Kengap Horticulture - Nairobi, Kenya

SEMI ARID REGIONS ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (SARES)
Tel: 0728673900/0735575507.
Email: [email protected] P.O .Box 2307 – 90100
Machakos
ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE
Vision
To be the region’s most dynamic and leading environmental organization offering sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer and healthier environment for all the people
Mission
Our mission is to create, facilitate and sustain environmental awareness in the semi arid regions through training, networking and accelerated information relay; Reduce poverty through effective eco-business enterprises and youth empowerment; To combat climate change by environmental rehabilitation and conservation, forest/tree cover improvement and provision of sustainable solutions and services to semi arid forest/tree  

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management.
Core values
Commitment to stewardship of the environment
Promotion and defense of social stability and a sustainable socio-ecological cohesion
Devotion to national patriotism and loyalty to the country’s economy
Maintaining self-respect, discipline, responsibility, institutional loyalty and international competitiveness
Embracing excellence, transparency and accountability
Fostering teamwork, innovation, networking, tolerance and a culture of peace
Services/products
Organization’s services to the society include:
• Providing forestry consultancy services to individual farmers, groups, community based organizations, companies and institutions
• Landscaping services
• Free group training on agro forestry and other environmental matters
• Empowering the youth to undertake eco-business projects
• Tree plantation/nursery establishment services
• Forest/ tree maintenance services for town councils, companies or any other interested party
• Promoting linkages between companies and farmers/ groups that deal in forest activities via corporate social responsibility programs.
• Project partnership services
• Community mobilization in environmental matters
• Termite control services
• Organic farming training services
The products offered include:
• Assorted tree seeds
• Assorted ready to plant tree seedlings
• Water retainers (Absor-plus)
• Black humus (fine humus substance)
• Anti termites (organic)-Folia Dasim2
• Effective micro organism (EM1)
• Molasses
Among the trees promoted, some have been identified as trees of importance to the semi arid regions. These include:
- Fodder trees – e.g. Lucaena leucocephala, Sesbania sesban, Calliandra sp., Gliricidia sp., Grevillea sp.
- Trees for food and medicine – Moringa oleifera, Mangoes, Avocados, oranges, Neem, Prunus Africana
- Trees for firewood – Acacia, Grevillea sp.
- Trees for timber and poles– Eucalyptus camandulensis (survives drought, fast growing, commercially viable, environment friendly if sited appropriately).
Processes
In order to deliver our organization’s products and services effectively the following processes are involved:
Seed collection – this is done locally by farmers. The hard to collect ones are obtained from the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI)
Partnership with manufacturing companies – these provide some of the products; water retainers, earth lee, EM1, molasses and anti termites.
Technical operations- this includes re-packaging, standardization and labeling of the products.
Professional expertise is needed in delivering of the organization’s services.
The media which includes use of brochures, calendars, newspapers and the radio is used in advertisements, public training and community mobilization.
Organizing social events like eco-based competitions between primary and secondary schools plays a big role in community sensitization and education.
Network marketing is used for products distribution; individuals and groups are utilized. However our products in particular Moringa powder is soon getting into leading shopping malls, and supermarkets.
Workforce
Approximately 30 persons work for the organization whereby only 10 are permanently involved while the rest are part time workers and associates.
Workforce categories
The workforce is responsible all round for the activities in the organization. However, the organization is headed by 5 directors, who are the co-coordinators of the various activities in the organization. The various professionals include:
• 2 Forestry professionals
• 1 Agricultural professional
• 1 Accountant
• 2 Sales and marketing professionals
• 1 Environmental professional
• 1 Clerk
The levels of education vary among the workforce since only 3 are degree holders while the rest are diploma and certificate holders. The rest are trained in the work place.
The coordinators who are members of the board of directors are considered in making decisions for the organization.
Motivation
Since all the stakeholders are people who came together with a common goal to better the environment, their attitude is the first motivator. Besides that, profits accruing from the sales are shared among the workforce. However, one of the office clerks is paid a salary.
Allowances from various duties equally motivate and sustain the workforce. Members are also in a good position to develop environmentally through the organization.
Internal communication
Since the workforce is small, long term and emergency meetings for the permanent workforce are easily planned and effected by the chief co-coordinator. However day to day decisions can be passed directly to the concerned.
Mobile phones are used when communicating to the part time employees and associates.
Organizational structure
The organization is headed by a board of directors who form the senior committee: it consists of five persons who are categorized into:
• Chairman and vice chairman
• Treasurer
• Secretary and Vice secretary
The five are also responsible for the following areas:
• Asset management
• Public relations
• Field operations
• Sales and marketing
• Project coordination
Customers and stake holders
Our customers comprise mainly of the people in the semi arid regions of Kenya. Mainly they include individual farmers who are practicing agro forestry in their farms. Others include farmer groups that practice agro forestry, schools and companies who buy anti termites, water retainers and tree seeds. County councils are major players in giving of tenders for tree planting and maintenance.
Self help groups and C.B.Os are major recipients of our trainings and products. We have in the past partnered with Katoloni mission C.B.O in a 23million project in conservation of Kiima kimwe hills.
Communication with our customers is mainly through the media and use of mobilisers.
Organization’s strategic situation
In terms of competitiveness, the organization is well placed being the only established private, environmental organization around Machakos County.
Its objectives are also unique having majored in promotion of organic farming with an integration of community empowerment and business entrepreneurship. It therefore doesn’t depend entirely on external funding.
Its market share is also big considering the extend of the semi arid region and the current awakening of the world on climate change and forestry matters.
However the following competitors exist:
• Cheap inorganic farm chemical producers
• Counterfeit product distributors

