• Sorghum varieties • Cowpeas • Green grams • Biofortified pearl millet
Quality fertilizers and agro-inputs tailored for dryland conditions
Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) • Conservation agriculture • Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) • Post-harvest handling
Tegemeo Cereals
Cultivate training helps cereal enterprise thrive
For seven years, Peter Mutegi, director of Tegemeo Cereals Limited in Tharaka Nithi, struggled to manage his venture. Due to limited business skills, he would mix his personal finances together with those of the business. This would bring conflict within the business since the accountant could not trace the money and the director could not account for the funds.
“At the beginning, we were receiving both cash and mobile money and there were many times when the cash would be lost without trace,” recounted Mr Mutegi, adding, “the revenue from the different commodities we were selling, for example seeds and agrochemicals, was also not separated so it was difficult to know which commodities were bringing profits and which were not.”
The situation was untenable for a large agribusiness working with 12,000 farmers in Tharaka Nithi and Makueni Counties to grow and aggregate sorghum, green grams and millet, and produce, pack and sell seeds.
What We Offer
Smallholder farmers in Kenya's drylands face mounting challenges:
Erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged drought
This refers to a significant deviation from historical norms in the timing, intensity, distribution, and predictability of rain.
What it looks like:
Timing Shifts: Rains arrive much later or earlier than the traditional agricultural calendar, or the seasonal wet period becomes shorter.
Intensity Extremes: Instead of gentle, soaking rains, precipitation falls in short, intense bursts (sometimes called "weather whiplash" – dry spells punctuated by downpours).
Uneven Distribution: Some areas receive record rainfall while neighboring regions remain dry, or rain falls in localized, unpredictable patches.
Loss of Predictability: Traditional knowledge and historical weather data become unreliable for forecasting.
Severe soil degradation
Severe Soil Degradation is the drastic and often irreversible decline in soil quality and productivity, fundamentally damaging its capacity to function as a living ecosystem. It's the point where the soil's health has collapsed.
Limited access to resilient seeds
This refers to the inability of farmers, particularly smallholders in vulnerable regions, to obtain and afford seeds that are bred to withstand climate shocks (like drought, floods, or new pests) and produce reliable yields.
Inadequate agronomic advisory services
This refers to the failure or severe deficiency of agricultural extension and support systems, leaving farmers without the timely, relevant, and practical knowledge needed to adapt their practices to changing conditions like erratic weather, new pests, and soil degradation.
An integrated approach to build farmer resilience:
Climate-resilient, drought-tolerant seed varieties
These are seeds specifically bred or engineered to maintain viable yields with less water. They do this by having traits like:
Deeper/faster roots to access soil moisture.
Modified stomata to reduce water loss.
Shorter growing cycles to mature before drought intensifies.
Physiological tolerance to "weather" dry periods.
In essence, they are a critical biological technology that gives crops a "head start" against drought, buying farmers crucial time and stability in an increasingly unpredictable climate.
Affordable, quality farm inputs
This refers to farmers' reliable access to essential agricultural resources—like seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides—that are both effective (genuine, suited to local conditions) and economically attainable without incurring debilitating debt.
Key Drivers:
Market Failures: Dominance of expensive, branded products; prevalence of counterfeit or adulterated inputs in local markets.
High Costs & Credit Barriers: Upfront prices are prohibitive for smallholders, who often lack access to fair credit.
Weak Supply Chains: Poor infrastructure and distribution networks in remote areas, leading to scarcity and inflated prices.
Lack of Information: Farmers cannot verify quality or determine the correct, cost-effective type and quantity of inputs needed.
Comprehensive agronomic support
This refers to a holistic, sustained system of knowledge transfer and practical guidance that provides farmers with the tailored information, skills, and resources needed to manage their entire farm system effectively and adaptively.
Key Drivers:
Siloed Services: Traditionally, advice is fragmented (e.g., focus only on seeds or fertilizer), not on integrated farm management.
Top-Down, One-Time Delivery: Lack of continuous, two-way communication and context-specific problem-solving.
