols to enhance the safety of camel meat and meat products could potentially prevent zoonotic disease transmission to humans.
Pastoralists and camel breeders must also strengthen their networks and support the smallholder cooperatives at the grassroots level. Having strong representatives on national dairy boards, or even a dedicated camel board, might improve policies and investment in camel production.
The private sector has the potential to significantly enhance the camel milk industry and support pastoralist communities by facilitating market access for their products. By addressing the critical barriers to market entry, the private sector can empower pastoralists who might otherwise struggle to gain a foothold in competitive markets.
This engagement could span multiple areas, such as improving the flow of market information, optimising transportation costs, and establishing effective milk cooling and storage systems to maintain product quality. By engaging comprehensively in the camel product value chain, the private sector, camel breeders, government and civil society can ensure mutual benefit and sustainable growth for all stakeholders involved.