Strategic advantages/ Achievements
Having being popular in tree planting for town councils, private plantation establishment, radio and group agro-forestry training, the organization is in a position to draw attention of the community. Through the training forums, it can also market its products.
The organization won 3 TOTAL ECO- CHALLEGE awards for being the leading firm on tree planting in Kenya. This gained the confidence of customers and motivated us to work more.
In the year 2003-2004, the organization conducted projects with industries around Athi river region whereby it managed to develop waste water recycling plants with Kapa industries and Orbit chemicals. Quarry backfilling and rehabilitation was done successfully with Portland cement. Tree nurseries were also established in many of the steel milling industries and in flower firms with the industries taking responsibility of the management and transplanting. Out of those Nurseries, many seedlings were donated and planted in schools around Machakos County.
In the year 2005, the organization did trainings in all the secondary schools around the larger Machakos district whereby students and staff were trained on tree planting and solid waste management. The same was done in D.Os Barazas around the District.
Up to date, many tree planting projects have been performed with a remarkable achievement whereby 1.5 million seedlings are planted in Mombasa Municipal and county council every year, 200,000 seedlings are also planted in Kitui county council every year. These has led to the two counties winning the year 2010 and 2011 Total eco-challenge awards.

Strategic challenges
They include:
• Unwillingness of the society to engage in long term projects of which forestry is part of.
• Unwillingness of the society to trade parts of their farms for tree planting.
• Regular tendency of the community to expect free supplies; unwilling to commit their efforts
• Poverty; makes farmers unable to afford organic inputs which are rather expensive.
• The community does not prefer indigenous trees
Strategic objectives
1. To improve forest cover by 10% in Kenya by December 2015.
2. To increase employment rate among the youth aged 18-25 years by 20%- 40% in Kenya by December 2015,
3. Provide education/empowerment on environment management(Forest/ Tree planting and solid waste management) to 500,000 youths aged 13- 25 in Kenya by December 2015,

Key measures
We assess our performance as an organization through various indexes:-
• Number of seeds sold in a year
• Number of seedlings produced in our nurseries and any other nurseries we are attached to.
• Number of trees the organization plants in a year.
• Rate of adoption of the new technologies we promote.
• Popularity of our products and organization name.
• Complains received in a year
• Profits – this is used to rate our sales.

Recent performances
Performance in the past year has been positive in all areas with all indexes rating positive. New areas like Mbeere and Embu have been successfully reached.

Contact person:
JEREMIAH MUTAVI SIMBA
Phone: 0735 575 507, 0728 673 900 or 0711 744 777, 0738 162 727
Email: [email protected]