By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

No fewer than 1,000 pastoral women drawn from the three senatorial districts of Kaduna State have been trained on safe milk collection, hygiene and processing, in a bid to improve dairy quality and enhance livelihoods.

The capacity-building programme was organised by Sophie Farms, with support from KD-L-PRES and the World Bank, as part of efforts to strengthen local dairy value chains and address long-standing challenges associated with milk safety and production.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, the organisers noted that Nigeria continues to face significant gaps in meeting domestic dairy demand, largely due to poor milk handling practices, contamination risks and limited access to technical knowledge among producers.

The Chief Executive Officer of Sophie Farms, Ahmed Safiyah Beauty, said pastoral women play a critical role in dairy production, particularly in milking and initial handling, making them central to improving food safety and household nutrition.

“Pastoral women, who are often responsible for milking and early handling, are uniquely positioned to drive improvement. Strengthening their knowledge and practices directly improves food safety, household nutrition and income potential, while also supporting broader dairy sector development,” she said.

She explained that the training focused on milk collection, hygiene, processing and value addition, and was designed to enhance milk quality across Kaduna State while opening up better market opportunities for women in the dairy sector.

“As we look ahead, the focus will be on sustaining these gains, supporting continued learning, and exploring opportunities to scale this model to other communities,” she added.

According to her, the organisation remains committed to working with partners, communities and institutions to build safer, more inclusive and resilient dairy value chains across the country.

The training sessions were conducted across three zones of the state. In the Zaria Zone, activities took place at Kofar Kona and Tohu Ranji; in Kaduna Central Zone, sessions were held at Baban Ruga and Zaidi; while in Southern Kaduna (Kafanchan) Zone, participants were trained at Ladduga Grazing Reserve in Kachia, Gidan Waya and Godo-Godo.

Over a seven-day period, participants underwent practical sessions on hygienic milking, contamination prevention, safe handling and basic quality improvement practices.

The programme was facilitated by technical experts, including Dr. Jazuli Muhammad Bichi of Bayero University, whose hands-on approach helped participants better understand dairy hygiene principles relevant to their daily activities.

The initiative is expected to significantly improve milk safety, increase income opportunities for pastoral women and strengthen dairy value chains across Kaduna State.