By Hans Goertz

“Karibu sana” says the immigration officer as he welcomes me into Kenya. There is a warmth and familiarity of stepping into the colorful hallways of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Since its inception in 2017, the Smith Center has cultivated a network of partnerships in the East African country.  

I returned to Kenya in March 2025 to follow up with many of these partners. I was accompanied by a delegation of UTIA faculty from three departments: Animal Science, Plant Science, and Agricultural Resources and Economics. The group was brought together around a common interest in strengthening the livestock sector in Kenya. Livestock are critical to economic growth, livelihoods, nutrition, and food security in Kenya. Nearly half of the agricultural labor force is employed by jobs along the livestock value chain. Kenya is on the front line of climate change. In recent years, the country has contended with successive droughts that have degraded the region’s rangelands, leading to decreased productivity and widespread animal losses.

We used the trip to tour livestock production and marketing facilities, gather information on research and extension gaps, and plan collaborative activities with partners to address these issues. One promising area for collaboration between our institutions is “repatriating” perennial grasses to Kenya to provide forage for livestock herds. These are grass species which originated in East Africa and have been collected and genetically improved by crop breeders in the U.S. and Brazil. Another area is developing more participatory, data-driven livestock breeding programs which incorporate input from livestock producers to produce better adapted, more resilient animals. 

During our visit, we also caught up with alumni from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s (USDA/FAS) exchange programs, including participants from the Faculty Exchange (FEP), Scientific Exchange (SEP), and Cochran programs. These Kenyan fellows all came to Knoxville in fall 2022 to work with UTIA faculty on various research and training programs. We had fun sharing memories of our time together on Rocky Top while they introduced us to new sights and sounds in the city of Nairobi.

On our last day, we co-hosted a workshop with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) on the red meat value chain. This workshop brought together partners from various units at ILRI, the Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), and USDA/FAS. We are currently developing a series of policy briefs based on the workshop discussions to guide research and outreach activities in the livestock sector. During the trip, UT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ILRI which will serve as a foundation for future collaboration between our institutions.

Through these partnerships in Kenya, the Smith Center is committed to strengthening the international livestock sector while expanding global engagement opportunities for UTIA faculty, staff, and students. We look forward to seeing the positive impacts these collaborations will have on both local communities and the broader global agricultural landscape.