The research is now being highlighted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to show how cows can be used to help communities in both the UK and Africa thrive. This approach has benefited Scottish dairy farmers like Rory Christie, a former SRUC student, who farms near Port William, in Dumfries and Galloway. The success of the genetics research also sparked the idea it could be used to solve food shortages in Africa. Since the 1950s, dairy cows have been imported into Kenya to produce milk but very little data has been kept about breed types or production potential. Coffey said: “It’s really rewarding to see research from Scotland having an impact both at home and abroad.