Reinventing Kenya’s Snack Future with Dryland Grains

ICRISAT November 21, 2025

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.

See more: https://pressroom.icrisat.org/reinventing-kenyas-snack-future-with-dryland-grains