Exclusion of Marginalized Groups: Women, youth, and small-scale farmers often have the least access to formal advisory networks.
Lack of Integration: Failure to connect advice with access to inputs, credit, weather data, and markets.
Scalable last-mile delivery model
This refers to a commercially viable and operationally efficient system for reliably and affordably getting essential goods (seeds, inputs, information, vaccines, etc.) from a central distribution hub to the final, most remote, and hardest-to-reach users, such as smallholder farmers in dispersed rural communities.
Key Drivers:
High Logistics Costs: Poor roads, long distances, and low population density make traditional delivery prohibitively expensive.
Fragmented Demand: Small, irregular, and diverse orders from numerous remote farmers make aggregation and efficient routing difficult.
Lack of Infrastructure: Absence of reliable cold chains for perishables, digital payment systems, or secure storage points at the village level.
Institutional Gaps: Weak public and private sector investment in rural supply chains
Land preparation
Minimum tillage, also known as conservation or reduced tillage, is a farming practice that involves disturbing the soil as little as possible during the planting process. This method helps to maintain soil health and reduce erosion, which can have many benefits including improving water quality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and conserving natural resources. Crop residue retention involves leaving plant materials on the soil surface instead of removing them after harvest. This can also help to improve soil health and fertility by increasing organic matter and reducing erosion. Correct spacing when planting refers to the distance between plants as they are planted. Proper spacing helps to optimize plant growth and yield, preventing overcrowding and ensuring that each plant gets enough nutrients and sunlight. By implementing these practices, farmers can improve their yields while also protecting the environment and reducing costs associated with traditional tillage methods.
Safe use of chemicals-safe handling
The safe use of chemicals is of utmost importance to prevent accidents and harm to people and the environment. It involves the proper handling, storage, and disposing of chemicals as well as ensuring that the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is worn. To handle chemicals safely, one must have proper training and knowledge of the chemicals they are working with and follow the provided safety guidelines. It is essential to read labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to understand the hazards and risks associated with the chemicals to prevent accidents or injuries. Storage areas must be well ventilated with good lighting, and chemicals must be stored separately to avoid mixing and causing reactions. Chemicals should be disposed of according to regulations and in a manner that will not harm the environment. By taking the necessary precautions, the safe use of chemicals can be achieved, which will promote a safer and healthier working environment for all.
Post harvest handling
Post harvest handling refers to the process of maintaining the quality and freshness of agriculture produce after it has been harvested. This is necessary to ensure that the product reaches the market in a good condition, thereby increasing the value and profitability of the produce.
Post harvest handling involves a series of activities such as sorting, grading, cleaning, packaging, storing and transporting of the produce. The process also involves careful management of the environmental factors such as temperature, light, humidity and ventilation to minimize spoilage, decay or deterioration of the product.
Poor post harvest handling can lead to significant losses and reduced market value. Therefore, farmers and agriculture professionals should employ proper post harvest handling techniques to enhance marketability and increase profitability of their products.
Products & Services
Drought-Tolerant Seeds
- Sorghum varieties
- Cowpeas
- Green grams
- Biofortified pearl millet
Organic Inputs
Quality fertilizers and agro-inputs tailored for dryland conditions
Training Programs
- Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA)
- Conservation agriculture
- Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)
- Post-harvest handling
Tharaka Nithi, Kitui, Makueni, Machakos, Meru, ,Taita Taveta, Bungoma,Busia,Siaya,Kakamega,Homabay,and Elgeyo marakwet
Expected climate change bears the potential to greatly harm the Kenyan population living in ASAL areas, and what is currently believed to be viable solutions to increase resilience may not deliver the results promised.
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Traction & Impact
Measurable Outcomes
- Enhanced food security and nutritional outcomes via biofortified crops
- Increased yields and diversified income streams
- Strong adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture and regenerative practices across communities
- Women and youth economic empowerment • Reduced environmental degradation and climate risk
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Our Team
Peter Mutegi
Managing Director
Purity Gaceri
Data Manager
Timothy Kimathi
Data manager