Building user-centered collaborative research in Nandi and Bomet counties, Kenya

In the highland counties of Nandi and Bomet in Kenya, smallholder dairy farmers are facing increasing climate risks, including erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells, and declining feed availability. These pressures threaten livestock productivity, household income, and local food security. In response, a collaborative, farmer-centered research and scaling process has emerged, bringing together research institutions, county governments, extension services, private sector partners, and farmers themselves to co-develop and scale climate-smart livestock practices through the Pioneer Positive Deviance (P-PD) approach. Pioneer Positive Deviance is an approach that challenges conventional problem-solving by focusing on what is already working in a particular area. Rather than introducing externally designed solutions, the program builds on existing farmer innovations and long-standing relationships in the two counties. Pioneer farmers who have demonstrated successful dry-season feeding practices become central actors in learning, research, and scaling processes. Through collaboration, stakeholders align their actions around proven pioneer practices and farmer-identified priorities, transforming learning and extension and creating a strong foundation for scaling climate-smart livestock practices.