KENYA · GUIDE 0004 · EDITION 4.2
Terere Farming Records: Bed, Bunch and Retail Sales Worksheets
Link each picking session to a retailer and a payment
A useful terere record connects the named planting source, bed, picking date, buyer-approved bunch and paid retail result. Total harvested weight alone cannot reveal whether weeds were mixed into the crop, the bunches arrived too late or a retailer returned unsold stock.
Keep a compact source and bed record
Record the crop name, supplier and lot or invoice information, bed reference, planting date, water observations and labour. Obtain competent local confirmation of the intended planting material. Keep unknown amounts marked unknown until measured; do not fill them using an assumed yield from a different plot.
Reconcile the route at each stage
| Worksheet field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Picking session | Bed reference, date and gross harvested quantity |
| Sorting | Unwanted growth, removed material and time spent |
| Bunch specification | Agreed size, stem inclusion and stand-alone or mixed composition |
| Dispatch | Bunch count, picking time, container and destination |
| Retail handover | Arrival time, accepted count, receiving person and discrepancies |
| Selling result | Paid sales, unsold or wilted bunches, return terms and retailer comments |
| Money | Amount due, amount collected, balance and payment date |
If the retailer sells a mixed selection, record each component and its cost rather than assigning the whole bundle to terere. Compare dispatched, accepted, sold and returned counts; investigate a missing difference instead of converting it into a sale.
Review the cost and cash separately
Record initial tools separately from recurring seed, water, weeding, ties, sorting and route expenses. Include a return trip to collect unsold produce or empty crates. Calculate contribution using the agreed paid unit and keep an unpaid balance visible until the money is actually received. The pricing chapter’s numerical example is invented and must be replaced with your own records.
The World Vegetable Center’s Kenya manual, KEPHIS, WRA and KRA provide production or official enquiry routes. They do not independently establish a particular farm’s crop identity, local customer demand, supplier price or profit. Use the required statutory records for your circumstances and store customer details privately.
End each weekly review with a recorded action: investigate weeds, revise bunch size, change arrival time with the retailer, collect a balance or defer expansion. Keep the reason and the original delivery record rather than overwriting it.