Reinventing Kenya’s Snack Future with Dryland Grains
21 November 2025, Kenya: On a quiet backstreet in Mihango, Kenya, the gentle hum of machinery signals a small revolution underway.
Inside a compact workshop stacked with sacks of sorghum, millet, and brown rice, Ms Dora Mummani is quietly rewriting Kenya’s snacking story.
Her enterprise, IPOP Africa, stands as a living example of ICRISAT’s mission across the continent, transforming climate-resilient dryland crops into modern, high-value foods that generate youth employment, uplift local economies, and strengthen Africa’s capacity to feed itself in a warming world.
In a market dominated by imported starch and sugar, IPOP Africa presents a powerful counter-narrative, demonstrating how indigenous grains can transform the way Kenya eats and how value is shared along the food chain.
Through ICRISAT’s Smart Food program, nutritious millets and sorghum are being positioned as crops that deliver healthier diets through such enterprises.
They offer a low glycemic index, gluten-free options, high calcium, and a wide range of other nutritional benefits, while also supporting climate resilience, local processing, youth entrepreneurship, and stronger rural economies.
By transforming these once-underutilized grains into premium products, Dora is also bringing to life a vision that places women, youth, and dryland communities at the heart of Africa’s food future.
Today, IPOP Africa supports around seven jobs, from machine operators to cleaners and night guards.
ICRISAT Nutrition Specialist Ms Aliet Ugada, who has worked closely with IPOP Africa and identified it as a high-potential enterprise ready for ICRISAT’s incubation support to scale and expand its market reach, notes that the institute is currently working with 120,000 youth across 10 counties to nurture a new generation of value-addition entrepreneurs.
“For years, ICRISAT has been recognised for its leadership in seed systems, and we have progressively expanded this work with strong efforts in value addition.
“We’re driving the utilization and celebration of dryland crops, helping entrepreneurs raise their standards, refine their branding, and scale their businesses so their products succeed in the market” said Ms. Ugada.
The Craft Behind the Business
Dora moves with the unhurried confidence of someone who has mastered her craft. First, the grains are meticulously de-stoned, washed, and inspected.
Then they enter a specialized popping machine with no oil, no additives, just heat and controlled pressure, that transforms humble kernels into light, crisp pops.
A rotating drum blends each batch with natural flavours including honey, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom before a short dehydration process locks in freshness.
In under an hour, raw grain is transformed into a finished snack, packaged and ready for sale.
Recent upgrades and the centralization of all operations under one roof have doubled her efficiency.
Speaking on the broader significance of such emerging enterprises, ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak noted that businesses like IPOP illustrate the remarkable possibilities unlocked when innovation is paired with Africa’s resilient dryland crops.
“The future of Africa’s food economy lies in value addition, and ICRISAT remains a steadfast partner to the continent in making this increasingly possible.
“Every time we take a climate-smart crop and turn it into a market-ready product, we multiply its economic impact. ICRISAT’s dryland crops are perfectly suited for this transformation.
Also Read: UPL’s Low-Methane Rice Project Wins Global SBCOP Award at COP30
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