Carolyne Mwangi highlights the role of youth-led agribusiness in tackling climate change and strengthening food security in Kenya at Kimplanter Seedlings.
Carolyne Mukuhi Mwangi, founder and chief executive of Kimplanter Seedlings and Nurseries Ltd, has built one of Kenya’s notable seedling enterprises by turning a personal interest in farming into a commercial venture.
Mwangi began her career in administration and human resources at a Japanese construction company in Nairobi. In search of a productive activity outside work, she started farming passion fruit at her family home in Ruiru, Kiambu County. The venture gradually drew attention from neighbours and local farmers who sought seedlings for their own farms. By 2014, she was experimenting with raising spinach seedlings, learning largely through trial and error.
Founding Kimplanter
The demand for quality seedlings, coupled with the visible impact of climate change on smallholder farming, pushed Mwangi to formalise her efforts. Kimplanter Seedlings and Nurseries Ltd was the established with the aim of supplying seedlings suited to shifting weather patterns while offering basic training and advisory support to farmers.
From modest beginnings in a wooden greenhouse, financed by personal savings and a small Sacco loan, the enterprise grew steadily. Support from organisations such as the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre enabled the business to modernise its greenhouses and expand production.
Today, Kimplanter operates facilities in Ruiru and Makuyu. According to the company, it produces around 1.5 million seedlings each month, ranging from vegetables and herbs to fruit trees. The catalogue includes tomatoes, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, pawpaw and tree tomatoes.
Business model and farmer support
Alongside propagation, the company integrates training and post-sale advisory services. Farmers are introduced to agronomic techniques intended to improve the survival rates of seedlings and strengthen resilience to drought. Mwangi has emphasised that such measures are essential for sustaining yields in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather. By extending growing seasons and improving crop reliability, the seedlings are positioned as part of broader food security efforts.
Recognition
Mwangi’s efforts have drawn recognition nationally and internationally. In 2019, she won the Best Youth in Agriculture award at the National Farmers Award Scheme, a programme run by the Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the Agricultural Society of Kenya. The accolade brought her work to wider attention, including an invitation to showcase her enterprise at the Nairobi International Trade Fair.
In 2021, she was selected as a finalist in the YouthADAPT Challenge, a joint initiative of the African Development Bank and the Global Centre on Adaptation, which supports young entrepreneurs advancing climate adaptation solutions. Through such platforms, Kimplanter has gained visibility and, in some cases, funding support to enhance its operations.
Carolyne Mwangi is moving to expand automation in seedling production, explore new plant varieties with higher tolerance to drought and create more employment opportunities for young people.
