The Mashamba CSR
Mashamba is dedicated to social responsibility. Its projects in Uganda transcend the realm of commercial transactions.
BASIS OF MASHAMBA'S CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The company has built a school for the children of the small farmers in a township close to Kampala. The company has also ensured proper and safe working conditions for its employees in its packaging and distribution centers.
Mashamba is in the process of decentralizing its procurement of fruits and vegetables, with the construction of new centers where affiliated small farmers, currently far from the capital city, can sell their produce nearer to their own farms without having to make the long journey to the city, a step which should improve the quality of life for these farmers.
Even when affiliated small farmers bring produce to Mashamba’s centers that do not pass Mashamba’s high standards of quality, and hence cannot be distributed to the European market, Mashamba provides financial assistance to these farmers to guarantee them income stability, and training, so they can improve the quality of the produce they bring to sell.
A REFERENT IN UGANDA'S SOCIETY
Mashamba is a mark of reference in Ugandan society, offering direct stable employment to approximately 150 families – both employees of the company and affiliated small farmers.
In 2006, Mashamba was recognized by the Government of Uganda as the best exporting company in the country.
Mashamba is one of the most robust companies in Uganda, and provides stable employment to small-scale farmers that, until recently, were subject to the volatility and uncertainties of the Ugandan economy. In 2006, Mashamba was awarded a prize by the Government of Uganda for being the best exporting company in the country. Mashamba currently holds 50% of the market share of exports of fruits and vegetables from Uganda.
About 150 families that had previously cultivated their lands only for their own consumption now dedicate themselves to being constant producers for the international market, a condition that provides not only greater stability, but also more diversified economic opportunities for these farming families.